Birthday Girls Need Princess Gear

Because it's her birthday, I let Baby Herald (I know, no longer a baby) wear her Halloween costume this morning.

Trying really hard to smile for the camera!

For the last two months, she has insisted on being a princess for Halloween. I'd be much happier if she were wearing a Gloria Steinem or Eleanor Roosevelt costume, but she's 3. So I'm going to have to settle for a princess. And princesses need crowns and princess shoes. This is why princess moms go to H&M, Kmart, or jcpenney, because all three are good princess-gear destinations. The above tiara I found at H&M, where I also picked her up a new pair of princess shoes (below), because we grew out of our last two pairs. 

This princess dress is a hand-me-down, but trust me: you're not going to have any trouble finding a princess dress, or a tutu on 34th Street. Nowadays it's totally acceptable to go out in a tutu any time of year if you're under the age of 10. Unless you're Betsey Johnson, then you can wear them every day and to bed.

Happy birthday to my Arm Baby! If she ever is Eleanor Roosevelt for Halloween, I promise to post a photo then, too. And it wouldn't be a Baby Herald birthday post if I didn't post this photo of us when she was less than a month old:

Yup, she's beautiful to me no matter what she's wearing. Past birthday posts here, here and here. 

H&M Herald Square

34th Street and Broadway

Kmart Penn Plaza

34th Street and Seventh Avenue

jcpenney Manhattan Mall

33rd Street and Sixth Avenue

Searching for Fashion Star

When I saw the Fashion Star on sale on Macys.com, I had to go to Herald Square and stalk the sale racks to see if any was still hanging around. Guess what? Hardly any of the Kara Laricks final collection is there. ALMOST NONE. But if you want to look for yourself, I found the below pants on the third floor, Broadway side, in the sale racks at the bar III department. I also found a sole, plum Lizzie tunic, but personally I found it awkwardly constructed and really short.

Top and green lace bra underneath is bar III, pants are from Kara Laricks final Fashion Star collection.

And, because I was in the land of bar III, I had to try on some of that, too. I would have gotten these orange pants but they were just a bit too short. I like my wide-leg hems dragging on the ground.

Yeah, I got the whole look. I realized I don't have a pair of good neutral trousers, shocking! And that grey top is #1. really long in the back for days you're trying to hide something, and #2. very lightweight for summer. I'd be in heels if I hadn't thrown out my back last week. Thanks, Kimmie Smith x Sebago shoes!

We're still working on zipper skills.

Macy's Herald Square
151 West 34th Street between Broadway & Seventh Avenue

Happy Birthday, Baby Herald!

JCPenney recently asked me to participate in a birthstone promotion for October and I said yes because that's the month my girl was born. JCPenney sent us this necklace (left) and a gift card for $50, and I went shopping, inspired by my girl's whole October birth month thing.



I'd like to start this post by showing you my most scary maternity pictures. Below, I am going to the hospital almost a week past my due date (terrible quality shots, they were taken with my mom's ancient digital).

As you can see, I was big. So big that men would yell at me as I walked down the street "How many you got in there?" The nice Russian girl who did my sonograms each month would say, "Wow, that's a BIG baby, a big, BIG baby." Oddly, none of this annoyed me. I let people touch my belly, I yelled back "Just one!" to all those guys on the street, and at each test I'd say "Yes, we have big babies in my family." Also, EVERYONE said to me "You're going to have a boy." We heard this so often we began to believe it, and although we didn't know the sex, I started buying blue baby things.

Of course, I had a girl.

We both have our eyes closed, it's genetic. Dress and sweater are I Heart Ronson from JCPenney, shoes are Zara last season.

My girl's October birthstone is opal, and the JCPenney version is delicate and feminine and girly and everything that I'm not. I would have never bought something like this for myself. But it suits her perfectly, as she is my perfect little opposite baby. Note the photographic evidence.

MNG by Mango dress, I Heart Ronson sweater, Gap boots. Her: JCP American Living dress.

Blond, with blue eyes, and looks adorable in pink which I never wear. So when I was shopping for us at JCPenney, I tried to buy things I wouldn't normally buy, namely, dresses. I also went for colorful prints, like the I Heart Ronson dress above, but cheated a little and also did black and white with the MNG by Mango dress. But hey, it's a print, and there's a ruffle on the collar. I'm pushing my boundaries.

