Jay Miranda

Good Taste, Mom Life, Homeschooling

Balancing Motherhood and My Identity

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My favorite yoga position is the standing bow. It was described to me as resembling balance in your life because it’s the being pulled in different directions that keeps you standing solidly. I recently tackled the subject of motherhood, balance, and fulfillment in my post at mom.me.

When I held my daughter for the first time, I experienced all the magic they said I would. She looked up at me with her eyes like blue almonds, and my whole world was undone and put back together again in an instant. Love radiated through and from me. In the months that followed her birth, I adjusted to life as a stay-at-home mom. For a year I lived and breathed all things baby: parenting books, mom blogs and my many baby-related Google searches.

I focused on my daughter’s needs and well-being, even as my own eroded and I became a haggard version of myself. Everyone said I was being a great mother, but hardly anyone asked me how I was doing. But why should they? I had a loving husband and a healthy, beautiful new baby. I wasn’t supposed to want anything more. And yet, I began to feel like a part of my life was missing. Was it me? Was I missing from my life?… You can read the rest of my article on mom.me

Velvet Night

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For a dinner at Bardot, I wore this lush velvet and silk tunic from Lafayette 148 NY. I’ve long admired them for putting out beautiful quality clothing and was so excited to see their latest collection is full of sumptuous fabrics. It was love at first sight when I opened the box and saw the beautiful inky velvet. This noir hue is darker than anything I own – perfect for night.

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I wore it with a short skirt underneath, but I was aiming for the look of a loose minidress. The skirt has a mesh overlay, which gave a risqué edge to this otherwise demure look. The sack dress has become a modern classic and it’s also super easy to wear. All shapes and sizes can wear this beautiful silhouette!

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Plus size dress: Velvet Lafayette 148 NY

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Tunic: c/o Lafayette 148 NY | Skirt: F21; similar | Shoes: Valentino,
Bag: Rachael Ruddick | Sunglasses: ASOS | Necklace: JCrew

P.S. You have to try Bardot’s “Orange Noir” cocktail
(Maestro Dobel tequila, Cointreau Noir, lime juice, agave nectar, muddled oranges.)

A Night with Westfield Style in Los Angeles

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#westfieldfashbash westfieldfashbash

Under a beautiful Los Angeles night sky, Westfield Century City was the setting for #WestfieldFashBash, a party celebrating everything fall fashion. The event was hosted by Monica Rose, Whitney Port, and Courtney Trop. I’ve been wanting to meet Monica Rose, stylist to Kim Kardashian, forever! Check out her work for Westfield Style. We chatted about style and motherhood, she was incredibly kind and gracious. Between meeting LA bloggers, dancing under the lights of the city, and yummy cocktails, I had an awesome night. Here are some photos I snapped with my phone.

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Had to take a selfie with Monica Rose. I’m one degree away from Kim K!

I often shop online, but I MUCH prefer to shop at brick and mortar stores. The evening reminded me of the pleasure that it is to go from shop to shop. I think it’s called retail therapy because you can get out of your head for a while. I could sniff perfume and try on shoes all day! I only buy what I absolutely love though. I like window shopping too; it doubles as a way to see the new trends and deciding for yourself if you’ll try them. When I knew I was going to Westfield Century City, I googled their list of shops and jotted down the ones I knew I wanted to visit: Zara, Bloomingdales, LOFT, The Body Shop, and Kate Spade. If they gave me some plus-size shops I might be in heaven.

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My plus-one was my fashion-obsessed sister. Find her blog: Jenn Wonder.

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My “On the Rum Way” drink was made with Stolen Rum, white vermouth, curaçao, coffee, and orange.

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Jenn was taking a selfie, so I took a selfie in her selfie. Selfie-ception.

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The restaurants at Westfield look out onto a city that is all lit up, including the palm trees!

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Strawberry cotton candy! First time having some in years. So tasty.

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Getting this felt like Christmas.

For the evening, I wore a gorgeous velvet tunic/minidress, which I received from Lafayette 148 NY – I will post a better look at in my upcoming outfit post. Thank you to Westfield for inviting me and for the awesome gift bag. This Blanco and Brass tote is perfect for when I’m in mom mode with Julia and I’m having so much fun with the Mr. Kate gold foil temporary tattoos and all this Bare Minerals makeup!

For more of my travels and bits of life, you can find me on insta @pinklip.

Luxe and Ladylike for Fall with navabi

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Plaid fall fashion trend coat

Feature sponsored by navabi. Opinions are my own.

Around this time of year I start to envision the fall wardrobe of my dreams. I make mental notes of my favorite trends and those notes guide my shopping. For instance, I loved the ladylike plaid looks at the Delpozo and Victoria Bechkam for Fall 2014, so I knew I wanted to add some plaid to my closet this season! Like any plus-size girl, I know how hard it can be to find current trends in our size. This is getting better and better each year though.

One of the shops I’ve had bookmarked ever since they first came on the plus-size scene a few years ago is navabi. They’re based in Germany but ship worldwide. I consider it the place to find premium plus-size fashion, particularly from European plus-size designers. Here, you can see what’s new at navabi, including fall fashion trends and an intimates collection by the gorgeous Ashley Graham.

Plus size blogger Jay Miranda

Plaid fall fashion trend coat

Plaid fall fashion trend coat

I picked this beautiful plaid coat, long sheer blouse, and faux leather trousers.

OK, can we talk about these leather trousers? They feel so luxe, like real leather, but have stretch and are lined with a knit material so they’re actually pretty comfortable. They fit like leggings and I recommend taking one size larger than your normal size. The coat is on-trend but elegant, my favorite combination. The sheer top is perfect for layering and the length helps soften the leather look. The quality of everything is amazing and I know I’ll mix and match these pieces through fall and winter. I also wore this jeweled sweatshirt I already had in my closet. Pumps are Cole Haan from long ago and the bag is Louis Vuitton.

If I were packing for a getaway in London, Paris, or Berlin, I would definitely bring this ensemble along. No doubt, it’s one of those outfits I’d feel beautiful wearing no matter where I am—in this case, having dinner with my husband in Claremont, Calif. Wishing you happy fall shopping. x

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