Big Blog News

While I was visiting Katie in Florida, she decided that it was time for her to take a break from blogging. It has been such a fun collaboration and I will miss working on it with her. At the same time, I am excited to announce that I will be starting a new blog called Little Laura's Closet. It will be similar to Petite Sister Style except that I will be the only author, and I will shift the focus toward better self-caught photography, more DIY projects, and more purposeful writing.

Please come check out Little Laura's Closet as it launches today. You will find all of my posts from Petite Sister Style, all new posts going forward, and a new blog design. I would love for you to follow me and to offer any constructive advice you may have. I want it to be a pleasure to look at and read which inspires you to discover your personal style.

What would you like to see in my new blog? How can I improve on Petite Sister Style?

Review: Invisibelt

I stumbled upon this product at a boutique in my hometown (Jeans and a Cute Top Shop), and have been hooked ever since. Check it out here. I noticed that they have a line for pregnancy also. I will have to check that out someday when I need it again. The Invisibelt solves two major problems that I constantly have with pants - even my best fitting ones: bulk in the front and gapping in the back.

          Before - notice the bulk from the button                             After - the waistband lays flat!

Because I am a bit curvy, I tend to fill out the hips and behind in pants, leaving the waistband loose. As a result, I constantly find myself pulling my pants up as they work their way down. With the Invisibelt, they stay up without the constant tugging. Yay!

The belt is clear, so if it does show, it is not super noticeable. Of course, the whole point is that it stays underneath my shirt. If I wanted to tuck my shirt in, I would choose a different belt. 

A friend of mine, who has used an Invisibelt for a while, told me that the only downside is that it tends to pop open once in a while, which can be a little embarrassing at the inopportune moment. The solution is to position the clasp underneath a belt loop.

At a price point of $22, I think that it was a good buy. I would pay more for a nice statement belt which I would only wear occasionally, so for a belt that I will wear all the time, it is a steal.

Note: All opinions are my own. I bought this myself and have not been influenced in any way by the manufacturer of Invisibelt. 

Have you ever tried a product like this?

Sweater Dresses

I have a hard time finding sweater dresses that are flattering to my shape. I have a rather large rear end so it makes things like this give me a "mermaid butt." Mermaid Butt occurs when the back end of the garment (dress/skirt) curves up in the back due to your butt stealing all the fabric. 

This dress was a gift for Christmas. It is a little tight, but with a few wears, I think it will be more flattering.  

Do you ever hope that clothes will fit better after a few wears? 

Here is a closeup of the brooch on top. I'm not crazy about the black toule, so I might remove this pearl flower feature in the near future. 

 Dress: Kohls

Belt: PacSun

Shoes: Gift from a friend

Italian Scarf and Comfy Sweater

I tried my hand at some outdoor photos with my new remote control today, since I just replaced my old broken tripod and Luke was taking a nap while the lighting was good. 27 degrees gets cold pretty fast, but how could I not take advantage of such great lighting?

I am so glad that I altered my coat - now I actually wear it!

I love this scarf. The colors are so vibrant.

I picked it up in the San Lorenzo Market in Florence, Italy (as so many tourists do), and every time I wear it, I am reminded of my time there. At just 5 Euro apiece, they make great souvenirs or gifts. 

Under the coat and scarf, I wore my trusty skinny jeans (oh dear - the knees are starting to show wear already), and a comfy sweater. One of the best parts about closet purging is discovering pieces like this that are forgotten in the bottom of my dresser drawers. It is so rare to find a wrap style neckline that actually covers me well. With others of this style, I usually have to wear a cami underneath. 

Here are my Kohl's wedge boots again. Sure, they are cheap, and all man-made materials, but the faux leather is soft and the faux rubber wedge is very comfortable, even more so than flats. Bonus: they work with skinny or bootcut jeans.

Scarf: Market in Florence

Coat: Ann Taylor Factory Store (5 or so years ago - recently taken in by myself)

Sweater: Banana Republic

Jeans: Ann Taylor (Modern Fit Slim Leg)

Shoes: Sonoma (via Kohl's)

A little Lukey love - He is so proud of his straw skills.

My Mother-in-Law LOVES it

 My mother-in-law loves dressing her dog up like a little kid. 

We took a little "photo shoot" of her just after New Years. 

Here are some family pictures from Christmas:

The jerseys' were presents :)

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Menswear with a Twist

My herringbone vest had long been hanging in my closet, so I decided to pull it out and pair it with a few more girly items to mix it up a little. 

Try #1 

First, I added a black pencil skirt (which I can now see is a little bit too big on me) and black ankle boots with faux fur trim (a new addition from my Kohl's trip). After looking at the pics, I decided that the boots would go better with skinny jeans. With a skirt, they cut my legs off, making me look shorter.

Try #2

I swapped out the ankle boots for tall ones. The fit of the skirt still bothers me - not to mention that it doesn't add much interest to the outfit. 

