#RockTheCrop Top

There has been some fashionable controversy in O' Magazine about who should, and who should not, wear a crop top. 
I don't agree with what was written in O Magazine (see pic below). What do I think? I think you should wear what the heck you want!  I believe anyone, - whatever size, shape, or budget, can wear a crop top. 
And I am going to show you how I, an in-betweenie (size 12) 39 year Mum with a stomach that has been pregnantly (not a an actual word) stretched 3 times, am rocking a crop top! I have a few different options, something for every comfort level! Let the show begin (cue catwalk music).

Can I just say, I LOVE the cobalt blue of this top.  My #1 favorite fashion color. I have paired with a high waisted black skirt and my comfy striped flats. This is THE most comfortable outfit. I don't feel self-conscious at all, there is stretch and the black skirt hides my tummy if I'm feeling a little bloated. Top by S.H.E // $24.97 // Nordstrom Rack // Current

The question and response in O Magazine that upset some fashionistas! Photo credit : People Magazine. Readers respond on social media wearing crop tops with #RockTheCrop

Keep your eyes out for a blog post coming your way on this wrap polka dot skirt I picked up in Hawaii. It's more than you think! Since the skirt is high waisted, the skirt and crop top just meet. Reach up high to touch the sky and there'll be a little sneaky peek of my fluoro white belly! Ha Ha.
Top by Lush // $16.97 // Nordstrom Rack // Current

This is a fun option. I have paired this ultra flowy crop top by adding it on top of a basic black dress. (Disclosure : since my head is down, it brings the crop lower than normal). Top by Lush // $21.97 // Nordstrom Rack // Current 

Here I am harnessing my inner Jackie O, and it feels "O"h so good! More of a formal look and fun to boot! Crop Top by Free Press // $21.97 // Nordstrom Rack // Current
Skirt by Free Press // $24.97 // Nordstrom Rack // Current

This look says "Hey, you can't tell me I can only wear a crop top if I have a flat stomach!".  I've had this high waisted skirt for donkey's years and I love it, from Bebe. This top looks made for it. Mixing some print by adding some cheetah in the necklace with stripes. Fun. #effyourbeautystandards
Crop Top by S.H.E // $26.97 // Nordstrom Rack // Current

Haven't had enough of #RockTheCrop ? I recently shared a post on FB from a blogger who was disappointed with what was written in O' Magazine too. Read her post on Rock the Crop Top.

Leave me your thoughts below. I read and respond to all comments! 

Hawaii 4.0 Outfits

Unless you have been under a rock, then you know I just spent 16 thrilling nights in Maui and Waikiki with the ocean breeze in my hair, a cocktail in hand and a great change in pace. We went to celebrate my husbands momentous 40th birthday and had the most amazing time.  I fell in love with Hawaii when I first visited Kauai 2 years ago. As promised, I am showing you some of my most versatile vacation outfits. So, on with the show...........

MY HIGH WAISTED BIKINIS

This season, I really embellished in the high wasted bikini. A few things attracted me; the chance to try a fun trend, the opportunity to be once again in a bikini post kids, and I loved how it was a great fit for a delicious pear shape such as myself. I chose two fun prints. A fun black and white polka dot and a floral pink number. Both from Swimsuits for All , and under $40 each. I'm interested to see what they come up with next summer. They took a beating of chlorine, sunscreen, being rinsed in hotel shampoo and sea water AND they still look great. No fading or change in shape. 

MY BLACK SKIRT/BLACK DRESS

A black skirt and a black dress that are crush resistant and easy wash-and-wear are my absolute #1 must-haves in a suitcase. On a few occasions, I pulled the black dress to my waist to turn it into a fun skirt. It took me from airplane travel where one needs to be uber comfortable to waterfall and roadside fruit stand sightseeing. 

MY CROCHET VEST 

My most recent purchase from Anthropolgie. You will see in the three photos that it was a great extension to a basic summer dress.

TWO LOVELY HATS

I took two hats, my fedora as well as a fun trucker hat from Billabong. The fedora hat I took on the way over didn’t make the flight in one piece (I stuffed it with clothes and it lost shape - see white skirt pic below) so I tossed that, and started fresh with a very sturdy Panama Jack (see black skirt pic above) I purchased in Maui form $35 and wore it on the plane home. Live and learn, no more stuffing fedoras into suitcases for me! 

WHITE SKIRT

My white skirt was a another favorite and the white color wore VERY well. No stains!  You’ll see in the photo that one day it took me from morning poolside to lunch out at a local cafe to celebrate my nephews 14th birthday. I will say though that since purchase, the elastic has warped a bit with sea water and its a bit loose, nothing a session in the dryer won't fix.

