The Winter/Holiday Style Me Challenge started this week and I’m excited to be joined by several ladies I know. My mom, my MIL, my BIL’s girlfriend and her mom are all joining in. It’s fun to see people you know in real life on the Facebook page every morning.

I bought a few things for the Winter/Holiday challenge. I needed a few more maternity tops as my regular tops that had worked for the first and second trimester are a little indecent now. I also needed another pair of winter shoes after wearing ballet flats in the rain one too many times this fall. Again I set a budget of $300 and am currently $5.48 over it. However, I have several pieces in transit to be returned. I’m not sure how much I’ll get back in rewards cards and how much in cash, but I estimate being under budget when it’s all said and done. All other items are linked to in my Fall capsule post.

(I have no picture of the new additions because I’m exhausted. The third trimester is kicking my butt and the thought of getting out all the clothes to take a photo of them and put them all back is more than I can handle right now. I really get why everyone talks aboutthe golden days of the second trimester now!)

Tops: Print Sweater, Black Poncho (maternity), Tan Wrap, Dressy Shirt (maternity; no longer available)
Holiday Wear: Teal Dress, Black Pants, Clutch, Statement Necklace
Accessories: Wedge Booties, Blanket Scarf, Faux Fur Scarf – cream + gray (old), Boot Socks, Leggings (maternity; probably will get more use post-baby, but this was my last shopping trip until the spring challenge so I wanted to include some postpartum loungewear)

The number one thing I love about the Winter/Holiday challenge is that Alison has published a full week of outfits. On Sunday I was able to organize my outfits for the entire week, one less thing to do every night.  I know she is offering this because of holiday travel, but I’m hoping that she continues to make it a feature of future challenges.

scarf / boutique; sweater / gap maternity; jeans / old navy maternity; boots / dsw; earrings + necklace / stella and dot

A cozy outfit for day one. I forgot about this gray faux fur infinity scarf that I purchased a few years ago at a local boutique owned by a friend of a friend. It worked better with my neutral sweater than the cream colored one I purchased for the challenge. Knowing I’d be too warm to wear the scarf all day (it’s really heavy), I added a necklace. And for good measure, I changed out my daily studs for a little sparkle.

tunic, leggings, boots, scarf / nordstom; socks / loft; vest / destination maternity

After not finding a maternity tunic I loved enough to invest in, I pulled an old tunic from the closet and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was just long enough for the bump and to be decent with leggings. Probably will only get another week or two out of it, but will be great postpartum. I wore boot socks for the first time today and loved them! Wish I had jumped on this trend a long time ago. My boots are pretty high so they didn’t show a ton, but a little of the chevron pattern peaked out. With the exception of the socks, I owned everything in this outfit prior to the challenge but likely never would have put it together. It is totally possible to shop your closet.

As I do every challenge, I’m joining up with several of the other ladies to share out outfits on Wednesdays. It’s one of my favorite parts of the challenge. If you’re blogging about your outfits and want to share, link up on Alison or Carrie’s blogs – or both!

And just like that, we’re at the Fall Style Me Challenge final outfit post. I’m a little sad that this will be my last outfit post for a while. I’ve decided not to do the Build Your Basics challenge. Not because it’s for over 40, I think basics are great at any age. But the reality is, six months pregnant is not the time to buy a wardrobe of basics. This is the first challenge my mom has signed up for and I wanted to do it with her but it just doesn’t make sense. Regular registration is open through the 6th if you are interested in joining. I’ll be back for the Winter/Holiday Challenge to spruce up my maternity wardrobe. Most of my pre-maternity clothes are not going to fit in another week or two and it will be a good time to pick up a few more items to make it through the third trimester. Today I’m sharing days 17 through 21. I don’t lose steam on the challenge at any point during the three weeks, but I definitely lose steam on taking photos.

scarves, leggings, necklace, boots and booties / nordstrom; jeans and cardigan / old navy maternity; white long sleeve tee / gap maternity; gray long sleeve tee / borrowed (maternity); pink vest / old navy

I’m hoping that because I’ve clearly developed a uniform (I do have twelve years of Catholic schooling, it comes naturally), once I am deep in mommy mode I will manage to still get dressed and not rely on yoga pants. It is so easy to throw on pants, boots, a few layers, and a scarf. Especially when all your clothes coordinate and a pop of color is all you need to take an outfit to the next level.