Try #3

I guess the third time is the charm. The leopard print skirt fits far better, plus it adds a much more feminine twist to the menswear look up top. Maybe I will cinch the vest more at the waist and swap out the boots for pumps next time.

A gratuitous baby pic for your enjoyment:

Sunglasses: Kate Spade Soleil

Blouse: LOFT

Vest: Gap

Black Skirt: Ann Taylor

Leopard Skirt: Ann Taylor

Ankle Boots: Kohl's

Tall Boots: Kohl's

Which look is your favorite?

Petite Fashion Challenge #12

The Challenge:

From Night to Day: Restyle a glamorous look that you would typically wear for a night-out-on-the-town into daytime casual wear. Easy right? Bonus points if you can restyle it for work! 

I chose my sequined skirt to style for casual/work wear. I gotta be honest, I probably wouldn't wear this outfit for a casual day - sequined skirts just aren't super baby-friendly. I would wear it to work or church, though. 

 I paired the skirt with black leggings and wedge boots, a tank and cardigan, and a belt to bring it all together and give me some shape. I chose the cardigan for its length, in order to protect the skirt for daytime wear. If I am sitting down, standing up, getting in and out of the car, carrying groceries, carrying Luke, etc, I would hate for the sequins to snag on something - this is a piece that I want to last for a long time.

 It was freezing out, but I took off my coat for a few minutes so that I could share the outfit underneath.

I love how the sequins shine in the morning light!

Earrings: Francesca's

Cardigan: Express

Tank: Maurice's

Belt: Ann Taylor

Skirt: LOFT

Leggings: Francesca's

Boots: Mudd (via Kohls - another of my new boot purchases)

Check out the other entires at I Am Khatu

New Tradition

My friends and I drove an hour to go ice skating for my husband's birthday. It was sooo fun!!! 

We decided that this should be a yearly winter tradition. 

We bought my friend Rachel this owl beanie that covered her ears (it was an early Christmas present) but we figured she should enjoy it for ice skating. 

Here we are after a long day on the ice.

 Jeans: Skinny Jeans

Jacket: EMS

Scarf: Gift from Peru :)

Remotely Controlled

As a Christmas gift to myself, I stopped in at a camera shop and picked up a remote control for my camera. In the past, I have been limited to self-timer shots in front of walls so that my camera would have something to focus on before I ran in front of it. I am looking forward to being more in focus and trying more detailed and artsy shots. But give me time - I am still quite an amateur.

Now if only I had a remote control for the weather so I could get a little more natural light in my life...

I stopped in at my local Ann Taylor to check out the 50% off post-Christmas sale, and walked out with a pair of bootcut jeans (I am working on hemming them), this new sweater, and a cami to go under it. The sweater originally almost fit, but not quite. The shoulders were just a little too roomy. As I debated whether to give it a shot, the SAs played with Luke and he stacked Legos (they keep them in a nearby fitting room - brilliant!).

I ended up deciding to try and shrink it, since with the sale it was about $15 and I really liked it. Plus, I had the cami for underneath if the neckline was still too low. After two rounds in the washer and dryer (it is a hand wash/lay flat to dry garment), it fits me just the way I had hoped. Awesome!

These ankle boots are from the post-Christmas clearance sale at Kohl's. I was on the hunt for a pair of boots with a wedge heel for everyday...and I ended up with three! I'll post on the others soon.

My favorite shopping buddies.

Necklace: Forever 21
Cami: Ann Taylor
Sweater: Ann Taylor
Jeans: Ann Taylor
Shoes: Sonoma (via Kohl's)

You know you have a great outfit when....

You know you have put together something great when you get more than 5 compliments in a day. I wore this outfit to church and everyone was telling me how cute they thought it was. 

That's a fashion victory in my book :). 

I was nervous in this picture because there was a creepy looking guy at my neighbors house who kept staring at me. 

 Skirt: Gap Outlet

Blouse: Ann Taylor Factory

Belt: PacSun

Bracelet: Gift

Earrings: St. Augustine

Shoes: Rack Room Shoes

Sisters, Sisters...

"...There were never such devoted sisters...

                 Never had to have a chaperone, no sir!

                                                                                           I'm here to keep my eye on her.

         

Caring, sharing, every little thing that we are wearing.

         When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome,

                                                                                  She wore the dress, and I stayed home!

All kinds of weather, we stick together, the same in the rain or sun (oooh!)

Two different faces, but in tight places, we think and we act as one (uh huh...)

Those who've seen us, know that not a thing could come between us.

Many men have tried to split us up, but no one can.

Lord, help the mister, who comes between me and my sister,

And Lord, help the sister, who comes between me and my man!"


-from the movie, White Christmas

Hey Katie, remember when we performed "Sisters" at a talent show at Youth Group? You were a Freshman and I was a Senior. And boy did we have style...

By the way, can you believe that we have been blogging for 6 months now? Thank you, readers, for your support and for giving us a reason to develop our personal style!

Happy New Year!