The Man Makeover: still going strong

What ever happened to The Man Makeover? Believe it or not, it's still going on! Obviously we haven't been taking photos, but I am still picking out Hub's clothes Monday- Friday.

You may remember that my chief complaint with his old wardrobe was that it was mostly band t-shirts and shapeless jeans. I started by introducing lots of pearl snap shirts, some button downs, a few cardigans, and better cut jeans. I did not completely do away with t-shirts, though, as I think there are a lot of good t-shirt options out there so long as the fit is nice and the print is fun.

For years, one of Hub's favorite resources for t-shirts has been Threadless. In fact, for Valentines Day a few years ago, I even enrolled him in the t-shirt of the month club for one year, and to this day he still wears most of these on the weekends. So you can imagine how delighted I was when I recently learned that Threadless had launched a "select" line. The prints from the Threadless Select Line are designed by the community (just like the regular Threadless tees) but are curated by Threadless. The products are printed with water-based inks on finer cotton, so they're softer and eco-friendlier. Instead of just the basic, boxy tee shape, the women's collection includes racerback tanks, tunics, and slimmer cut shirts. Men get more t-shirts, but with slimmer cuts and different materials than original Threadless tees.

We like them! I wish you could feel the screen to see how soft they are!


graphics from Birds of a Feather and Animals with Eyepatches! Yes!


tunic: courtesy of Threadless Select, jeans: loaner from my friend Joanie, flats: Target.


tee: courtesy of Threadless Select, jeans: Replay via Buffalo Exchange, shoes: Crocs.
We do plan to retool and relaunch The Man Makeover soon. For 2011 it will evolve from a self-style site to a lifestyle blog. The makeover posts will cover clothes as well as skin care (Hubs will begin a stint as a new video blogger for the men's line at Clinique.com!). It will also cover non-superficial things and tutorials and articles for dudes. Hubs is very funny (he has a killer dry wit!) so female readers will get a kick out of it, too. I'll be sure to let y'all know when we relaunch!

Win $35 for Smashion.com

My sweet mom and her best friend gave me a little bit of cash for my birthday, and since I love to maximize my money, I've been scouring Smashion.com for some great deals. Y'all already know how much I like Smashion! To help me celebrate my upcoming birthday, Smashion is giving away a $35 reimbursement credit to one lucky Adored Austin reader. If you don't mind flipping through the listing pages, you can find a lot of cute things with just $35! Here's some examples from my Smashion wishlist:

(L-R) vintage Zara sweater, frilly floral frock, Joy Han dress, Ralph Lauren cardigan.

To win, you must create a Smashion account if you don't already have one. You can do that by using THIS LINK (simply click "not registered yet" on the tip top of the page). Also, when you get a moment, be sure to check out the Smashion forums, like Smashion on Facebook, and follow Smashion on Twitter.

Enter the drawing here:Best of luck, everyone! If you're having trouble accessing this form, the direct link to it is here.

note: Smashion.com is an Adored Austin partner.

Leggings + Jeans= Jeggings (and I just now got a pair)

Yesterday I found myself ponytailed, covered in spit-up, and clad in leggings. Yes, folks, it's official: I am slowly morphing into a suburban soccer mom.

Oh, nostalgia! These jeggings have zippers at the ankles just like my favorite pair of Guess jeans that I had in the seventh grade!


I have a weakness for sequins. I'm never going to outgrow this.


I had to go buy news shoes because my feet have become a flatter, fatter version of their previous selves. I went from a narrow size nine to an eleven! I'm hoping that the swelling goes down soon!

date: 25 October 2010
occasion: tooling around town & showing my mom Austin
top: Calvin Klein via Ross
jeggings: BCBG via Marshalls (courtesy of gift card)
leopard flats: Target

Before y'all stage a fashion intervention, just know that this weekend is my birthday, and I do plan to treat myself to some decidedly non-suburban-soccer-mom clothes soon, okay?

