The anchor obsession lives on, friends. In an effort to mix in a little fun into my summer wardrobe, I added this adorable navy anchor belt to my collection. Found it a while back at Madewell. Lovvvvve.
It looks great with pencil skirts and shirt dresses. I just looked and it’s actually on sale now! Skirt I’m wearing is from last season but similar one at JCrack here….also on sale : ) : )
Weeks later, while summer shopping with my kiddos at Crewcuts, I found yet another anchor belt in the boys section…this time in brown. A little thinner leather and perfect for jeans, shorts or even better – riding breeches. And for only 12 bucks how could I turn away?! I scooped it up and was excited to pair it with with my boyfriend jeans and favorite white oxford. Tada! Anchor freak alert….
Also spotted the boy belt online over here. In case anyone asks, my jeans are from here, although mine are older.
My oldest daughter was apparently bitten by the same anchor bug and selected this nautical dress when we went shopping. Here she is doing her best arabesque next to little ballerina sister, who just finished her recital. You might notice ice cream cones in their hands, it’s our family tradition to celebrate with dinner and ice cream after a big ballet performance : )
Anchor dress here.
Regarding clothes, I may have mentioned before that I tend to buy classic pieces (versus trendy) because it’s my personal style. Plus I like having basics in my closet that I can build upon and accessorize season after season. It’s not only practical, but keeps me from ever feeling too trendy.
On a mom note…
A few readers have emailed me asking how I avoid letting my daughters dress in clothes from, ahem, some of the stores that sell less-than-ladylike styles for younger girls. You know the ones, all outfits look like they might be something stolen from a Bratz doll closet. I’ve seen some pretty questionable styles for girls that are only 9 and 10 years old…personally I don’t want my daughter dressed like she’s ready to hit the streets. Sadly, it’s a pretty common look in fashion for girls past the size 6T. Why is this???
For what it’s worth, I’ll answer the question and share my approach. First, I’m very selective where I take my girls shopping. Secondly, I took the time a while back to talk to them about fabrics such as linen, silk, and cotton. I let them touch high end fabric (from my design samples) and we visited fun stores like Anthro and other finer fabric stores for more examples. I explained why some fabrics breathe, hang beautifully, and last longer. So when shopping, I try to always encourage organic materials and appropriate coverage of body parts. Notice I said encourage, at some point this will probably might back-fire. One brave day I took my girls to a very popular teen-ish store that starts with the letter J. I was so scared they would love everything and reject my council on dressing ladylike. I was absolutely shocked that they rejected all items in the store. The funniest part?? It was the polyester and other flimsy materials that offended them!! Ha ha ha…
I don’t say any of this to sound like a snob, hey we buy clothes at Target. You can find good materials and reasonable styles in all price points in many stores, so I’m not suggesting clothes have to be expensive. I just wanted to share how I try to influence my girls in the clothing choices they make. I think it’s best to train them to be little ladies in every way possible – from manners and kindness shown to others to how they dress in public. ie: I’d rather see a little girl in a simple tee and cute shorts than in a metallic mini skirt, skin-tight tank, wedges and lipstick! Oddly, that look is prevalent in some of the super high end stores as well. It’s crazy. I say keep little girls little while we can.