|

|

Coffee Talk 03.18.18

This picture gives me hope. (Clearly it isn’t current; I found it in my media library when I searched “coffee”.) But it’s a good reminder that spring will come, the flowers will bloom, the grass will be green… eventually!

By the way, this mug is still available at Target if anyone is interested! I also really like this one, and there are a bunch more if you google the sentiment.

I didn’t end up running that Luck of the Irish 5K yesterday, but I did force myself to get outside and run in my ‘hood. It was 34 degrees and windy, but at least it wasn’t in the 20s.

I did some walking but got to 2.5 miles, and with my warmup and cool-down, I put in 30 minutes out there.

I’m all about doing the bare minimum right now. I’m just trying to keep myself going until the weather warms up a bit… and then I’ll be complaining about the heat, ha!

I really don’t mind the heat ever, except when I’m running. I’d rather run in 30 degrees than 80 any day. So I guess I should try to enjoy this, right???

I know, people get tired of hearing me go on about the weather, but when you’re a fashion blogger and a runner, your life pretty much revolves around the weather.

In other news, I had a great time with my girlfriends on Friday night, and I’m enjoying having my husband back home. We’ve had a fairly relaxing weekend so far, except that I decided to take my girls out shopping for swimsuits and Easter dresses yesterday. Let’s just say I earned my 5 o’clock glass(es) of wine…

What is it with the fashion designers these days? We found a bunch of pretty maxi dresses in the junior’s department at Kohl’s, but they all had awkward cut-outs and halters up top. WHY??? Otherwise they were darling, but how are girls supposed to wear any type of undergarments under these things? Even a strapless bra would show under the arms and/or in the back of most of them. And let’s not even talk about swimsuits…

It makes me ragey to try to shop with teenagers, and not because THEY are difficult. My girls are lovely to shop with for the most part, except that they don’t get along with each other very well, but it’s trying to find clothes that are age appropriate and flattering that is so difficult.

We also struck out at Target, and then we called it a day and went to Chick-fil-A. At least the excursion wasn’t a total wash!

When we got home, I ended up ordering a few swimsuits from the kids’ department at Lands’ End for my younger daughter. (FYI, they’re having a 30% off sale! Use code FRESH at checkout.)

Fortunately she can still wear the size 14 and 16 in girls’ sizes. Some of the styles are too babyish, but she found a few that she wants to try. But I’m not sure where I’m going to find something for my older daughter.

She’s the tough one when it comes to swimsuits. She’s too young for women’s styles and too modest for most juniors’ styles; it’s always such a trial to find her something she feels good in. I’m wide open to suggestions from other moms out there! She’s 15 years old, for reference.

As for dresses, last spring she found a few cute ones at Old Navy, so we’re going to look there again this year. She prefers to go to the store and try things on, but in the interest of time, I think I’ll place an online order today.

Maybe I can find something there for the younger one as well. She actually brought home a dress from Kohl’s that we’re going to try to make work for her, but I don’t have high hopes.

And I still need a dress for myself! It seems far off, but Easter is just two weeks away. I ordered a bunch from Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s this morning, and I’m anxious to see how they work for me. Of course I’ll share them with you!

I almost went back and ordered that white lily print dress from White House Black Market that everyone loved in yesterday’s Try-On Sesh, but as I was looking at it, I remembered that the neckline was a little funky and it was longer than I prefer. Of course, I could have it shortened, but because of the neckline, I decided to wait on it and order a few more to try first.

I often wear white jeans and a pretty blouse for Easter when we stay here, as people in my neck of the woods don’t dress up too much, but I’ll be visiting my parents’ church in Virginia and going out for a nice brunch afterwards, so I prefer to wear a dress. Plus, I don’t get many opportunities to dress up so I’ll take it when I can get it!

So that’s about it for me. I’m looking forward to a relaxing afternoon after church. I just downloaded a new book that I’m excited to start reading, and I might fit a nap in as well.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Join The Conversation

95 Responses

  1. Athleta has swimsuits for your daughter. My 16 year old loves them and it is really the only place she even looks anymore! They are cute and more modest than a lot that’s out there. 

  2. Thankful I had 2 boys 😉
    Your book looks good-and the author lives in Delaware-might have to get this one.
    Happy Sunday, friends

  3. Lime Ricki Swimwear has some modest and stylish swimsuits that would be age appropriate. The quality of their swimwear is excellent. 

  4. Loved your Coffee Talk today. Reminding me of good places to shop online is very helpful. Have a great day!

  5. I need to get on the ball finding an Easter outfit. I am trying to find some ankle length mint green jeans that won’t break the bank. So luck so far. Any suggestions?

