Let me start by giving you all my excuses: I work from home. I rarely go anywhere other than the bus stop, the grocery store, the playground, and the gym. I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest. I spent the majority of my day sitting in front of a computer, schlepping laundry to and fro, pulling weeds, or sprawled on the carpet playing Old Maid with my 5-year-old for the millionth time. (Sidenote: Jesus, I hate Old Maid.)
What I'm leading up to is the confession that pretty much every single day of my life, I look like a complete and total slob. I embody nearly every mom fashion cliché there is, from the hastily-scraped-back ponytail to the stretched-out yoga pants. I live in hoodies, ill-fitting t-shirts, jeans that make my butt look like the visual equivalent of this noise, and flip-flops.
How did this happen? Why did I let things get so ... slovenly? What happened to all the nice fitted outfits and stylish heels I used to own? WHEN DID LULULEMON BECOME MY VERSION OF FORMALWEAR?
Actually, I can tell you exactly when it happened. My fashion downward spiral began when I left my office job to work from home. As a freelancer, I had the freedom and flexibility to be there for my kids whenever I was needed -- and I also had exactly zero reasons to wear anything with a non-elastic waistband.
Before you rush to the comments to inform me that just because I stay home doesn't mean I have to look like an extra from this SNL skit ...
I know, okay? There's no real excuse for my increasingly underwhelming appearance. Also, even those Mom Jeans ladies dress better than I do -- check out their belts! Contrasting tank top layers! Shirts with BUTTONS!
Wearing stretchy, casual clothes means it's real easy to gain five ten twenty pounds without having that come-to-Jesus moment with your pants. Frankly, plenty of my old work outfits simply don't fit any more. Most of the things I've bought in the last few years have been drab basics from Old Navy or thrift stores -- I can't even remember the last time I bought a dress. Or a skirt. Or a pair of premium denim jeans that actually flatter my shape and don't make my belly looks like a wad of dough slowly escaping from a compromised Pillsbury can.
The reason I've been thinking about my dumpy state of affairs lately is the result of reading this great blog, My Year of Fabulous. The author, Holly, shares a sentiment that's all too familiar to me:
I love everything about my life except one, somewhat insurmountable problem I have: I dress like a meth addict every day.
Her mission? "To look my best every single day for a year or die trying."
It's a really funny blog and worth checking out just for the entertainment factor, but I have to say, I've been pretty motivated by Holly's quest for fashion self-improvement. Maybe it's time for me to admit that I also have a look that can best be described as "suburban house-meth-y" and actually do something about it. But at this point it's sort of like how I feel about our house -- like, it could definitely use some actual decorating, but where to start? Isn't it good enough if I vacuum/shower? I should be making things pretty too? OH GOD.
Anyway, I'm interested to hear where you land on the mom-style front. If you're at home during the day, do you make the effort to look nice on a regular basis? Or have you found yourself living near me in Frumpytown, USA?
Image via Linda Sharps