Comment of the Day: HAHAHA! I recently just got my first pair of jeggings as well ... they are soooo comfy and in my post I felt the need to apologize to jeggings around the world for all the shit talking I did. HA! -Fashion Butter

Giveaway: Marc Jacobs owl bangle courtesy of Designer Apparel

Bummed that you didn't win the fabulous owl ring from Longhorn Fashions? Well, fret not! Here's your chance to win this swoon-worthy owl emblazoned bangle courtesy of Designer Apparel. Oh, and maybe I should mention that it's MARC JACOBS! Yeah, you read that right: Marc friggin' Jacobs! If my guilt complex weren't so strong, I'd totally rig this thing and win this MYSELF!

DesignerApparel.com is a shopping search engine that carries hundreds of popular brands. You can find anything from Tory Burch shoes (love their flats!) and Kate Spade handbags (including the Kate Spade diaper bags!), to BCBG dresses. I am enamored of Marc Jacobs' new jewelry line (lots of animals in there).

I like to think of DesignerApparel.com kinda like Orbitz. When I want to compare airfare, I go to Orbitz. When I want to compare prices for upscale clothes or jewelry or bags or shoes, I go to Designer Apparel. I just type my shopping desire into the search bar and in a millisecond, it pulls up prices from Neimans, Shopbop, Bloomies, Bluefly, Zappos, Net-a-Porter, Saks, and Nordstroms. It even lets me know if a particular site is having free shipping that day. Pretty cool, huh?

Anyway, Designer Apparel knows that I love animal jewelry and have a small obsession with owls. The kind folks over there contacted me to let me know that they would like for one very, very lucky Adored Ausitn reader to have this amazing bracelet in the color of her choice. Personally? I like the seedpearl one the best but all four color choices are pretty sweet. This is an awesome giveaway, y'all!

Here's what you have to do to win:
1. When you get a moment, check out Designer Apparel online.
2. Double check to make sure you're following Adored Austin either on Google Reader, Blog Lovin', Networked Blogs (fb app), or simply like Adored Austin on Facebook.
3. By midnight Texas time Sunday, October 31st, fill out this form:
[edit: form removed. entry period ended]
Good luck, everyone! As usual, no need to retweet or repost or any of that madness for extra entries.
*note: After the winner has been announced, I delete all your information from my inbox and server to ensure your privacy. I will never share your email address with others without your permission.

Winners: Longhorn Fashions giveaway

Congrats to the winners! Thank you to all those who entered, and thank you so much to Longhorn Fashions for such a great giveaway.

If you didn't win, check back again. Tonight I'll post a giveaway for another great piece of owl jewelry from DesignerApparel.com and tomorrow night I'll post another great Smashion.com giveaway!

EDIT: The owl bangle giveaway is now live! Check it out here.
The Smashion.com $35 giveaway is now live, too! Check that out here.

And here's where I attempt to pull off white leather.

It has become clear to me that I have a thing for cropped, fitted, leather jackets. I have a black one, a cognac one, and now a winter white one! I just couldn't resist it. I think leather is going to be everywhere this fall!


There's something about leather that makes a person feel tough!


I love the girly details on this jacket. Ruffles and beading? Yes, please!


These old stand-by boots are pretty much the only shoes that still fit me. Sad face!


There's a bird on this necklace. Love!

date: 22 Oct 2010
occasion: bumming around the house, gearing up for a fall wardrobe revamp
jacket: courtesy of TJ Maxx/ Marshalls (gift card)
leggings: courtesy of Love21
t-shirt: Miley Cyrus Max Azria (Go ahead! Laugh! I deserve it!)
boots: Rue 21
necklace: courtesy of Maurices (gift card)

Can I just gush for a moment about how much I love TJ Maxx and Marshalls? We didn't have those in my little town growing up, but when I went to college in California, my mom introduced me to the wonderfulness of Marshalls. They recently sent me a gift card to help me revamp my fall wardobe, and it was so hard to spend! Not because I couldn't find anything, but because I wanted everything! I was thisclose to getting a pair of motorcycle boots but I have high hopes that my feet will shrink back down to their pre-pregancy size one day, so I opted for this super cute leather jacket, instead. Original retail price? $139. Marshalls price? $49.99. Wht a deal!

[Adored Austin policy on courtesy items]

Thanks, mom!

My mom is visiting from Thailand and she brought me this great dress that she got from a Thai street market. Off the hanger, it's shaped like a European pillow sham:

But by adding my favorite owl belt, voíla!