  6. I understand your struggles when it comes to dressing daughters.  I have an 11-year-old who is already 5’5”.  I was fortunate enough last year to find her two swim dresses in the Lands End women’s department that weren’t too matronly, yet still covered her sweet, self-conscious self (oh, how I remember those days!).  Their tankinis can have cute options too.  If all else fails, you can start your own line and we’ll all shop for our daughters at your store 😊. Have a joy-filled Sunday!  

  7. Try Athleta for swimsuits for your daughter. Because they are made with sports in mind, they fit securely and provide nice coverage, but still have a youthful vibe.

  8. You might try Swimsuits for All. It is focused on all sizes but might have something appropriate for your daughters age.

  9. I feel your pain as far as dress and swimsuit shopping for your girls! My 2 younger girls are almost 15 and 12 and are both tall for their ages too. I’ve had best luck with suits at Justice before. They run sizes up to 20 and had some more modest ones last year. Have not shopped them this year. This year we got lucky at Target for one pieces with cross cross lace tie backs. Super cute and Mom (and Dad) approved! Dresses I would definitely go Old Navy for sure.  Good luck!

  10. I had some luck last year at JC Penney for swimsuits. The mix and match styles allowed us to get a “bottom” in the junior department (boy shorts) and a more modest tank style top in the adult section. Both had black as the primary color, so mixing was easy, my 13 year old was covered, and didn’t feel frumpy. Thanks for all of the dress suggestions! I need to firm up my Easter attire this week, as well as my girls (10 & 13). Have a wonderful Sunday!

  11. Have you tried Francsca’s for Easter dresses?  Caroline rarely wears dresses, but we found several cute ones in there for Easter and a school dance this spring.  They just got in bunches of new stuff.  She is not a fan of off the shoulder or cold shoulder or bras showing for the most part. And she always buys a couple of bathing suits, but she is on the swim team and for the most part ends up wearing practice suits all summer!

  12. Hi Jo-Lynne, Mom of 2 girls (and 2 boys) but I understand trying to find modest clothing for teen girls. I second trying Justice online, they have thicker lining in the suits which is nice and Target usually has a 1-piece my younger daughter could wear to church camp. Good luck and happy Sunday!

  13. I prefer a more sporty swimsuit, and I’ve found a couple from Speedo on Amazon. Athleta also have some good ones – I haven’t checked into their Athleta girl collection much, but maybe, depending on sizes? 

  14. Shopping for girls swimsuits is the worst!!  I have 3 daughters who are now 17, but finding by modest swimsuits that fit 3 different body types has been a nightmare.  We’ve had good success at JCPenney in the area that sells the A.N.A. Brand.   Good cuts, not too revealing and the ability to match different size tops and bottoms. Good luck!!

  15. Good luck finding swimsuits and Easter dresses!  I am thrilled that your 15 yr old is modest.  I hope she remains that way.  Our 18 yr old granddaughter is far from modest and her girls are on the rather large size.  She is a feminist and of a totally different mindset than me.  I was brought up that it’s better to leave something to the imagination of others than it is to let them see enough to want to touch, if you get my drift.  It’s really warm here and tomorrow we could have severe weather, including tornadoes.  Not my kind of weather!  Have a blessed day!

    1. I hear you, Ginger. I took my college age granddaughter to lunch Fri and her dress was so short she had to hold it down with the wind blowing. Why I ask.

      1. Our granddaughter is in her first year of college.  She lets her ‘girls’ show way too much, even around her dad.  I have noticed that her college girlfriends do the same thing.  I just don’t get it!  All of the baseball players love hanging around her and having her tutor them.  She made the Presidents honor roll her first semester, so she is smart and loves to help others learn.  But the guys know that they’ll have something to stare at while the are studying.  

  16. Ahhhh.  The Easter outfit dilemma!  I so agree with you on girls dresses.  I like to buy our granddaughters their special occasion dresses.  I have an 8 year old that wears a girls 16!  She is a head taller than her classmates, but not a plus size!  Fortunately she likes the Disney D-signed line at Kohls, so I scored 2 dresses for her there. The other one (cousins) is 4 and wears a girls size 7. She, too, is a head taller than her classmates, with ever so long legs!  One dress I purchased for her was the exact same as the 8 year olds. Thank goodness they are cousins, because the 8 year old is not a fan of twin outfits!  I told my daughters to make sure they don’t show up to church on Sundays wearing the same dress!  Lands End is my other choice for their non-dressy dresses.  Good luck with your dress shopping!  We’re currently in Lancaster County enjoying a few days of R & R.  And the best part, I don’t have to look at snow!  

