What Not to Wear

These days, I am afraid that I could easily be submitted as a target for that TLC show, What Not to Wear. That’s the one where a person’s friends and family submit them to the show for how badly they dress, and ask Stacy and Quentin to show them how to dress fashionably for their shape and lifestyle. I watch that show often because the transformations they do are pretty amazing, but lately I’ve been finding myself paying closer attention to the advice they give.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m terribly out of style or stuck in a previous decade. But I am currently suffering from two major fashion downfalls: 1) I choose comfort and simplicity, so my wardrobe is getting rather boring. 2) I’m not yet comfortable with my post-baby body, so again, I choose comfortable (eh-hem, BAGGY!) clothing. And to be honest, these days I think a lot of the “fashionable” styles out there are hideous!

Could I sound any more like a frumpy mom? So that is how it happens…

I used to look at moms in two categories: the cool, cute moms – unless they have their child with them or are buying diapers in the grocery store, you wouldn’t know they were moms. They are dressed cute, their hair is done, and they are usually in great shape. That is who I always said I would be. Then there was the other category: bad style or no style, ponytail, no make-up, and probably a spit-up stain in plain site on their clothing. Might as well be wearing a neon sign that says “I’m a mom. My life is over.”

So how did it happen that the second category is the one that more closely describes me? Maybe it started on maternity leave. I pretty much spent that time in pajamas 24 hours a day. When you don’t have to leave the house, you spend your time spilling formula, changing diapers, and napping whenever it’s convenient, it just makes sense. Somehow maybe I never made the switch back to dressing appropriately in public when it was time to go back to work. The fact that my work has a very casual dress code (or lack of dress code) doesn’t help either.

Or maybe it was being pregnant. That’s when comfort becomes top priority in any decision you make throughout the day. You can’t hide the fatness, so you just give up. Who care how you look, it’s only temporary, right? Plus, it will all be worth it in the end!

I guess that’s the problem for me. I chose some bad fashion habits that should only be appropriate in temporary situations (like pregnancy or maternity leave), but I never made an effort to kick those habits when those situations ended.

So, I’m going public. I’m admitting to my plain jane, boring, mommish look. And I’m determined to stop! I’m not rich, so buying an entire new wardrobe off the bat is not an option. But for future purchases, I’ve vowed not to buy any more clothing based on comfort alone. I’m going to start pretending that I do really care what I look like in public. I’m taking matters into my own hands before it’s too late and I find Stacy and Quentin tossing the contents of my closet in a garbage pail!