CONVERTIBLE CLUTCH

Another pleaser was my rattan clutch from Stella and Dot (shown in MANY of the photos).  I was in love with this piece the moment we met. It looks gold at some points but it’s actually only rattan with silver thread. It can be thrown under arm or add on a strap to use cross body. I took this from sightseeing to partying (on my only night out).

MOX SHOES 

My Mox went every where with me. I brought my black pair. One day we were snorkeling in a very rocky and mossy area and I was so grateful to have them on my feet. I hear they are bringing out a gold pair soon, happy days! 

VERSATILE PAJAMAS

My PJ top took me from a comfortably stylish lunch outfit  to right to bed! As well as the pajama pants taking me from right in bed to an outfit fit for relaxing cocktails by the pool at happy hour. 

ONE PARTY OUTFIT

My husband would never let me hear the end of it if we didn’t get out one night and hit the dance floor. We certainly did and had so much fun! I had packed one very comfortable party outfit. 

I used literally EVERY item in my suitcase and only hit the laundromat one time. I have ALOT of washing coming my way and half the sand from Waikiki is in my suitcase LOL. 

Back in California now but it was so awesome to build such precious memories with the twelve of us that travelled together from my hubby’s family. One of my favorite things about travel is sharing the hotel bed with my little ones as it

is the only time we get to. (I’m a bit of a stickler on bedtime rules in my house). I loved hearing them breath (all three in unison) and smelling them before I went to sleep. That’s right, breathing them in and remembering them in that sleeping moment at 9, 7 & 3 years of age. 

YummoMummo is back up and running now, so expect my usual posts twice a week. I have some posts I really want to share with you, going a bit more skin deep so I hope you look forward to that. 

How is your summer going? 

Aloha!

Aloha! 

I know you have heard me talk for MONTHS about my Hawaii adventure and well, the time has come to board that plane and go and sun myself  in tropical island delight (INSERT COCKTAIL POOLSIDE IN HAND).
This is a special trip as we are celebrating my awesome-sauce husbands 40th birthday and we have his family flying in from Australia to meet us - so there will 12 of us to be exact.

So that leads me to this. I want to be TRULY present. I need to honor this time. I have poured my heart and passion into this blog in the last 10 months, sometimes juggling more that I should, but so willingly so.  I am always encouraging Mom's to take care of themselves, to give back to themselves. So I will practice what I preach. Take the time off on vacation to truly disconnect, be present, spend time with my loved ones, make beautiful memories with my little ones. (For the record, this is not easy for me to not blog - I feel like it's such a part of me).

But I wouldn't leave you empty handed. Below you will find a list of some of my most popular blog posts for the past year.

When I come back, I will be rejuvenated, full of inspiration and have so much to share with you from my wonderful Hawaiin adventure. Mahalo.

Rest assured, I will still be posting on Instagram and Facebook so you can keep up to date with my vacation shenanigans and outfits. Follow me and let's be friends. 

So on with your summer reading for 2015.

A Shopping Ban for 2015. A fellow Aussie fashionista has put herself on a shopping ban for 2015 and shops her own closet, every.single.day.

Yummo Kimono. These beauties are a fun item for SS15, pair it with your swimmers at the beach or with some cute shorts for the markets. 

Jump (suit) for Joy. Another SS15 fashionable and fun item.  See my inspiration.

Seven Chambray Shirt Inspirations.  A staple in any closet (or should be), here is 7 ways to pair it with what's in your closet.

Maxi Dress 12 ways. More fabulous inspiration for a summer staple, the maxi dress!

Shopping with YummoMummo.  See how I took this beautiful Mom (Mum) of 4, spent $220 and made her 18 fabulous outfits.

7 Day Nail Polish Challenge. See this nail polish put to the test as I scrub dishes, clean pre-school toilets and hit the gym and the supermarket. 

Four Hair Tutorials. These super simple and step-by-step hair tutorials by YummoMummo herself, will have you looking fabulous and out the door in minutes. 

Write me a comment below and tell me what you are up to this summer?

My summer haircut 2015

My friends know me so well. I can't do a thing without wanting to share it with my readers, well, that's what a blog is for right? Sharing?  Sharing is caring!  So on that note,  I had 6 inches cut off my hair last week.
I have my foils done every 8 weeks so I find when it gets longer, the ends get quite bad from the constant bleaching. As much as I would like to have 'mermaid hair', I have come to the realization that it will only happen if I get extensions. With a good 6 inch cut, I got some bounce back with less hair weighing my locks down. Va Va Volume.

I can still put it in a low ponytail, whack on a trucker hat or my fedora, style it with some fat curls, create beachy waves or dead straighten it. A very versatile cut. 

So check out my LOB (Long Bob). Officially one of Harper's Bazaar's summer haircuts for 2015. Check out my inspiration in Rose Byrne's A Line Lob.