    1. The long legs is an issue too. My girls aren’t that tall, really, but they’re leggy, and all the shorter dresses are SO SHORT. They have to wear maxi dresses. They don’t even like the short ones. I just don’t understand why we can’t find anything that is knee-length.

  17. Try checking out Called to Surf and Downeast Basics for swimsuits and fashionable modest dresses and clothing. I’ve gotten darling suits for my daughters over the years and Called to Surf has the most adorable dresses and all are modest!! Also try out Hapari swimwear. Good luck !🍀 

  18. I don’t know if this will help, but my 15 year old daughter lives in tankinis; she’s not comfortable with the uber-revealing bathing suits available in most of our local junior’s stores such as Billabong. We order them from LL Bean. 

  19. Hi Jo-Lynne! I know all to well the frustration of shopping for teenage girls. I really think designers are clueless and obviously have no teen girls of their own! I’ve been getting catalogs and ads from Title Nine recently and I keep being tempted to order but haven’t yet. It’s really Women’s sizes but more athletic so lots of wearability and modesty. You might want to have a look. https://www.titlenine.com/
    Have a great Sunday!!

    1. I highly recommend their suits. I like them a lot. Actually I’m waiting on an order from them right now. I didn’t think to have my girls look there. I’ll see what they think.

  20. So glad you were able to get your run in this weekend and had fun shopping with your girls. But I totally agree with you on the odd maxi dresses that are out now. My 21 yr old daughter had a wedding to attend last weekend and we went to several stores looking for a maxi and we noticed the same issue. She even called me into the dressing room to help her figure out how to put one on or take it off and what bra to wear also came up. Lol 
    She ended up wearing one she had from Free People but it was black with spring flowers on it and she was trying to avoid wearing black to a wedding. It was an outdoor wedding and a cooler evening so it all worked out because her dress had sleeves and most of the ones we looked at didn’t. Sometimes going with what you have is best. Looking forward to more spring fashion next week. Enjoy your day. 

  21. Shopping for teen my teen girl was difficult too. For a youth trip she needed modest clothes…we couldn’t find any shorts where her butt wasn’t hanging out the bottom. I was a little insensed that the clothes for teen girls made them look so skanky! At that moment, I realized it wasn’t the girls necessarily choosing to dress that way, but what the stores offered them! In earnest we settled for some longer walking shorts from the boys’ department. For the bathing suit, we went with an athletic racing one piece from a sporting goods store. It was super flattering and had sufficient coverage.

  22. I so agree. Shopping for teenagers is super hard. And they aren’t even the problem. There’s a store called Hapari swimwear or Downeast clothing sometimes has cute things. Good luck!

  23. Hi! I don’t know what type of swimsuit you are looking for, but Gap has some fairly modest pieces. They are a little plain though.  Good luck!

  24. I have been frustrated finding swimsuits for my 13 year old.  Tops are easy to find, but the bottoms can be so skimpy!  I got her some cute bikini bottoms and halter top at Athleta.  They carry XXS, which fit like a girls 12/14.

  25. Have you looked for suits at Athleta Girl online?  Women’s Athleta has high quality swimwear… Girl may as well

  26. I have a 15 year old daughter and we have purchased swim suits the last two years from Title Nine and Athleta.

  27. Having the same issues with my 12 year old daughter. She likes the juniors styles but some don’t fit her.  She likes American Eagle for casual stuff but we had great luck at Macy’s for dresses. With Easter, both my son’s graduating and my niece’s wedding coming up and just in general
    going to church,  she was needing some casual and dressier occasion dresses. (She does have a couple casual dresses from ON that work for church.) Now I need to find her some sandals that aren’t too “ little girlish.”  Enjoy your Sunday! 

  28. Jo-Lynne. I seriously have issues with the whole fashion industry! One of these days I will get on my soap box on the blog, but I totally agree! I raised two daughters and I was not fashionable at all…they actually helped me figure out my “fashion sense”. However, now that I blog, I am so much more aware of what is trending. The clothes for younger girls are adorable, but for tweens and teens, I think there is a real push towards sexy rather than modest. I am sure we have Hollywood, the music scene and the fashion industry to thank for that. It really is frustrating when you have daughters and you want to encourage their fashion sense, but also encourage modesty. Hope you all find something that will work well. I wear dresses so infrequently that I am going to shop my closet. Ha, ha. Hope you have a great Sunday. – Amy
    https://stylingrannymama.com/

  29. Do you have a store called Alter’d State?  They are a mall and online boutique store. Give them a try for dresses. Good luck!

    1. Glad to know they’re online. I’ve only been to the store, and it’s at the mall that is like 30 min away. I’ll have her look online and see if she likes anything.

