*Real world confession: I had slept in this tee from the night before, so I already had it on when the styling began. I've been wearing it so much lately (as seen in previous post). I'm freaking obsessed with it, if we're being honest. It was on sale for like $15 bucks at JCrew and now I wish I bought it in gray too. Anyway, back to Stella... against all prompting of freshly washed and pressed tops in my closet, she insisted I stay in this T shirt for her styling session.

The gray skirt was on the bed and picked out for me before I could pour my coffee. I think it's a grown-up version of what little girls like best - twirly skirts. I tried to go sans socks, but she said I needed them because I might get blisters on my heels. 

As much as I was loving the idea of styling each other for this one, the leopard pants and motorcycle boots I picked out for her, ended up on the floor, replaced by her own pajama pants and bare feet. We just rolled with it, along with mommy/daughter hats and sunnies, and headed out for burgers with our guys.

Mommy

Blazer - Vintage (similar)

Skirt - Gifted (a similar, more elaborate version that I totally want here)

Tee - JCrew (sold out)

Sunglasses Forever21

Hat - Vintage (similar)

Converse

Stella

Tee - Forever21 (similar sweatshirt here)

{I mean, they grow out of things so quickly. Why not grab trendy, super affordable pieces?}

Pajama pants - boy section (Mini Boden)

Stella styled herself... and it's pretty great.

Dress - Harajuku Mini at Target, Blouse - Old Navy, Boots - Old Navy

I know that every mother thinks her child is gorgeous and genius and hilarious and wonderful, and perhaps even stylish beyond their years... So I won't bore you with my thoughts on this incredible child.

I'll just share the pictures.

Styled by Stella - her version of camo and a very short hem

I was so excited the other day when my Stella offered to style me. I'm so in love with the concept of Styled by Stella and we always have so much fun with it, but I never wanted to push it, so the posts have been sporadic at best.

I can't stop laughing at these photos because of my (seriously trying) "model face" first off, the undeniable need for a spray tan and longer hem coming in a cool, close-second, my messy bathroom that the hubs and I somehow deemed worthy of a photo shoot (really?), and wait for it…

 This little boy running into every shot.

And by run I mean chunky leg waddle.

This is also what happens when you try to photograph the outfit:

But back to Stella. She obviously loves this vintage button down (maybe it's the tiny hearts) because she has a closet full to work with and chose to feature it twice, the last time here. The blending and camouflage of colors really had me amazed. Everything is in the same color family, but in mixed-prints. I think she has an eye for sure! 

Good job, baby girl. xx

See all Style by Stella posts here.

Styled by Stella - Stripes and denim

My little love is at it again. This time she was feeling denim on denim with a vintage striped shirt. She couldn't decide on shoes, so I threw on the boots. I loved rocking this outfit all day. Well done, little one! 

For more styled by stella, visit here.

Styled by Stella ~ Calypso Caftan and a tiny vision

Well, she definitely had a vision, this little one. And this vision included (let's work our way up like a three year old would, shall we?) from bottom to top...

Sparkle shoes
Calypso St. Barth Caftan worn as a skirt (see it as a dress here)
Thrifted Mexi blouse (worn so you can see the collar only)
Vintage wolf sweater
Messy piles of gold chains
A few select bangles

I always wear this dress with big heels to big events (see it worn to a Molly Ringwald book reading I MC'd here) so even though I casually suggested the top shelf of my closet where my higher heels dwell, she adamantly denied and wanted me in sparkle. The rest was all about layering. No, really... she said that.

What is Styled by Stella?

I've been getting a lot of interest and questions lately about a feature I do called Styled by Stella. It's thrilling that this has become a popular post series, because it's one of my all-time favorites to do! Read some FAQ below. And thanks for the support!

What is Styled by Stella?

Styled by Stella is a weekly post I do on November Grey, where I let my three year old daughter choose my outfit for the day. She styles everything, head-to-toe. And I promise to wear it, shoot it, and share it with you here (no matter what!)

How did the idea of Styled by Stella come about? 

(*As noted on the first SBS post) 

As we were rushing around the house one morning, I was trying to find creative ways to encourage Stella to get her little bum in gear, stop fussing, and get herself dressed for preschool. Truth be told, it's so much easier to pick out her clothes for her, constantly tell her what to do, what to wear... But I really am trying to raise a free-thinking, independent, little lady here and when left to her own devices, she actually puts together seriously great outfits for herself! So it donned on me, why not have her put an outfit together for me? I told her if she hurried up and got dressed, I'd also let her rummage through my closet and pick and choose my outfit for the day. (Brave, I know.) Thus, Styled by Stella was born!

What is your favorite part about these posts?

It really has turned out to be a special bonding experience between me and my little girl. For us, it's a fun moment of sharing and laughing and just being girls together. The fact that so many of you are responding to it and enjoying it, is just a bonus.

Do you ever alter, add or remove anything before you shoot it? 

