8 fashion hacks for new moms from the style gurus at Ice Cream Castles

If you’re going to get new mom fashion hacks from anyone, it needs to be from Veronique Vicari Barnes and Wells Nathan of Ice Cream Castles.

Veronique is an actress, mother of twins, and the founder of a jewelry line popular with influencers and celebs. Wells is the founder of a flourishing contemporary women’s clothing line loved by tastemakers the world over. Together, they started Ice Cream Castles, a line of children’s clothing inspired by the whimsical and adventurous.

It’s safe to say Veronique and Wells didn’t shed their sense of self and fashion when they moved into motherhood. Today, they share their favorite tips for effortless style in the wake of a new baby’s arrival. These tricks not only make mama feel stunning, but take the stress out of getting ready in the mornings. We. Want. In.

Here, Veronique and Wells share their 8 fashion tips for looking chic in the hectic days of new motherhood—

1. Slip on shoes

Running out the door in the mornings (or at any time of day) with a baby in your arms is rife with complications. Lacing, zipping, or otherwise “doing up” a pair of shoes suddenly becomes even harder than when you were trying to do it over a heavily pregnant belly. Enter slip on shoes.

Veronique: I love Adidas Adilette Ultra Stripes Sandals. They are sporty, but chic, and go with everything from leggings to jersey dresses.

Wells: The mule loafer trend is great for mamas. They are easy to slide in and off and so, so stylish with your favorite pair of straight leg jeans. Find some of my favorites at Zara.

2. Nursing shirts that aren’t nerdy

With today’s selection of maternity wear, moms don’t need to sacrifice looking adorable for being able to easily nurse. With more mothers than ever choosing to breastfeed, the market has responded with easy, breezy, beautiful nursing tops.

Veronique: Flowy, off the shoulder tops are the absolute best for nursing. You can feel sexy, and nurse easily at the same time. I bought a ton of these from Forever 21 while I was nursing and they were inexpensive and cute to wear with a bandeau or strapless bra.

Wells: I love a great printed button-down shirt. The buttons made nursing fast and easy, and the classic silhouette works with any bottom from jeans to shorts to skirts.

3. Cute hair wraps and accessories

When drinking your coffee before it gets cold is a challenge, putting together a cohesive hairstyle may not be a priority for new moms. Still, it’s nice to switch it up from the ol’ mom bun once in a while. Consider wearing a stylish hat, or hair accessories to up your new mom fashion game.

Veronique: I love the old 90’s scrunchies. When you have a newborn all you want is ease and comfort, so throwing a soft scrunchie in your hair is a no brainer. Feeling 16 again is an added bonus. Erickson Silk Scrunchies are my favorite and they come in a lot of fun colors.

Wells: Hats are a great go-to for busy mommas. It’s an easy, relaxed look pulled together when you don’t have time to fuss with your hair. My favorite hats are from Rag & Bone, Free People and Madewell.

4. Diaper bags that don’t look like diaper bags

It’s a necessary evil—the clown car of purses. Your diaper bag needs to be able to hold diapers (duh!), wipes, a change of clothes (for you and baby), a variety of creams (lanolin, bum cream for baby), burp cloths, baby carriers, nursing covers, breast pumps, bottles, soothers, and more! It’s a tall order for any functional bag, let alone one that looks good.

Veronique: Marc Jacobs makes the best diaper bag. I still use it and my kids aren’t even in diapers anymore. It’s amazing: stylish and functional.

I also love Rebecca Minkoff’s diaper bags. They are so cute and you could totally carry it even without kids!

Wells: I like the idea of converting a cute tote into a diaper bag. Any large, chic tote can be transformed into a cool diaper bag by throwing in a Skip Hop diaper clutch.

5. Dry shampoo

It’s the secret weapon of new moms everywhere. When you finally do get a chance to shower and do your hair, you want to preserve that style for as long as you can. Dry shampoo helps you go two, three, or even four days between washes, keeping you fresh, your roots free from grease, and your hair looking super fly.

Veronique: I love all Living Proof Products. They smell amazing and make the hair so beautiful. Their Perfect Day Hair Dry Shampoo is a must when you don’t have time to wash. Dry Bar also makes an amazing Dry Shampoo called Detox Dry Shampoo.

6. Beauty products that ‘do it all‘

New moms, and let’s be honest, all people, want the greatest output with the least input. As a mother, you also want to streamline your beauty routine to the least amount of steps. Here are some Holy Grail products that truly do it all.

Veronique: My top faves are:

La Mer Moisturizing Soft Cream—you can use as for face cream, or hand and neck as well, and it leaves you feeling super hydrated and refreshed.

Heritage Stores spray waters—They come in Rose, Lavender, and a bunch of others varieties, and are amazing to spray all over yourself to get a quick refreshed feeling when running around with babes. They smell so good without being overpowering, and are totally safe for babies.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer—It covers everything from blemishes to dark circles, and stays all day.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Make-up Wipes—I can’t live without these. You can remove make-up or anything sticky so easily.

7. Knotting the bottom of your comfy jersey dress

This one sounds so simple, but it’s a tip that can elevate an outfit from frumpy to fantastic. It means that you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for style, and changes up the levels of your hemline to allow for a greater variety of footwear options.

Veronique: Colorful, embroidered Mexican dresses are the best go-to ever. You can buy them on Amazon super cheap in every color and they are easy to wear: light and super cute.

I always knot my dresses on the bottom so I can move around easier and run after my twins. I usually just use an elastic hair band.

8. Fashionable teething jewelry for mom

Dealing with a baby or toddler popping new teeth is one part of mom life that is not glamorous. It’s full of drool, screaming, fevers, diaper rash, and interrupted sleep. Teething jewelry soothes baby’s sore gums, and today’s options look like fashionable jewelry even outside the context of teething.

Veronique: My twins loved Glitter and Spice Jewelry for teething, plus she is a mom boss herself, and creates such cute stuff. I loved Chewbeads necklaces as well, especially the rainbow one because I could teach my babes the colors.

More Motherly wisdom from Wells and Veronique—

How do you make your mornings run smoothly?

Wells: My husband makes fun of me because I have alarms set for everything. I think my phone goes off at least every 30 minutes to remind me to do something. This is the ONLY way my mom brain can remember anything . Alarm to wake up, then alarm at a set time to make lunch, get Jude dressed, leave the house. Everything. It’s the only thing that moves me along efficiently.

The lifehack or tip that has changed my life. . .

Veronique: Gratitude. The more gratitude I have in my life the better everything is. Also, trusting the universe, and having faith that the universe will take care of me and everything will work out exactly as its supposed to: that there are no mistakes in God’s world. I find a lot of relief in faith.

What superpower have you discovered as a mom?

Wells: As a mother, every sense is heightened in order to help you guide and protect your child. Since I have become a mother I have learned to trust my first instincts. Learning in moments of indecision to drown out everything else except my inner voice has been invaluable. Intuition is my superpower.

This quote inspires me. . .

Veronique: “Have faith today. Just because. Keep persisting toward your dreams. Just because. Be strong even when you have all the reason in the world to be small. Do this, just because we need you. The world needs more people with a courageous heart.”—Brendon Burchard.

To me Motherly means…

Wells: To give of yourself. To nurture. To be the soil, water, and sun to someone.

Veronique: Motherly to me means to love. When I hear the world “motherly” I think of hugs and of heart, whole hearted unconditional love and kindness for your child and, most importantly, for yourself.

Haley Campbell is the founder of Beluga Baby and creator of the ultimate bamboo baby carrier. She is a regular contributor to Motherly and is an avid advocate for entrepreneurs, and for the new generation of mothers making the world their own.

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