Becoming a mom has been an eye opening experience for me in many ways. One aspect in particular has been the impact on my personal style and outlook on fashion in general. Always mesmerized by the world of fashion and the street style stars, actresses, and other famous people endlessly photographed (hi Middleton sisters) that I look to for style inspiration, I have developed a more keen eye for discerning what works for my body, tastes, and lifestyle as well as an appreciation for good quality, hard working wardrobe staples. When you only have ten minutes to get yourself sorted in the morning, building a functioning wardrobe makes getting dressed in a pinch simple and fun! Here are the 5 style lessons I have learned since becoming a mom.
“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.”
– Coco Chanel
- Get dressed every day. Rocket science, I know. But I mean put care and consideration into getting dressed every morning. This is the most simple and effective routine to have. Trust me, you can get lost in mom-mode and it’s easy to fall into the habit of wearing sweats everyday because who are you trying to impress, your toddler(s) who seem resolved to somehow, someway soil whatever it is you’re wearing? In actuality, getting dressed as a mom isn’t about the impact it will have on others, it’s the impact it has on you and maintaining your identify outside of being Mom. The positive effects of consistently being well dressed go hand in hand. There is a styling tip known as the “third piece rule” that recommends that in addition to your top and bottom, you have a third outfit element, such as a blazer or accessory to complete your look. In my opinion, inherent confidence and being comfortable in your own skin is the ultimate third piece. Unless you’re Elle Macpherson, I imagine it can be hard to feel sexy and at your best in sweats everyday, so for the rest of us mere mortals, being put together on a regular basis readies you inside and out to take on whatever the terrible twos, three-nagers, or anything else throws at you.
- The only fashion rules you should live by are the ones that you make for yourself. There are endless lists that will tell you the rules for attaining a certain look or type of wardrobe, but I won’t do that here. Every woman is so unique that it’s practically impossible to determine a set of guidelines that will effectively apply to everyone to accomplish the same goal. To achieve an effortless personal style, every woman must develop her own fashion rules. Experiment to figure out what silhouettes, colors, and fits suit your stylistic preferences and lifestyle. The best indicator for if an outfit works isn’t the mirror, but simply if it works, it works. For me, there are a number of questions I ask in determining what I wear: Can I walk a mile, run 100 meters, and nap in it? Will blood, berry, and (self inflicted) chocolate stains come out? Since becoming a mother I dress first and second for function. For instance, one of my new hard rules is I no longer wear heels more than 3 inches. The years that I spent numbed in pain from walking in high heels all day are no more. This development has been pretty major, it’s crazy the things you can do when you’re not crippled by pain and blisters!
- Regularly review your closet for items you don’t wear and donate or resell them. Having moved four times in the last five years, my closet has gone through a number of purges. And yet even on my last move the movers asked if I had a different outfit for every day of the year. Ugh. But alas in the 14 months since then I have made quite a bit of progress. Just wait until our next move, I’ll show them! But I digress.. now I switch out my wardrobe twice a year: the end of summer and winter. I pack away the seasonal items and pick out the pieces I didn’t wear in the last six months and donate or resell them. A friend recently introduced me to Poshmark, which is a great tool to resell new/lightly used clothing. Since I started using Poshmark, about once a month I do quick scan of my closet and weed out items I do not wear, post them on the app, and poof! Sold and shipped away to a new home. This has done wonders for helping me get rid of things that I was holding onto because they were nice, but just didn’t fit or suit me.
- A good tailor is a must. If you’ve watched House of Cards, Claire Underwood sends this point home. Murder, lying, and conspiratorial plotting aside- this woman can do no wrong. If you’re not familiar, please do a quick Google image search of her and you’ll see what I mean. The effect of well-tailored clothing speaks volumes, and having good basics tailored specifically for you will do wonders. I’ve recently taken a number of great pieces to my tailor that sat in my closet unworn for years because they just didn’t quite fit right. They’re now some of my favorite, most regularly worn wardrobe staples. Plus, Max stops out front her shop to get cookies when we go by on walks, so she’s his best friend too.
Top- J.Crew, Denim– Levi’s, Shoes– Castaner, Bag– Le Papillon Vert - Wish list to prevent impulse shopping. A lot of shop websites now use wish lists for online accounts. Use them! At the beginning of new seasons I become a raving impulsive lunatic scrolling through new arrivals adding everything to my e-shopping cart. In my flurry of excitement I put everything that I think I love into my wish lists. Most of the time the initial MUST HAVE impulses fade and I end up removing a majority of the items. But the really special ones I let sit for a bit giving me more time to think on if it’s a smart addition for my wardrobe. Sorting though questions like “where I can wear it?” “what will I wear it with?” help me to avoid buyers remorse and determine whether the cost per wear will justify the purchase. Beyond the wishlists’s use as a tool against excess, it also happens to be good for your pocketbook. Especially in transitional seasons, shops release the next season line before the right weather has arrived. In many cases, by the time the weather aligns with the new fashion season, the item has either gone on sale or is eligible for site-wide discounts. Win, win!