I could get all mushy and talk about how she pushes me daily to go beyond my boundaries, but I'll end instead with a picture of us a few weeks after she was born.

This photo first appeared here. I was really hormonal.

Haha, see, she's wearing blue! Which is why I love how the opal in the necklace has a little blue color play. Now I have to go have a little cry because oh my god, they grow so fast.


p.s. hey, pregnant women: JCPenney also has awesome maternity jeans. And you can stop hyperventilating after seeing my maternity pictures now, because as you see I was half that size like immediately. And I was really, really big. 


JCPenney Manhattan Mall lower levels 1&2, 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue

Rainy Day Gear: The Best Umbrellas on 34th Street

Last week, during yet another summer rain storm, I ran across the street to Duane Reade for an umbrella but they were sold out. I was cursing myself for not picking up more of these the last time I was at Daffy's Herald Square:

I have to keep this hidden away, or every day I'd be bumping into the bumblebee. Those are also Daffy's pajamas.*

Daffy's never lets me down with weather gear. Raincoats, hats, gloves in the winter, a wall full of scarves, and always a brand of fabulous rain or snow boots, you should definitely stop by here (and grab two umbrellas, one for home and one for the office) before you pay full price for stuff like, yes, bumblebee umbrellas. The above was under $5 in the kid's department. It was between this and an Elmo umbrella, and I'm confident I made the right decision.

*Oddly I have a hell of a time finding decent pajamas for toddlers that aren't rough cotton and $$. These pajamas, also Daffy's Herald Square, came with pants and shorts, are soft, and cost around $10.

Daffy's Herald Square Herald Center, 34th Street and Broadway 

Kimono Jsuits, Really

It's jumpsuits like this that make me think perhaps I should just pack it all in and start a 34th Street H&M Tumblr.

This is from the Herald Square store, first floor, front middle section. Even though it's small for me, and even though the shoes I was wearing yesterday don't go with, it's still freaking awesome. This is a GREEN KIMONO STYLE JUMPSUIT. If there was a size 10 I'd say bury me in this. But there are no 10's, just this lone 8 (as of yesterday afternoon), several 2's, 4's, and a couple 6's.

This will go down in my H&M lore with drop crotch baby pants (below, 0-3 months, from September 2010) and, of course, the drop crotch maternity pants I still wear now for the gym, and to bed, and maybe sometimes to work.

H&M Herald Square 34th Street and Broadway

Kids Foot Locker for the Fourth

Leave it to Foot Locker to satisfy my need for the red, white, and blue this week.

Polos on sale, 4 for $20, through the weekend.

See those croc styles, which I have vowed would never been seen on Fashion Herald, ever? Well, this is what happens when you have a kid. Crocs are great for kids, mainly, I think, because they are indestructible and easy to slip on and off. Still, I couldn't bring myself to buy Baby Herald crocs even though she was obsessed with her cousins'. Grandma remedied this by mailing us a pair of hot pink ones, seen below. The first night as a croc owner, she refused to take them off at bedtime so she wore them to sleep. Maybe if I'm lucky, her only act of rebellion in life will be to wear ugly shoes that offend her mom.

Also, I would have her in a cute little ruffled bathing suit if she wasn't so terribly lily white. Practical fashions, *sigh*.

Kids Foot Locker 120 West 34th Street between Broadway & Seventh Avenue

It's Always Foot Locker 34th Street for Kicks

Baby Converse kicks.

With my husband's birthday just days away, and him all desperate for new shoes (see how he abuses his shoes here), I knew it was time for a Foot Locker gift. Also, Melissa had kindly hooked me up with gift cards after the birth of Baby Herald, so it was past due time to cash one in, especially as Baby Herald insists on trying to walk everywhere, now, so she needs some real kicks.

Daddy Converse kicks. This is about as close to matching Daddy/daughter as I'll ever be allowed to get.

This photo really cracks me up because of the inadvertent Brooklyn parent tableau I didn't create, I swear. The guitars, the copy of Kaddish lying on top of the baby book, the baby toys tucked here and there, and the Converse sneaks. But let's focus on the shoes: the man kicks are leather Converse, $65, a grey-ish blue, and the 12s fit him perfect. Normally he's between 12-13, and Converse run big. Same for the baby shoes. Seems like she received tons of size 5 shoes as gifts, but they still fall off her. So the size 4 Baby Converse fit her perfect right now. Hers are canvas, not leather, but the soles are solid and good for those first walking attempts.The black and white baby kicks were around $30.

