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Fall Date Night Outfit

After wearing this outfit on Friday night, I’m certain that this fall date night outfit is one of my new favorites and will become a staple in my rotation.

I remember spending hours going through my closet last year. I could barely open my closet but, at six months postpartum, I felt as if I had nothing to wear. For hours I went through my clothes, trying things on and then putting them into a few piles: keep, donate, or sell.  At that point I was still carrying 15 pounds of baby weight and had come to terms with my new curves. I parted ways with many of my favorite pieces of clothing, never thinking they would fit again.

Fast forward to this fall and I opened my closet feeling once again as if I didn’t own any clothing. The clothes I kept last year were loose and baggy. Luckily, I took this as a sign to take advantage of a few sales by investing in a few pieces of clothing.  Now that I’m almost 35 years old, I believe that quality is more important than quantity.  Last night, I paired three of my new purchases together for a relaxed, Brooklyn date night outfit.

Since so many of you messaged me on Instagram, asking for details, I wanted to share a bit more details behind last nights outfit. I’ve always loved sharing my favorite clothes with you guys and now that I finally feel good in clothes again, it only seems appropriate to kick off my favorite season with a fashion post.

First of all, let’s have a quick chat about the most amazing bakery that we discovered last night. After a delicious, albeit fast, dinner at Fausto, we werne’t ready for the evening to end. Instead of heading home, we meandered a few blocks in search of a sweet treat. Since we’re currently binge watching Madam Secretary, we wanted to grab a sweet treat to enjoy back home. As soon as we walked into Little Cupcake Bakeshop, we both knew we’d entered our new favorite bakery. Even though we’ve lived in Brooklyn for three years, until last night we hadn’t found a bakery that we loved. Well needless to say, after tasting their buttercream frosting and their s’mores bar, we are both smitten. I’ve already requested a cake from here for my birthday!

Fall Date Night Outfit

But now, for the outfit details. You know when you put on an outfit, totally unsure if it will come together, only to see yourself in the mirror and love it? That is exactly how I felt Friday evening when I was getting ready for date night. I knew that the 60 degree temperatures meant it was cool enough to take my new fleece top for a spin but couldn’t figure out how to style it. I went to the Dudley Stephens Instagram page for some inspiration before settling on this look. The outfit is comfortable but is still chic and put together enough to wear to the office or out to dinner.

Top: Dudley Stephens Cobble Hill Turtleneck in Lightweight Fleece (Wearing a size L)

Pants: Spanx Faux Leather Legging (Wearing a size L)

Shoes: J.Crew Factory Zoe Calf Hair Leopard Flats (Wearing a size 10.5)

This is my second pair of Spanx leggings and I love the look and feel of the faux leather style. The high waistband and heavier material holds everything in but they are 100x more comfortable than the Spanx I remember trying to wear under formal dresses when I was in college. The material inside is soft and the fabric has enough give that it’s tight without making me feel like I can’t breathe. For reference, I wear a size 8 or 10 pant and wear a large in these. They have a 29 inch inseam but due to the stretch, I find that they are plenty long on my legs which typically require a Long or Tall pant. While there are many lookalike faux leather leggings out there, this is an example of when I believe in quality over quantity. My last pair lasted two years and only had to be retired after I accidentally put them in the dryer. Also, if you can be patient, they are typically included in Macy’s, Nordstrom or Shopbop sales!

I’m a huge fan of the leopard trend this season, especially in shoes. I found these 40% off at the JCrew Factory outlet in Vermont a few weeks ago and since then I’ve worn them at least 2-3 times per week. I would recommend ordering a half size larger and wearing a Bandaid on the back of each heel the first time you wear them, until they’ve broken in. I made the mistake of sprinting through both JFK and Minneapolis airports my first time wearing them and have the blister scars to prove it.  A colleague said that anytime she gets new shoes she wears either a bandaid or blister patch on the back of her heels and this ensures that shoes can be broken in pain-free. Brilliant! After that initial shock the shoes have been very comfortable and the flat heel and padding makes them comfortable.