  30. My girls are 14 and 16 and we have had good luck with Easter dresses at Alterd State. More than I like to spend (usually start at $80) but it is for Easter and then they were it again to award ceremonies or year end school banquets.  Plus they aren’t outgrowing things like a few years ago, so they can wear them longer. For swimsuits, we have had good luck at Aerie (American Eagle) We order online but swimsuits and bras as ship for free and you can return to AE stores. 

  31. Amen to the mug. Need to get one. I have lab work this coming Thurs so cant have any. Ugh. Good luck with the dress and swim suit shopping. I always felt I should wear a dress on Easter but this year am wearing floral pants with some sort of top. Just hate panty hose and don’t go bare anymore. Our weather is beautiful and warm but that just means early summer. Hate sweating.

  32. Amen to your coffee mug!

    Us Northerners are having a tough winter and waiting for spring to come at long last. I enjoy looking at the spring trends but the reality is still have wear Sorrel boots! 😕

    Enjoy a relaxing afternoon. Thanks for the book tip.

  33. Hi Jo Lynne
    Good for you on getting outside to exercise at all! It has warmed up here but I still struggle getting out there. Have you ever looked at Dillard’s or Belks on line. They seem to carry a lot of dresses. I do not know about their shipping situations. We have them locally in the south. Good luck I remember shopping for my daughter and the issues you are having are not new for girls clothing! Julie L 

  34. I hear ya on the bathing suits for young teens!  My daughter is 15 and even though she is fairly modest was wearing two pieces last summer for the first time. I am such a prude, I dislike most two pieces as I feel like it looks like you’re wearing your underwear to the beach and it’s called underwear for a reason. Anyway, JCrew has some basic one pieces and with their sales not too crazy priced, we’ve had luck at Old Navy for tankinis. Also there were some adorable sportier swimsuits in the store at EMS – don’t see much online (who would think!) and Dicks. 

  35. I thought the length of the WHBM dress made you look taller & slimmer with a touch of elegance. I think it would be a dress that would stay in your wardrobe for years as it has no obvious trends that scream 2018. Buy it and you will find a place to wear it. You looked gorgeous in it! 

  36. Sporting goods stores have worked well for my two teenaged, woman-sized daughters (Academy, for example).

  37. I have girls age 12 and 14, and they are VERY modest! Not sure where they got it from. I’m not running around the house naked by any stretch, but come on! LOL. We usually end up with tankinis, but we look at a million before settling on one. Had some luck last year with Lands End and L.L. Bean. One with a geometric print and one floral. Both very cute. Both expensive! I was just happy they found something they liked and were comfortable wearing. Try Amazon too. Good luck!

  38. Cyndi used to always talk about Glamour Farms items, and my daughter has had success with their things. They are more boutique like t which my daughter loves, and not too expensive. Good online ordering experience. For Easter, she is actually wearing a t-shirt type dress from Old Navy. It’s not terribly dressy, but by adding a duster cardigan, a cute necklace, and booties, she looks just fine and will actually be able to wear all the pieces again.

    A commenter noted that you might want to have more than one dress/outfit ready for all the spring graduation events, and I emphatically agree! We went to multiple graduation parties for my daughter’s friends, but all were pretty casual, so I’m sure you are covered there. We did have more than one awards event to attend, a special church service for the graduates, and our own graduation party, which was on a different day than the actually graduation. I/we needed multiple outfits for these occasions.

    1. Thanks, that’s good to know. I wasn’t thinking ahead to all of that. Again, our lifestyle is pretty casual out here. Graduation parties are usually backyard picnics, but there will probably be a few things come up that I’m not planning on, so it’s good to know I may want a few dresses ready to go!

  39. Last season my 14 year old daughter and I were equally frustrated by the same swimsuit dilemma. She ended up wearing a sports bra under an Old Navy spandex athletic tank with short shorts (designed for running) that had a liner. It worked perfectly and she still looked adorable! We’ve also had luck shopping on Amazon for dresses if you put midi (length) in the search bar. The dresses end up being just below knee length on her 5’9″ frame. 

    1. yes, we do this too–sports bra under athletic tank or swimsuit! helps my teen and pre-teen stay more modest. ditto for the sport shorts.

      We also search for maxi dresses that can be worn with a full modest tank top under, without looking too weird. So still “no” for most cut-outs, but thin straps and low fronts are now OK, with the right coordinating tank underneath.