More Bob/Lob Inspirations 

Rumpled Lob

A-line Bob

Classic Bob

Chin Length Flip

Side Swept Bangs Bob

Straight Bangs Bob

Tell me your favorite hair of summer 2015!

Leave me a comment below................... 

How to dress for Black & White photos.

A dear friend was preparing for a black and white photo session and asked for my help in finding the perfect outfit. When it comes to a photography session, it's sort of a one-shot-kinda-thing so you want to get it right on the day when it comes to your wardrobe and makeup. 

So onto the outfit. I am showing you in B/W and color so you can see the outfit in real. But we chose wardrobe items that were comfortable, made her feel joy (to put an extra big smile on her face), made her feel confident, and worked well with B/W photography. Namely, patterns and textures. Texture in the lace top and pattern in the kimono. She paired it with some blue jeans for pure comfort.

I'd suggest taking your smart phone into the change room and taking a selfie with the outfit on, so you can get a sense of how the outfit will look in black and white. 

 Love this outfit, a chance to play with a SS15 trend, The Kimono. I think this is Vince Camuto. From Nordstrom, current. The lace top is her own, Cabi, not current.

Following are some tips on clothing and make-up from Schumacher Photography, the company that did the actual photography session.  (The photos you see here are by me, obviously not a professional photographer, but taken for the sake of example).

"Clothing tips
The more your wardrobe reflects your personality, the better. Patterns and textures look great in black and white photographs. Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in. Avoid wearing clothing with logos. Wrinkled clothing can be distracting, so select clothing that does not wrinkle easily. For parents 3/4 or long sleeves are preferable to short sleeves. Neutral tones are always a good choice. Please avoid wearing blacks and whites. These tend to be too dark and too bright for black and white portraits. 
 
 
Make-up
Keep your make-up light and simple. Eye make-up should also be kept to a minimum. Avoid dark eye shadow, as it will make your eyes look too dark and heavy. Nails should be neat and freshly manicured if possible. Make sure to use a natural hue. Avoid reds and dark hues, as they will appear black in black & white images, in both your make-up, lip gloss and nail polish. Remember, less is more."

I found the following super helpful tips on Shutterfly. And we used this as a guide when shopping.

1. "Color is important, but in a different way than you might think. When an image is rendered in black and white, the colors of the scene become varying shades of grey, from solid white to solid black. Blue will appear much darker grey than yellow, which will appear very light grey. It is the contrast of colors that makes a black and white photo interesting. Avoid wearing solid black or white.
2. Contrast is very important. If your background is dark, you do not want to photograph someone wearing clothing that will appear dark and have him or her blend into the background. Same concept goes for a light background and light clothing.
3. Choose clothing that lightly contrasts with the skin tone of your subject. This way they will appear as the focal point of the photograph.
4. Look for clothing that has texture, rather than patterns. A nicely textured solid looks much better than a busy pattern or print. Subtle patterns or prints are ok, but avoid designs like wide stripes, plaids or repetitive patterns.
5. For group photos everyone should not be wearing the same colors and style, but they should not conflict. Try to find complimentary styles and colors, but allow each person’s personality to be reflected in the clothing they wear.
6. Have fun, experiment with the photos. Do not just take one photo, have your subject try on a few different outfits if you have the time."

For the full article read Shutterfly's article here. 

So I'm hoping you have found some super helpful tips on what to wear when being photographed in B/W.  Summer is a great time to get your camera and capture the beautiful memories. 

DON'T FORGET.......

YummoMummo can do wardrobe for YOU! If you need a wardrobe audit, outfit inspirations,  personal shopping or help finding the perfect outfit, then let's make you the Yummo to my Mummo. yummomummomelissa@gmail.com

If you want to keep up with my daily outfit of the day posts (#ootd), follow me on Instagram www.instagram.com/yummomummo

For my daily fashionable Facebook antics www.facebook.com/yummomummo

Leave me a comment below, I love to read them.

Make a Statement (jewelry).

One of the most common questions I get as a Wardrobe Stylist and Fashion Blogger is about how to accessorize.  People are always curious about rules / no rules / accessorizing OTT or not?

Well firstly, in my YummoMummo book, the number one rule in fashion is YOU HAVE TO FEEL JOY IN WHAT YOU ARE WEARING! So if you love to accessorize, go to town. If you like to keep it a little more understated, stick with minimal and you will still rock it. 

For me, the "joy" was in these earrings below.... 

I like to wear a statement piece any which way, either dressed casually or decked out in heels. Give me a plaid shirt or a black dress, I think the statement piece still works. 