Last but not least, the top I’m wearing is my favorite purchase this season. After seeing many of the bloggers I follow on Instagram as well as a few local moms rave about Dudley Stephens fleece tops, I clicked over to their website and did some research. Initially, I was shocked by the $158 price point for the Cobble Hill tunic. But, then I realized that the top seemed so versatile that I could wear it for everything from playground dates to video conference calls for work. The brand was started by two sisters three years ago after they wished their zip fleeces had a bit more style. That is exactly what this fleece gives you. As soon as I put it on I felt put together, chic and, most importantly, cozy. The stand up collar gives the top a finished look and the a-line silhouette is flattering. I ordered the lightweight fleece as I hope to wear this throughout the fall and winter in my home office, which tends to be warmer than most, as well as out and about in both Brooklyn and Savannah.  For some this is an investment piece or perfect item for the birthday or holiday wish list. I’ve already added two of their shorter style, the Park Slope,to my birthday and Christmas wish list as I can tell that I’m going to reach for this on a daily basis.

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Our First Date Night Post-Baby

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Can you tell that Bo and I enjoyed our first date night together since Katie’s arrival? Last night’s date night was a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past 18 week since we became a family of three and remember the strong foundation we had as a couple before her arrival.

Many of our friends and family members recommended that we plan a date night sooner versus later. Luckily, our dear friend Heather, who happens to be pregnant, offered to babysit for us a few times before she and her husband welcome their own child. Heather was a nanny during college for a young child so we felt very comfortable in her ability to watch Katie. Since it was our first time leaving Katie alone, we decided to leave for our date night after Katie went down for the evening. Heather arrived at 7pm so she could keep me company during Katie’s bedtime bottle and also become comfortable with the nighttime routine and our nursery. While feeding Katie, I walked Heather through our typical routine in the chance that Katie woke up while we were gone. At this point, once Katie falls asleep around 7:45pm she typically doesn’t wake up again until 7 AM. However, if she does wake up, it tends to be within an hour of falling asleep and often times it’s due to a wet diaper.

At 7:55 Bo and I hopped in an Uber towards Red Hook, a Brooklyn neighborhood just ten minutes from our house. We wanted to go to dinner somewhere close, in case there was an issue. The only other request I made to Bo, before we chose a restaurant, was that we tried somewhere new. Luckily, the Michelin Guide’s 2017 Bib Gormand list was released this week – perfect inspiration for finding a new restaurant. In case you haven’t heard of it before, the Bib Gormand list features their favorite restaurants where guests can enjoy two courses plus a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. One of the restaurants, The Good Fork, stood out to us as it is Korean New American food and located in an area of Red Hook we haven’t visited before.

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The intimate restaurant seats 30-40 people max and we were lucky to be seated at a cozy, corner booth in the front which provided us the perfect venue to watch the people and food go by throughout the evening.

We toasted with an Old Fashion and Dark & Stormy to celebrate our date night and then got to business, studying the menu. The menu is smaller than most, with six appetizer options and eight main course options. This allowed us enough choice without overwhelming us. We decided to share three of the appetizers so we could taste as many dishes as possible, and then ordered the entrée that they are best known for and which has been on their menu since they opened in 2005.

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We started with the homemade dumplings and scallion pancakes before enjoying the farm salad, which included whipped stilton cheese and roasted fall squash. The pork and chive dumplings were crispy yet light thanks to the delicate dough wrapping that didn’t overpower the other flavors.

For our main dish we shared the Steak and Eggs Korean style which was served kimchee rice, fried egg, arugula and apples. The dish was delicious and reminded us of bibimbap. IMG_8570

Last but not least, we shared two of the desserts although we were too full to finish them. Steve’s Key Lime Pie which is a local favorite from a nearby bakery was tart and sweet but I personally thought the crust was a bit much. In my opinion the S’More’s Ice Cream sundae was the winner though just two bites nearly put me in a sugar coma.

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And yes, we those parents who took a break during our date to sneak a peek at our sleeping daughter on the Nest camera.

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While our date night was only two hours, it was the perfect amount for our first time away from Katie. Our goal is to enjoy at least one date night per month, leveraging family and Heather until we are able to find a local babysitter.

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