  40. Hi Jo-Lynne! I had to comment on the swimsuit. You and at least one of your daughters look like you have the inverted triangle body shape with a secondary shape somewhat hour-glass. The inverted triangle shape, in particular, looks fantastic in many of the swimsuit styles by SPEEDO. We LOVE them! We look for sales, though. There are many modest styles there. You end up looking athletic–like a “serious” swimmer rather than an easy girl. Having spent much time at the pool in Florida, people always want to know where you got the nice swimsuit when you’re wearing a simple Speedo. I can’t wear them myself since I have a large bust size (Hello, LANDS’ END), but I’ve observed that the people asked the most about where they got their attractive swimsuit seem to be wearing a Speedo! Another option is CATALINA.COM. They have many modest yet stylish swimsuits and adult size one-piece swimsuits fit many teenagers. A few of their styles are even sold at Wal-Mart! I have a teenage daughter and I made up my mind when she was 10 that we would not shop in the Junior’s dept. She doesn’t like to wear jeans, though. She wears beautiful denim skirts and tees and other skirts, mostly knee-length or longer. After outgrowing the kids curved hem tees at Old Navy, I went to buying her shirts in the petitie section of stores and the skirts also in the ladies petite section of many stores. Works well for us. She is 5’2″ and 100 pounds.

    Sorry, LONG post! I will do a separate post on dresses.

  41. Okay, so I just realized this is called a “comment” and not a “post” I hate to give away my secret, because I’m afraid they’ll go out of stock. I used to have trouble finding dresses. I am an inverted triangle and I share your concerns about how difficult it can be to find the right top to match up with a skirt. Then I found the Women’s Sleeveless Scoopneck Ponte Knit Sheath Dress at Lands’ End. It’s the same dress coming in several different prints and they KEEP coming each year so you already know if they fit you this year, they should fit you next year of you haven’t gained weight that it. So, it’s just a matter of picking the right print for you next year. I have many of them and the sizing has not changed from year to year (so far). If you buy them in TALL size, at 5’5″ I think they look great coming not too far below the knee, but looking more like a princess and great for those over 40 who like a conservative look. I am 51 with great knees, but I’ve always liked the length below the knee because I feel it lengthens me and balances out my large bust-size and broad shoulders. If you look at me, by the time you get to the end of the dress, you’ve probably forgotten about my shoulders. lol

  42. I totally agree with what so many of you great mothers are saying about the fashion industry.
    I believe that so many stores are sending the wrong message to young ladies !
    I also have a 15 year old daughter and it is so difficult to find age appropriate clothing for her.
    She loves to shop but it takes us hours to find something that looks her age. 
    Back in January we did get her 3 dresses at Dress Barn, they were having a great sale so we stocked up 😊
    As for a bathing suit, she likes to get several every year because we have a pool. We usually have good luck at Target but I looked yesterday and most of them were bikinis😮
    So we did not purchase. 
    I usually can find very nice bathing suits at TJMaxx for myself.
    My mother is a wonderful seamstress so many times if my daughter likes something my mom can make it work for her or make what she wants. That comes in very handy.
    Our nearest stores and mall are an hour and twenty minutes away so when we go shopping it is for the day.  Not sure if you have heard of Cato but I was there yesterday and bought my daughter a more wintery dress for $7. She loved it.

  43. FYI, the Mauve sweater at Ann Taylor is 60% off today. That applies to all sweaters, I believe. The promotion started today; I don’t know when it ends. I ordered the Mauve sweater. It’s such a pretty color, and I like the material and style. Thanks for showing us this one!

  44. I can sympathize with you. My 16 year old daughter and I have the same challenges. As far as swimsuits, we usually choose an athletic style. For example, Nike suits are usually cute and more modest than than the others. Dresses are harder. We have had luck at Old Navy a few times and occasionally I score at TJ Maxx. Please share your finds!

  45. I agree with you. Its getting so tough to find decent and age appropriate clothes for young girls. I sometimes look at the clothes and think “who wears such clothes?” I am having trouble finding decent maxi dresses for myself too.

  46. Thanks, I love Gap but my girls don’t. That is the issue I’m having – the places that do have nicer quality, more modest clothing doesn’t appeal to them. I will have them look again tho. Maybe they will find something this year!

  47. I hear you when it comes to shopping for your teen daughter. My daughter is 17, but quite petite so she is still in junior sizes, and it is so hard to find modest clothing! Try downeasthome.com. We really like them for swimsuits, dresses and clothes.

  48. Love coffee talk. :o)
    My 15yo daughter is modest and fashionable, and she prefers sporty Speedo swimsuits worn with exercise shorts (spandex boy-shorts). She is classic and feminine with an edge (like you!) with her clothing, but is more utilitarian with her swimwear to stay modest and put-together.
    I’m looking forward to reading the comments for more suggestions. :o)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search
Close this search box.