Totally wearable!

date: 19 October 2010
occasion: trip to the vet
dress: gift from my mom
belt: thrifted Delia's via Buffalo Exchange
bag: Goodwill
sandals: Savers

Can I just tell y'all how excited I am to start shopping again? I have been on a very long break from thrifting and shopping due to my ever expanding midsection. Now that it's not expanding anymore, I have been eying fall fashions like crazy! It's still quite warm here in Austin (90º!) but in just a few weeks it'll be tights and boots weather. Hooray!

Not menswear inspired... this is actual menswear!

If you find yourself in a situation where your own clothes are fitting a little too snug for your liking, here's a tip: raid your husband's closet!

date: 10 Oct 2010
occasion: outfit experiment
shirt and tie: thrifted via Savers, borrowed from Hubs
vest: thrifted Buffalo Exchange, borrowed from Hubs
pants: Alfani, borrowed from Hubs
cardigan: Kimchi & Blue via Buffalo Exchange
shoes: Old Navy via clothing swap
bag: vintage, My Favorite Things (Atlanta)
flower lapel pin: Oktoberfest flea market (Seymour, Indiana)

Here's another tip: if you have a very slender husband (like I do), don't fret too much if his pants are a little too tight on you. Remember that ladies have curves... and leave the button undone if you have to.

Since he's naked, he really doesn't belong on a "fashion" blog

But I just had to announce that we finally came up with a name!

[sneak peak photo by Amber Snow]

First outfit post post baby

Yesterday the fabulous Amber Snow came over to do some newborn shots of the kiddo. This meant that I had to get dressed. I was dreading this, mainly because I had grown quite accustomed to laying around in my robe for the past four days. I also knew that at four days postpartum, I still wouldn't be able to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes just yet. Gaining forty pounds will do that to you!

Then I remembered that I had picked up an outfit at Maurices last Friday with the gift card they gave me at the fashion show. The skirt didn't fit me on Friday (too small) but I thought that since the belly is significantly smaller that I'd give it another go:
VICTORY! You guys should have seen the celebration dance I was doing around the bedroom after successfully being able to pull this skirt up over my hips!

date: 6 October 2010
occasion: photo session with Amber Snow
sweater vest thing, owl necklace, skirt, and belt: Maurices (courtesy of a gift card)
tank: Old Navy
boots: courtesy of Timberland via the Lucky Magazine Alpha Shoppers

These Mount Holly boots came in the mail for me on Friday. At first I thought, "Oh, shucks. These are awesome but soooo not my style."

Then I looked through the Timberland fall lookbook and gasped at how awesome they looked styled with girly outdoorsy wear:

That bottom middle look kills me. I love it! I need that bear paw sweater ASAP. If anyone can find it online let me know!

Review: Timberland's Mount Holly boots are super warm, super comfortable, surprisingly easy to put on and take off. As part of the Earthkeeper's line, they're eco friendly: they're made with an outsole of 42% recycled material, 50% recycled cotton laces, and a 30% recycled fleece lining. Since they're waterproof and warm, I can easily wear these hiking and take them with me when I visit my friends in the midwest in the winter.

Verdict: Yeah, they're still not really my style (unlike Timberland's Madison boots and Cabot boots, both of which I'm totally batty over), but they will definitely be a good alternative to my F'Uggs this winter.

[note: Amber Snow is an in-kind Adored Austin partner. No compensation was recieved for courtesy items from Maurices and Timberland and I was under no obligation to post them. Please see my policy on courtesy items and partnerships for more information].

Giveaway: Longhorn Fashions

Something that is abundantly clear on this blog is my love for this city. However, here's something that I'm probably going to get flamed for: I'm not a big fan of college football (eeeek!) although I'm pretty sure I have the class of 2032's UT football kicker here at my house.