boots, scarf, tunic / nordstrom; belt / target; jeans / old navy maternity

I participated on day 19, but I can’t find a picture. It was a basic Friday outfit of jeans, gray pullover sweater with a navy checked shirt, and leopard flats. Another ‘fancy sweatshirt’ day. These days were good as they made me dig into my closet and look for alternatives. This sweater was a tunic pre-belly. I don’t wear it much because it never comes out of the wash looking very good and I hate spending money on dry cleaning. I can’t get enough leopard + gray with a splash of turquoise.

sweater / gap; dress and tights / old navy maternity; scarf and boots / nordstrom; necklace / stella and dot

And day 21. I love this outfit. It’s perfect for date night or the office. It was nice to wear something a little fancier than jeans to work for the first time in weeks. I’m glad I went with my scarf and necklace look as it was too hot in a few conference rooms for the leopard. I had a blast with the Fall challenge. Again, the Facebook page was a source of outfit inspiration and a positive gathering of women all encouraging each other. Fashion can seem silly and frivolous, but the good vibes that every lady who participates puts out is about so much more than clothes and trends. I’m always thankful to be involved in this group. This challenge was extra fun as my brother-in-law’s girlfriend, Kelly, participated. She has an edgier style than me and had different weather for most of the challenge as we live on opposite coasts. She also does not have a bowling ball popping out of her midline. It was fun every morning to see how we took the same inspiration email and interpreted it in our own ways.

I can’t believe the Fall Style Me Challenge is into the last week. If you’re looking for more style or want to jump on board, Alison just announced the next challenge. Build Your Wardrobe Basics will specifically geared to women over 40. It will be open to anyone, but focus on classic styles that will work year round, with less of a focus on trends. Registration opens this Friday, I’ll be sure to include a link for anyone interested.

Today I’m sharing days 10 through 16. Please excuse the photography. It’s been stormy here plus the sun is rising later every day. Selfies in poor lighting never make for the best photos and I’m having a hell of a time getting my iPhone to focus well.

jeans and top / old navy maternity; scarf and flats / nordstrom; cardigan / gap; necklace / stella&dot

Today called for a plaid scarf, but the orange shirt made that tricky. My colorful one was too much and my b+w one screamed Halloween. I decided to go with my usual pop of color look and leave the shirt be. I added a gray scarf and sweater in different shades for a monochromatic look and topped that off my Kimberly necklace. Also, worst shoe choice ever because it poured buckets today and I had nice wet feet all afternoon.

scarves and leopard flats / nordstrom; shirts / borrowed (maternity); striped sweater / forever 21; jeans / old navy maternity; puffer vest / motherhood maternity; boots / dsw

The Nordstrom infinity scarf is my favorite fall purchase. I kind of want to go crazy and buy more colors, but I’ll stick with my gray and turquoise for now. Also, I’m thinking an alternative name for my blog could be “Scarves and Stripes” because that seems to be about all I wear. (I also get very patriotic when inebriated, so it would work really well.)

puffer vest / motherhood maternity; buffalo plaid shirt and jeans / old navy maternity; rain bots and booties / nordstrom

Day thirteen, worn two ways. First we were off to an MLS soccer match in the rain so I went with my Hunters. Later that evening we headed out for an Oktoberfest party with friends. I rolled up the jeans a bit and wore my booties. I like the buffalo plaid with the gray and white, it feels a little more subdued. Please excuse the fact that I did not check my hair or if I had a decent picture before moving on…

jacket and leopard flats / nordstrom; belt / target; top / gap; jeans / old navy maternity

Great outfit for errand running day! I didn’t get a detailed photo so instead I’m sharing one of the two fall nail colors I picked up. I’m avoiding nail salons for the duration of my pregnancy but still want to be festive. This is “good as gold” by Essie. It’s definitely metallic and really fun.

sweater / gap; scarf and booties / nordstrom; necklace / stella and dot; jeans and navy top / old navy maternity

Easy outfit for a(nother) rainy Monday. I love this colorful scarf for brightening up basics. I’ve noticed that with pregnancy I tend to run warmer than normal. Typically I would never need to take a scarf off midday, but lately I’ve been in conference rooms overheating and needing to de-robe. I’m wearing necklaces under my scarves so I have some detail when I start to strip down. At one point today the scarf and sweater came off – what am I going to do when the heat actually turns on in the building?!

scarf / gift; necklace / stella and dot; leopard flats / nordstrom; gray sweater / gap maternity; jeans / old navy maternity

I’ve been monitoring my own fashion long enough now to call this a “me outfit”. Neutral basics with a pop of color and pattern mixing with stripes. This combo is easy to pick out, goes on quick, and looks cute and pulled together. I could also probably make fifty different outfits from my closet by following this pattern.

