Dripping Opinions

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Fashion: Crowning Glory

For no clear reason, I am really into headbands right now! I feel like they haven't been quite in since they were the hallmark of Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf many moons ago. I have a long face, so I'm a big fan of elevating my roots and adding some interest at the hairline. Re-embracing the headband feels like a way to play to my strengths and help hide the fact that my hair is a disaster zone these days.

FCF: Fresh Off the Boat's Constance Wu

Constance Wu is a hybrid Woman Crush Wednesday and Fashion Crush Friday because she looks fantastic plus she consistently uses her platform for social activism. If you're mistreating women or whitewashing your latest movie, Constance Wu will find you and eloquently kick some ass. You'll want to take a peek at her analysis of the white savior trope in Matt Damon's Great Wall and her disgust for sexual harasser Casey Affleck's Supporting Actor win for Manchester by the Sea.

Besides being a lady warrior, she also has a really distinct dressing pattern for the Red Carpet that accentuates her frame!

Littles: Bright, Ladylike Shoes

Little Lady Shoes by buildingcamelot on Polyvore

Robeez 'Classic' Bootie (Baby & Walker)
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MIA Suri Sandal (Little Kid Big Kid)
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ROBEEZ Daisy Lane Embroidered Mary Jane Crib Shoe
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Converse Chuck Taylor Low Top Sneaker (Baby, Walker & Toddler)
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Naturino Suede Chukka Moccasin (Toddler)
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Naturino Macoa Boot (Toddler Little Kid)
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Zaxy Panda II Boot (Toddler)
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FRESHLY PICKED Classic Moccasin
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ROBEEZ Chambray Bouquet Slip-On Crib Shoe
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Fashion: Glamour in the Friendly Skies

A few weeks before G-Man's arrival, The Boy was constantly working late and my hormones were on overdrive. I ended up with an HBO Go membership and started watching movies at night to kill some time. Enter Sully, a preggo's dream. There's no real danger because you already know the ending (calling it The Miracle on the Hudson is a solid tip off) but there's plenty of emotional highs and lows that offer a nice little outlet for weeping.

The hormonal weepies were fantastic, but I also started thinking about airline uniforms and vaguely remembering that they used to be super, super glamorous. That made me wonder if any current airlines had the chic, gorgeous uniforms that we remember from the 60s and 70s. After some cursory research, it turned out that it's really common for airlines to grab publicity by partnering with one of their nation's top designers to launch unique uniforms.

FCF: Preacher's Ruth Negga

Ruth Negga is an Irish-Ethipoian beauty that came to widespread attention on the awards circuit last year after receiving her first Oscar nomination. She's a devil of a good time on Preacher with Dominic Cooper, but I've loved her since she played a wily antagonist on SHIELD. Her character was originally known as The Girl in the Flower Dress and the dichotomy between her evil ways and her delicate silk dresses was deliciously creepy! Let's take a look at her appearances in the past year and her unique sense of style.

Fashion Crush Friday: Queen Letizia of Spain

When I see Spain's Queen Letizia, I generally think to myself hot damn is that allowed? Then I remember that when you're the Queen, you write the rulebook.

Letizia is the wife of King Felipe, and mother of the future ruler, Princess Leonor. She's considered to be one of the sexiest of the European Royals, and as much as it hurts me to say this, she really gives K-Midd a run for her money. She just looks fresher than the Duchess of Cambridge or the Scandinavian royals. Let's take a peek at some of her style hallmarks and admire her Continental flair.

Team Smith Baby Buys: Chicco Keyfit Car Seat and Base

Choosing a car seat was one of the only things that made me genuinely worried. The idea that I could choose a "bad/worse" seat or one that was so complicated that I used it incorrectly was like an ominous bad mommy cloud hanging over me. I relied really heavily on Consumer Reports to learn that the most expensive seat isn't necessarily the safest, plus if you can't use the seat easily then it can't be safe no matter how much you spend. They gave fantastic reviews to the Chicco Keyfit Infant Car Seat, and it was cheaper than a Britax, so I decided to take a look.

Team Smith Baby Buys: Baby Bjorn Bouncer Seat

When I was pregnant with G-Man, I must've read literally hundreds of posts about the "essential" baby gear and spent hours upon hours curating the perfect registry. Even though most moms admit that every baby is different and there really aren't any magic bullet products, I was still obsessed with finding the right gear. When you're sitting around expanding with every blink and counting down to the birth of your first child, it's pretty easy to convince yourself that the right amount of research will somehow guarantee a happy little one.

I'm saying all that to let you know that if you landed here looking for baby recommendations, I really do totally get where you're coming from. After reading so many high quality reviews when it was my turn, I decided to pay it forward into the universe and do a series on my favorite baby buys. I feel like it's time to share what I've learned and vouch for the gear that worked best for our little guy. If we're going in order of usefulness, I knew I had to open with my current lifesaver, the Baby Bjorn Bouncer.

Celebrations: Halloween is Better by the Bunch

Everyone knows that a group costume is how you show off your next level Halloween game, and the best companions that you can get in those costume are mini humans. That's because they pretty much have no say in what they wear, and they make everything 10x cuter.

Celebrations: A Dragonball Halloween

It's never too early to start prepping Halloween costumes, especially if you restrict yourself to homemade efforts. In our group of friends, there's one big Halloween party that is the Be All & End All, and it's a blast to see what people come up with. Kudos definitely go to the cleverest looks, and it's so fun to see someone walk in the door and be instantly recognized as a homemade version of some minor character.

This year, we'll be a family of 3, so its time for our first family costume! Our biggest obsession during my first and second trimester was hands down Dragonball Z. We watched sooo many episodes. It was great to just kind of relax and snuggle my way through a cold, tiring winter in those early months of pregnancy. I'm a big believer in learning to love what your spouse loves, so it was really fun to let him take me on a tour of his favorite childhood show.

Fashion Crush Friday: Preggo Natalie Portman

I am loving me some Natalie Portman right now. She just comes across as so classy, reserved and intelligent, especially when she's got a little one on the way.