On game days, the city is awash in a sea of burnt orange t-shirts, but a better/ cuter solution to wearing a shapeless t-shirt to the game is shopping LonghornFashions.com. Tessie, the owner, is a young entrepreneur who graduated from UT with dreams of owning her own shop one day. She combined her love of internet marketing and launched Longhorn Fashions, which is an adorable e-boutique selling affordable, fashionable, UT orange clothing, jewelry, and accessories. Because we both adore this city, she has kindly offered to do a great giveaway here on Adored Austin. UT fan or not, you could win the SXSW clutch or the It's a Hoot ring:

Here's what you have to do to win:
1. When you get a moment, check out Longhorn Fashions. Even if you're not a UT fan, they have other great items for sale. You may even want to add 'em on Twitter @LonghornFashion for exclusive discounts.
2. Double check to make sure you're following Adored Austin either on Google Reader, Blog Lovin', Networked Blogs (fb app), or simply like Adored Austin on Facebook.
3. By midnight Texas time Sunday, October 17th, fill out this form:

[note: contest ended. Form removed.]

Good luck, everyone! We'll draw two winners. No need to retweet or repost or any of that madness for extra entries.

*note: After the winner has been announced, I delete all your information from my inbox and server to ensure your privacy. I will never share your email address with others without your permission.

Belated winners!

I had been dawdling on drawing winners for the vintage animal necklaces and the Smashion giveaway because as you know I like to do very ridiculous videos to draw the winners (examples 1 and 2). I wish I had a more time to put together a couple silly videos to do this, but I think my time is going to be limited for the next couple of weeks while I make videos like this instead. I hope you understand.

Without further ado, here are the winners drawn via Random.org of these fabulous giveaways!

Kiri B. has won the lion necklace!

Keely M. has won the fish necklace!

Melanie R. has won the $25 Smashion.com credit!

Thank you to Little Ocean Annie for the necklaces, Smashion.com for the credit, and everyone who entered the drawings. Congrats to the winners!

If you didn't win, no worries. There's a new giveaway drawing for an owl ring and a gorgeous clutch courtesy of Longhorn Fashions. Try again!

Hello, world!

This little guy made his world debut at 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning. Welcome to the world, Baby Adams!

Recap: Rescues & Runways show by Maurices

Like I mentioned yesterday, I loved Maurices way back in middle school and high school. It was where I'd get my Esprit tote bags and my Paris Sport Club t-shirts... the coolest of the coolest gear down in Seymour, Indiana.

The store underwent some major changes in the last ten years and I'd venture to say that the inventory now lies somewhere between American Eagle and the Heritage 1981 line at F21. Prices are still remarkably affordable, and they even have animal jewelry at the Southpark Meadows store in south Austin:
The kind folks at Maurices invited me out to check out their Austin Rescues & Runways show, a fashion show benefiting the PAWS humane society and showcasing the latest Maurices fall fashions:

Most of these dogs are still up for adoption!

I wore my long green maxi dress and a bedroom jacket that was last seen here. I added an elephant as a final touch, and truthfully, this is the best dressed I've felt all pregnancy!

date: 1 Oct 2010
occasion: Maurices fashion show
dress: Old Navy
jacket/ robe: Savers
elephant necklace: Buffalo Exchange
flip flops: Macys

Maurices kindly gifted me with a $50 gift card, and in a couple weeks I'll show off what I got. In the meantime, I am pleased to announce that this is my last maternity outfit for a while! Why? Well because yesterday morning at 3:45 a.m. I went into labor and four hours later I had birthed a healthy baby boy! More on that in the next couple of days. Thanks to everyone who sent me sweet Tweets and kind Facebook messages. We haven't come up with a name, yet, but we'll let you know when we do!

It's a feel good weekend in Austin.

And I don't just mean the weather!

Tonight there are two wonderful fashion shows going on. First is the Maurices Rescues and Runway fashion show.I loved Maurices in middle school! I would go there to get all my Esprit gear! It, along with JC Penny's and Fashion Bug, was one of the only places to shop in my little town. I have fond memories of this store and I'm excited to check it out again for the first time in years! Additionally, I have a huge heart for the cause. I may even take these little monsters with me:
A couple hours later, a little north, is the South First Fashion Show:
This one benefits Cause to Celebrate and DJ Manny, one of my favorite in-town DJ's, will be offering up tunes.

Tomorrow is Livestrong Day and Birds Barbershop (where I get my hair cut) is hosting Buzz off Cancer:Hit up the E. 6th Birds this weekend for a free buzz cut and help set a world record for “most people to have their heads buzzed in solidarity with young adult cancer survivors”. There will be a DJ, refreshing adult beverages and fabulous prize drawings of LIVESTRONG gear for those willing to go under the clippers.