We’re already midway through week two of the Fall Style Me Challenge and I’m sharing days 3 through 9. Still loving getting dressed for work in less than five minutes because someone else is telling me what to wear.

shirt / old navy; skinny jeans / old navy maternity; tank / gap maternity; scarf and booties / nordstrom

I have fallen for buffalo plaid big time this fall. When I put this shirt on though it was a little too red for my comfort zone. To neutralize, I added a gray tank and a black scarf with small gold stars. Prior to the challenges, I never would have gone gray since there isn’t gray in the shirt. I’ve learned though that complimenting can be more visually interesting than matching.  I probably wouldn’t have done a patterned scarf with plaid either, even though this one is quite basic.

sweater and shirt / gap; tank / target maternity; jeans / old navy maternity; necklace / etsy; flats and jacket / nordstrom

Today was fancy sweatshirt day, but I didn’t pick up a fancy sweatshirt. (Seems less flattering on a maternity figure and doesn’t seem very conducive to nursing so would have been a rather short lived item.) Instead, I pulled out a few items from the spring challenge and topped them with a camel jacket from last year and a fancy necklace. I love that I’m building a wardrobe that can be leveraged year round.

tan cardigan, gray jeans, skinny jeans / old navy maternity; both scarves, pink necklace, striped TOMS, and leopard flats / nordstrom; gray sweater and blue cardigan / gap maternity; nude belt / target; b+w tank / borrowed (maternity)

Days 5, 6, and 7 corresponded with my school days and I don’t have extra close up photos for any of these days. Typically I would have skipped the challenge and gone with yoga pants, which are actually a better fit for our school days. However, I haven’t purchased any maternity workout gear and my collection of lululemon is starting to get a little too tight for a full day of wear. I swapped shoes on most days to be more classroom appropriate, otherwise the challenge worked just fine. Love that you can dress each daily outfit template up or down.

jacket / old navy; plaid shirt and booties / nordstrom; jeans / old navy maternity

Easy outfit for a rainy Monday. Since there isn’t a lot of detail here, I thought I’d share my arm decor. I picked up the watch on sale this summer and I love it. It goes with pretty much everything and the little pop of pink is fun. Greg surprised me with the new bangles as a gift for finishing school. I was so not expecting anything and am just grateful that we worked together to make the last nine months feasible. But new jewelry is always appreciated. 🙂

cardigan, boots, scarf, and leggings / nordstrom; black tee / maternity (borrowed); leopard belt / target

This might be my favorite outfit so far. It’s really simple but I received many compliments at work and felt like this would be something I would have worn pre-pregnancy, compared to my very casual maternity wardrobe. This might end up being my go-to date night / dinner out outfit for the rest of the pregnancy. I couldn’t resist a pop of color with my scarf once I realized it is actually getting a little chilly in the mornings now.

The Fall Style Me Challenge started this week and I’m pumped. One less thing to think about everyday. Between my Whole30 and this challenge, the decision making I have to do on a daily basis is greatly reduced. Love it.

Being on the West Coast, I get the next day’s outfit via email at 4pm, making it incredibly easy to pick out my clothes and accessories in the evening and not having to think about getting dressed in the morning. I’m making this short and sweet as I’m down to about 48 hours until my final exam. Wish me luck!

shirt and jeans / old navy maternity; necklace / kendra scott; booties / bp @ nordstrom

Day one started off easy. This is typically more casual of a look than I’d go for at work but because I didn’t buy maternity work clothes I’m dressing more casual overall. My booties have been getting quite a few compliments and they are incredibly comfortable even for a full day of work. Definitely on the trendier side for me and it’s fun wearing them.

long tee / gap maternity; leggings, boots, jacket, and scarf / nordstrom; belt / target

Super excited to have a new pattern mixing combo in my repertoire – plaid and leopard. It’s the fall version of spring’s leopard and stripes. I’m pretty sure this, or something similar, will be a go-to outfit all fall and winter. Loving this Steve Madden scarf I found at Nordstrom (it comes in a few other colors) – infinity style and great drapability. That’s totally a word.