Selection at our Foot Locker on 34th Street really can't be beat, there are walls of kicks, and the Kids section is equally impressive. Visit soon to give your special someone a very Merry Kicksmas!

Foot Locker & Kids' Foot Locker, 120 W. 34th Street btwn Broadway & 7th

Birthday Girls Need Faux Fur Vests

Because I'm holding off on ridiculous birthday tiaras until I know they aren't going straight in the mouth, I had to get some style points elsewhere. That's where H&M Baby comes in handy. Soft pink faux fur vests do a girl good for slightly chilly, mid-October morning birthday parties. And what aren't striped leggings good for?

Baby Herald turns one and discovers trucks. Happy birthday to my Arm Baby.

I got the vest at H&M on 34th and 7th Avenue, and the leggings (Sonia Rykiel for H&M) at the Herald Square H&M on 34th & 6th. Both stores are well-stocked with kids and baby stuff, but only the Herald Square store has maternity. All the lines stay true to the H&M aesthetic so your kid, or your niece or nephew, or your friend's kid, is going to be all on trend. And did Baby Herald cry on her birthday? Not quite as much as her mom did!

H&M, 34th Street at 7th Avenue

H&M Herald Square, 34th just east of 6th Avenue

Trompe l'oeil Diapers on 34th Street

Diapers have gone viral, so I enlisted the help of Baby Herald to try out the new Huggies limited-edition denim diapers. Are they ugly? Would I wear faded denim underpinnings? Or am I again dressing my daughter in things I wouldn't wear (see pink, ruffles, and pink ruffles)?

We're trying to show the faux pockets on the back of the Huggies jeans diapers here, but with little success. It just looks like Baby Herald is doing yoga.
(Click here to see the infamous Huggies commercial if you haven't already. Who designed those sunglasses on the brunette in the opening scene? Love them.)

But first, I have to disagree with today's New York Magazine Huggies jean diaper story: I like clothes and I have no problem figuring out how to dress Baby Herald. She's got drawers overflowing with hand-me-downs. Anyone who isn't dressing their baby in hand-me-downs is insane because A: They grow out of onesies in a month; and B: This is one time in her life she doesn't care about what she's wearing. Sometimes I play on that and come up with really ugly combinations. And still, Baby Herald smiles and kicks her legs like "Mom has the best taste in the world, I look FABULOUS." I'm saving money for that day she comes home from school and is like "Iris has cute leggings. I need those leggings."

















Back to the Huggies. I was expecting to hate these but I fell for them the minute I fastened those tabs. I love these freaking diapers. Why limited edition? Because it's summer and when it's really hot babies can get away with just a diaper (you won't see that look on a fashionable NYC playground but that's not the real world). For Baby Herald, these jean diapers will come in handy when she wears a hand-me-down dress that doesn't have a matching diaper cover, like the one in the photo above where she looks like Farm Baby. And the trompe l'oeil pockets are ridiculous in a good way. Ok, now someone can please warn Baby Herald that Mom's gone so wack-a-doodle she's actually using "trompe l'oeil" when speaking about diapers.


Huggies Limited Edition Jean Diapers available at Kmart, 34th Street & 7th Avenue

Cute Baby Hats and Great Campaigns

Baby Herald has been relying upon her cousin's hand-me-down sunhat, which is all fine except that it's blue and then everyone thinks she's a boy and I get tired of saying, "Actually, she's a girl." So it was time to get something a little more...pink. Or just not blue. We hit a standby baby source, Old Navy on 34th Street.

The purple madras was a little too big, but I liked the versatile brim and Baby Herald liked the tag and the fascinating pattern.














This is one of the cutest baby hats I've seen yet, well done, Old Navy.

Hats run from $2.99+ on sale and up to around $9 for full-price. We also love the Old Navy baby pajamas, hand-me-downs again, but look for new ones in the baby department on the third floor.

And while you're at Old Navy on 34th Street this weekend, shopping for baby hats or taking advantage of 4th of July sales, be sure to contribute to this excellent campaign to support our troops:



Click for details.

Updated to add - I just received more information on the military donation campaign: items accepted for donation are adult basic T's (men's and women's), adult underwear, boxer shorts, socks, flip-flops, sunglasses, lip balm, and foot powder. Items must be new and unopened. Also, if a customer buys a flag T-shirt, Old Navy will automatically donate one to the troops. And it doesn't stop there: the store will have a letter-writing station where they encourage everyone to stop by and write a letter to the troops. Happy Fourth of July, indeed!