I love the following combination. It gives me a chance to play with the neon, edgy trend of SS15. I found this necklace, not "supposed" to go with it, but I felt it did. You'll see the beads don't marry in with the earrings but the color does so what is what TIES them together. 

Following I have played with some stacking. It's the same necklace but in two different colors. Stack them alone or pair one with matching earrings. Fun. In the first picture, I could add some simple gold studs if I wanted to keep it simple with the earrings and still tie in the gold.

Following is a great chance to dabble with a SS15 trend. You've heard of the back/front earring? Well, check out the back/front necklace! The left necklace needs an open neck to see the detail and could be paired with some gold leaf earrings for that extra statement or a simple pair of gold studs. The one on the right looks like a pair of headphones. LOL. It had a matching bracelet but it made absolutely no sense when I put it on. I felt ZERO "joy". 

I love the idea of pairing these earrings with the bracelets pictured. $5.99 for a set of 4 (either in all gold OR gold/turquoise. These earrings are SUCH a statement and quite long, they would almost touch a necklace if I was wearing one, so for me, I think these are best worn with the bracelets. 

All pieces are inexpensive at $20 and below. Available at H&M. 

TRY THESE PAIRINGS:

• Statement earrings / statement  bracelet
• Statement necklace / less statement earrings / statement bracelet
• Statement necklace / statement bracelet
• Statement necklace / less statement bracelet
• Statement necklace / statement earrings - especially if you are trying to get dressed up and have a solid color up top to not compete with all the bling!

AND DON'T FORGET: 

• Play with stacking. Stacking necklaces, stacking bracelets for what's known as an 'arm party'.
• Play with the latest trends such as front back earrings, ear jackets, neon colors, front/back necklaces.
• Floral necklace with a striped tee is a lot of fun and a great chance to play with mixing patterns.
• When jewelry tarnishes, try spray painting gold or silver paint. I have done this on less expensive pieces and it's done a treat.
• Don't hang metals on door handles etc, I use wooden hooks. Also don't spray perfume on your neck as it will tarnish the metal, spray on clothes or wrist.

REMEMBER.......

YummoMummo can do wardrobe for YOU! If you need a wardrobe audit, outfit inspirations,  personal shopping or help finding the perfect outfit, then let's make you the Yummo to my Mummo. yummomummomelissa@gmail.com

If you want to keep up with my daily outfit of the day posts (#ootd), follow me on Instagram www.instagram.com/yummomummo

For my daily fashionable Facebook antics www.facebook.com/yummomummo

A simple white skirt FIVE ways!

I am going to level with you. Summer vacay from school is here! This makes it super interesting for me as I try to juggle three kids, lose my train of thought every interrupted  second and have zero time to get things done (LOL). While I type, my 3 year old is rolling his toy plane over my head and keyboard, and my older two are being asked for the upteenth time to tidy up after themselves so we can get going for the pool! Bless.There you go, just a funny snippet to put a smile on your face and say thank you for your patience, love and support of YummoMummo. All feedback has always involved the words, 'authentic' , 'obtainable', 'affordable' and 'real' so the proof is in the pudding.

So onto more important things and why you, my lovely readers, are here..... to read with me on my fun journey through my passion for fashion.  I am on the countdown for Hawaii with my lovely husband, kids and in-laws as we celebrate a much anticipated 4-0 for my better half. So I need to start thinking about what I will be packing, as everything needs to be uber versatile, comfortable and travel happy. So take one white skirt, mix it with a  few accessories and wear it a few different ways to create 5 vacation outfits. 

I am wearing the Gauze Midi Skirt form Old Navy / Current / $28.00 HERE

I've pulled the skirt up to create a flowy dress and belted it with a thick belt at the smallest part of  my waist. Could also be fun to belt it with a scarf. 

 Here I am wearing my daughters kimono from Justice.  You know how I love to dive into a wardrobe and see what I can pull out!  Even if that's my 9 year olds wardrobe!

Without the vest, think "Just out of the pool". And the beads scream Hawaii! 

 Perhaps here I am off for lunch downtown in Waikiki! (Insert cheeky lunchtime Margarita in hand).

I love this outfit. Paired with my super sparkly and lovely gold shimmery sequenced top and a gold belt. Ive tucked it in a bit for a more polished look. Some gold flats and I'm ready for the luau. Mahalo.

DON'T FORGET.......

YummoMummo can do wardrobe for YOU! If you need a wardrobe audit, outfit inspirations,  personal shopping or help finding the perfect outfit, then let's make you the Yummo to my Mummo. yummomummomelissa@gmail.com

If you want to keep up with my daily outfit of the day posts (#ootd), follow me on Instagram www.instagram.com/yummomummo

For my daily fashionable Facebook antics www.facebook.com/yummomummo

Leave me a comment below, I love to read them.