Did you know October is Squirrel Awareness Month? Yeah, I pretty much had the same what the the huh? reaction. But Disney FamilyFun magazine (now called Spoonful, I think?) told me this little factoid and I haven’t been able to get it out of my brain. A whole month dedicated to squirrels? And how much more aware of them can I be? I can’t step out my front door without one scurrying in front of me.

When I got over the whole mind being boggled thing, it also made me think about all of the cute little creatures that are popping up everywhere in fashion. I’m talking animal print as opposed to animal print. Make sense? Didn’t think so.

I did a little round up of some particularly cute versions of what I mean.

ASOS squirrel shirt

Shopbop bulldog sweater / ModCloth parrot dress

Sugarhill Boutique penguin blouse

Little Atoms owl sweatshirt

ASOS fox scarf

ModCloth dog dress / ModCloth owl dress

I have a sort of love/hate relationship with woodland creatures. I love the cutesy romanticized version of them that you see in these prints and in Disney movies. The ones that sing and sew for you and help you take a shower are pretty rad. But in real life? They make me itch and get paranoid about deer ticks and I get all mad that they eat the plants that I have a hard enough time keeping alive.

So for now I’ll take the whimsical version found only in my wardrobe, thank you very much.

What do you think? Cute or just adding to the evidence that I may have the fashion sense of a young girl? And most importantly: who’s buying me one?

OK, guys. I learned something pretty disturbing about myself today. I was doing what I always do when I’m trying to avoid doing work: window shopping via the internet. While checking out some fall fashion, I realized that what I thought was a really cute tunic-y sweater was, in fact, a little girl’s sweater dress.

This is not the first time this has happened to me. In fact, there have been plenty of times when I’m cruising the J. Crew website (during sale time, obvi) and get all excited about something before realizing that I’m about 100 pounds too heavy and a foot too tall to even dream about squeezing my left thigh into it.

What exactly does this say about me? That I have the fashion sense of a six year old? That I need to get out more? And why do I keep crawling so deeply into my psyche over clothes? In short: WTF man?

1 Erge Designs scarf / 2 Gap dress / 3 Children’s Place dress / 4 Gap jacket
5 Old Navy cardigan / 6 Old Navy flats

So make me feel better here. Is it me or is girls fall fashion kind of awesome this year? I mean, don’t get me wrong, some of it is awful. Whenever I walk by Justice in the mall, it looks like a neon rainbow vomited glitter everywhere. I start talking really fast to try and distract Samantha from catching sight of something glittery inside while ushering her towards the big wheel she can spin for a prize nearby. But most of what I’ve seen is pretty awesome this season. It almost (almost) makes me want to run to my daughter’s closet and start trying things on.

Do I need to get out more or is girls fashion pretty spot on this fall?

I’m sure you know this about me already, but every morning after an awards show I find it completely necessary to declare what a huge awards show junkie I am. Mostly it’s the fashion. Sometimes it’s acceptance speeches that make me cry. Other times it’s watching uncomfortable interactions between incredibly famous people. This year, it was mostly the Emmy fashion.

The 2012 Emmy Awards can be summed up in just a few words: boobs, color, sparkle and magnets, bitch! I plan to thoroughly explore each lovely category below.

Emmy Fashion Trend #1: Boobs

The absolute first thing I noticed last night was all of the boobs on parade– and I’m not just talking about the more obnoxious actors in attendance. The ladies really put it all out there. Sometimes it was a hit (heeeey Amy Poehler!). Other times it was a bit much (we know you’re incredibly voluptuous, Christina Hendricks, but that dress looked downright uncomfortable!).

Need some evidence?

My newest girl crush, the hilarious Amy Poehler, looked smoking hot in Stella McCartney. This may be the first time she’s played up her sex appeal. The plunging neckline definitely surprised me, but she managed to do it without showing too much.

I can’t really say the same for Christina Hendricks (in Christian Siriano). She has beautiful curves, I just wish she didn’t feel the need to squish herself into the bodice of every single dress she wears. You can flaunt it without the terrible fit!

I can’t decide how I feel about Kat Dennings in J. Mendel. I think the spillage is a bit much, but the color of that gown is so perfect for her (and the hair, makeup and accessories are flawless!). I half love this look. I just want to run over and tug her dress up for her.

Emmy Fashion Trend #2: Yellow

The next thing I noticed (jealously) was all of the yellow. I’ve mentioned before that I used to be anti-yellow but have changed my tune. The problem? I can’t wear it. OK. I can wear it, but if I do I look like I’m near death and field questions about what might possibly be wrong with me all day. It washes me out and leaves me looking exhausted and sickly.

The color was fabulous on all of the ladies who wore it last night, making me hate them a little.

The color of this Lanvin Resort gown is perfect for Claire Danes. I just wish it didn’t fit her like a potato sack. I’m not asking her to put the goods on display like the ladies up top. And I’m all for flowy and bohemian, but this dress does her no justice. It might as well be a bed sheet or beach coverup.

I’m also having a little bit of trouble with Julianne Moore’s Dior Couture gown. Again, I think the color is amazing on her. I just think it’s a little… matronly. She doesn’t need to be all va va voom. I just wish the neckline or the sleeves were different. Maybe if she lost the cuff and added a big old statement necklace I would feel differently. It’s just a little blah.

I’m not sure you can call Julie Bowen’s Monique Lhullier gown yellow. It’s seems a little bit green, but it’s close enough. I loved this one. It’s a bold color choice, the gown fits like a glove and I love the gathering details.

My absolute favorite yellow look was Leslie Mann in Naeem Khan. This whole look is so different and fun. I love the pockets, the lace top is stunning, and the turquoise jewels were a great choice. Perfection!