Old Navy, 150 W. 34th Street between Broadway & 7th Avenue

Lady Foot Locker Giveaway Winner

Here's the Lady Foot Locker $100 gift certificate winner as selected by Baby Herald, all in the spirit of the upcoming Mother's Day. This is the last video in a series of three; the first two are of our name draw-er dumping out all the paper. Last one's a charm!

Baby Herald is wearing Baby Basics from H&M Herald Square. The basics are organic, soft, and tagless. The pants are all bunched up because she's got a cloth diaper on. They really ruin the line of a girl's outfit.


Congrats to DinosAreCute! You've won the gift certificate, so email me your mailing address and I'll send it along to Lady Foot Locker ASAP. Margye, you were a close second. And Anna was a slobbery third. And many thanks to the fabulous Lady Foot Locker on 34th Street for providing us with this generous giveaway. Seriously, the Lady Foot Locker on 34th near Broadway is really impressive. It's big walls full of kicks and racks of athletic gear. Don't forget, that's where my very cool leather Converse came from.


Lady Foot Locker, 120 W. 34th btwn Broadway & 7th Ave.

Practically Free Boyfriend Shirt

Tedious, my going on and on about this white boyfriend shirt from JCPenney's she said, but I dropped by JCPenney Manhattan Mall today to finally buy it. I was expecting it to be $17.99, the clearance price listed and confirmed by the price-check scanner (addictive!). But at the register it became $5.97. I then asked the clerk several times "Really? It's just $5?" How quickly $5.97 turns to $5.00 in my shopping brain. And because I had saved so much money, I ran to infants to get Baby Herald something.*

American Living denim jumper for babies, $17.99 on sale. Seahorse sold separately.

Moral of this shopping story: Go to JCPenney and help them move out their clearance because now it's all practically free.








*And my purchases were actually free as I used a $25 gift card received at the JCPenney Back-to-School press preview.


JCPenney Manhattan Mall lower levels 1 & 2, 33rd & 6th

Blame it on H&M Baby

I swear I resisted posting Baby Herald picks as long as I could. I blame it all on H&M's really, really cute baby section, which I visited last Saturday while checking out the Garden Collection. This is now my shopping reality: if there's a cute baby/kids section, I'm going to visit. Now let's see if I can not use "cute" again for the rest of this post.
















This pink bow headband is $2.95, and is really, really...."adorable." I also like how you can make it very now like a package bow, or very retro like Olivia Newton-John. Also comes in a floral pattern.
















This is a really, really... "irresistible" spring ensemble (only sizes left at the Herald Sq. store are 0-3mos and 12mos.). It started with the kerchief head-wrap ($3.95), which was on a shelf back against the wall. As I finally tore myself away from the baby section, kerchief in hand, I spotted the matching outfit ($9.95) hanging on the opposite side of the department. Why they aren't together, I don't know. I then demanded that a couple of guys holding the outfit go get the matching kerchief, and, as they gave me the "you're demented" look, a grandma marched up holding the same outfit and asked me where she could find the kerchief. Pay attention to the grandmas, guys. The headpiece is the icing on the cake.


H&M Herald Square, 34th & 6th Avenue
H&M 34th & Seventh Avenue
Both 34th Street stores have kid's & baby sections

Stella for GapKids & babyGap

The new Stella McCartney for GapKids and babyGap will be in 34th Street on March 30th. I guess the date was pushed back. The clerks kindly gave me a flyer, and told me 34th Street wouldn't be getting the whole collection. I then asked her if the 5th Avenue flagship would be getting the entire collection, and she said no, neither store was. Hmm, perhaps they are splitting the collection up round town? Either way, I'll be dropping by not to stuff myself into some large kids sizes, but to browse for Baby Herald.


The baby battle today was over hats. I love hats while my husband scoffs at them. Unfortunately I had no veto power this afternoon and had to cede the hat battle because I had just behaved badly in "BRUS" (Babies-R-Us) due to a very strong Café Americano and excess exposure to baby merchandise, a combination that made my head spin Exorcist-style.

I recommend staying out of the BRUS clothing section and saving it and the strong coffee for Stella at Gap.


Gap Herald Square, 34th Street & Broadway