Never. It's all her. If I change into flats for the day, or wear it differently out in public, I always note that in the post. I try to wear it just as she styles it. But sometimes you have to change into flats for the afternoon!

Do you ever force her to do these posts, even if she doesn't want to? 

Of course not. I want this to be fun for her. There have been times I've asked her if she wants to style me and she'll simply say "No, thank you." If we ever skip a week in our Styled by Stella posts, this is likely the reason!

Do you think Stella has a future in the fashion business?

Who knows. Right now she's more interested in being a doctor than a princess and has been wearing pajamas to school for the past few days... whatever she turns out to do, I will support her!

Styled by Stella ~ Mad Men look

I know I say this every time, but I truly am blown away whenever my tiny stylist puts together an outfit for me. On this particular day, she was really feeling red. She pulled out a bright, red sweater and a pair of red, acid washed American Apparel jeans. I cringed at the different shades and vowed to photograph it anyway. But as her tiny hands scrolled over more and more items in my closet (only allowed in moments like these) she changed her mind. She worked her way up - getting her red fix by grabbing these Zara heeled sandals first and deciding I needed a skirt to go with them. The blouse she grabbed right away and I didn't realize it would work until I tucked it in. She pulled out a JewelMint necklace and earrings, and a set of black, metal bangles from Crash and Burn that she had a hard time giving up from her own wrist. What do you think? Very Mad Men, no?

Blouse - Vintage Silk

Banded Pencil Skirt - Via Cross Roads Trading Co

Heels - Zara

To see more Styled by Stella, go here. 

Styled by Stella ~ Vintage top + lace shorts

Everything head-to-toe was picked out by Miss Stella. (My three year old daughter, in case you're new to these posts.)

I guess she was feeling quite the girly vibe this day because she picked out some of my most feminine pieces to wear all at once! I forgot how much I liked this vintage top and honestly haven't worn these lace shorts in forever. Another true confession is about these gold bow heeled sandals. I scored them at DSW a while back for mere dollars and loved the detail and femininity of them... but have never really worn them out. And why not? They'll have some stiff competition with these Zara beauties, but they've been moved to the front of my closet now. And the pink bag was picked out because, well, it's pink. I pulled out my stacked glass jewelry jar and gave her free choice of anything. I found it interesting that she matched gold earrings with bracelets also accented in gold.  

One of these days we'll grab a snapshot of Stella actually styling me, because it really is a sight to behold. But funnily enough, the artist doesn't like to be photographed while she works! 

More Styled by Stella here. 

Styled by Stella 2

It's time for the second Styled by Stella! In case you missed the last one, I'm letting my three year old daughter pick my outfit for me once a week, and I promise to wear anything she chooses for the entire day. Anything. (Brave mommy!)

I got her to preschool 20 minutes late this particular morning (bad mommy!) but we had a blast picking out our clothes for the day. She actually let me dress her too. For ONCE. I suppose the artistic effort it would have taken for this little munchkin to do two outfits would have been way too much, so she saved all of her pink creativity for me.

I actually was really surprised at how much I liked the bright pink skirt with this vintage top. I hadn't worn the shirt in forever (recognize it from a popular hair post here?) and I would have never thought to put it with pink, but somehow the pairing felt fresh. I definitely would have chosen different shoes, though. Oh, my little darling... She just loves her pink. I think I'm going to hide these pumps from her next time around because I'm starting to see a pattern. And mommy does have other shoes. (Confession: I switched to flats after this photo, but stayed in the rest of the outfit for the day. I actually got compliments too!)

Stella was very serious about the the pink skirt being "the bottoms" I definitely needed for the day. It was her starting point. She was so cute in the jewelry picking part too. An entire drawer full of baubles, a stack of silver bangles and she delicately chose a pair of pink earrings (of course) and two, just two thin bracelets, instructing them to be worn on each wrist.

Styled by Stella

As we were rushing around the house this morning, I was trying to find creative ways to encourage Stella to get her little bum in gear, stop fussing, and get herself dressed for preschool. Truth be told, it's so much easier to pick out her clothes for her, constantly tell her what to do, what to wear... But I really am trying to raise a free-thinking, independent, little lady here and when left to her own devices, she actually puts together seriously great outfits for herself! (Not to mention, behaves in a much happier and healthier manner. See the Reggio method we're subscribing to here.)

So it donned on me, why not have her put an outfit together for me? I told her if she hurried up and got dressed, I'd also let her rummage through my closet and pick and choose my outfit for the day. (Brave, I know.)  Here's what she picked out:

A vintage top (given to me by a friend), white Paige Denim jeans (similar avail here) and bright pink pumps. 

Didn't she do a great job? I would have never put this together myself, but actually thought it looked fabulous! We both enjoyed this little game so much, that I'm going to try to make it a weekly post. Stay tuned for more "Style by Stella" and have a great week! xx