Emmy Fashion Trend #3: More Bright Colors

Yellow may have stolen the show, but there were other bright hues on the red carpet too. Ginnifer Goodwin, Sofia Vergara, Julianne Hough, and Padma Lakshmi all rocked bright gowns. My two favorites (not so surprisingly) were flowy, watery-colored pretties on two of my faves.

I love me some Zooey Deschanel and I loooove this dreamy Reem Acra gown. She looks like a modern day Cinderella. I just wish she would’ve smiled pretty for the camera!

Zooey also could have fit into trend number one with her slightly plunging bodice, but I was so madly in love with the color of this dress, I decided to list her here instead.

Heidi Klum and her Alexandre Vauthier might be my favorite of the night. Heidi’s also plunging and she’s got the legs out, which is usually a no-no combo in my book. Too much skin never wins. But something about this dress won’t let me put it on my naughty list. Is it the color? The flowy fabric? The Grecian draping? I just don’t know. What I do know is that I wish she didn’t go so matchy-matchy on the accessories.

Emmy Fashion Trend #5: Sparkle

You know this little magpie loves sparkle. I can’t get enough. And boy was there some sparkle out there on the red carpet last night. Amy Poehler had it. So did Nicole Kidman, Sofia Vergara, Kerry Washington, and Julianne Hough.

But Lucy Lui’s Atelier Versace gown stole the sparkle show. It was a work of art that showcased her amazing body perfectly. I would never, ever wear something like this, but I think she looked absolutely stunning in it.

By the way, did you see Zooey Deschanel and her tulle get stuck to Lucy Lui’s metal while she was waiting to talk to Ryan Seacrest? It was kind of hilarious.

Lastly, I don’t have a fashion trend but the most emotional part of the evening. I’m notoriously a big baby that cries when people give emotional speeches. While I made it through last night without crying, I was closet when Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad won. He seemed so genuinely shocked and gave a sweet shout out to his fiancee. I just wish there were more moments like that last night!

So what did you think of last night’s Emmys? Who were your best and worst dressed? Did I forget anyone (besides Tina Fey, who looked gorgeous but didn’t fit into any of my categories). What were your favorite moments? Talk to me! 😉

Aside from the fact that I can never, ever, ever get her song out of my head (get it? Because that’s how the song goes?…), I happen to seriously love Taylor Swift’s style. While she may not be anything like the typical mommy-on-the-go that I usually pull style inspiration from, her mix of femininity and comfort is something that I adore.

Taylor / Mossimo scoop neck sweater / Volcom bag / ASOS skirt / Sam & Libby flatss

I happen to think she’s adorable and she seems genuine and sweet. I was appalled to find out that my husband is less than impressed with her (seriously, who is he impressed with?). In fact, he wants to know who she hasn’t slept with since she writes songs about so many famous boys. But just because she hangs out with someone and has a little crush doesn’t mean she sleeps with him. Right? Right?! What kind of hussies does he hang out with anyway?

I digress. No matter what you think of the girl, you can’t argue that this is a really cute look. I’m a big fan of the mustard pleated skirt and the fact that she didn’t shy away from color. In fact, she embraced it. I wouldn’t have thought to pair mustard with red and blue–but now I will!

The other thing I love about this look? Each of the pieces are incredibly versatile (with the exception of maybe the mustard skirt. OK. Definitely the mustard skirt). A dark sweater and red flats are staples for a fall wardrobe–they can be mixed and matched with so many different things! And that cobalt bag? It’s a hot color at the moment and would add a pretty pop to just about any outfit.

I love it when celebrities wear outfits that are so doable for a real girl and her real girl budget. Now if only I could find the perfect red lipstick and get someone to make my curls look like that…

I’m a little bit of a fashion geek. I love flipping through big, fat fashion magazines. I love seeing what’s shown at Fashion Week (ummm, hello Kate Spade! Heeeeey Marc Jacobs!). And, much to my husband’s chagrin, I love watching red carpet coverage (hey, if I can sit through football of all things, he can listen to Giuliana Rancic a couple of times a year). The thing is, you wouldn’t know I’m well versed in fashion by taking a look at me.

Let’s be real. I’m a mother of two small children. We are not rolling in money. These two things shape my wardrobe more than anything else. My clothes need to be comfortable (I can’t deal with worrying about what may fall out if I bend a certain way) and they need to be affordable. The last thing I need is to be perpetually worried about getting a stain on something. I mean, you’ve seen the pictures of my monster baby!

In short: I’m no glamour puss. I’m a glamour wuss.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize that the average woman is probably more like me than a lot of the other fashion bloggers out there. I try to draw inspiration from the fabulousness on the runways in a way that will work for my lifestyle and my budget. Hopefully this new series will help inspire other ladies who are lacking in the dollar bills department.

When I saw this Jason Wu dress on Pinterest (via W. Magazine) I’m pretty sure I sighed audibly. It’s so freakin’ pretty! I’m honestly madly in love with it (tulle + vintage-inspired sweetheart top? Yes, please!) but there is nowhere I would ever wear something like this. First of all, I don’t do hot pants. I’m not Lady Gaga. That doesn’t make it any less pretty. It just makes it a little inappropriate for my daily life.

I decided to create a more realistic version–you know, one that I might actually wear out into the world. I decided to take Jason Wu’s very fabulous high society lady and turn her into a former ballerina.

I found a reasonably priced sheer maxi, a scoop neck t-shirt (way more practical for everyday wear than the strappy top) and a pretty metallic belt for contrast. Throw a pair of leggings underneath, a pair of black ballet flats on your feet and add a top knot cherry on top. Perfection!

What do you think? Did I make it an everyday fashion do?