Why I ‘Dress Up’…Even as a Mom

Sea dress, Chanel bag, Louise et Cie heels

The word momiform is trending, big time.  Just type it into Pinterest and you’ll see hundreds of thousands of pins and boards dedicated to the word.  However, Urban Dictionary defines the momiform as “an outfit worn by a 30-something mom that has lost all sense of style.”  Rude.  Honestly, moms this day in age have enough going against us that we need outsiders labeling our sense of style, too!?  I’m here to tell you that if you have a momiform–rock it.  Wear it.  Embrace the crap out of it.  Motherhood is a tumultuous season of life and if you were once a fashion savant who decided to put online shopping on hold because it’s not as important to you–THAT IS OK.  I promise. 

I want to share the intimate relationship I have with clothing; I mean, let’s be honest, you’re probably here because I share outfits on this platform.  But unlike Urban Dictionary, I hope to bring you inspiration, rather than feelings of defeat.  I have two young kids and I’m here to share proudly: I lived in sweatpants during maternity leave–especially after my first kid.  Between getting a hold of breastfeeding and not being able to fit into my pants for months after birth, to an irritated c-section incision, looking cute postpartum was always the last thing on my mind.  With baby #2, it was a little easier; I was easing into leggings with sweaters by 6 weeks rather than sitting around all day in a nursing bra and pajama pants like I did after baby #1. 

But after both kids, like clockwork, (around month 3) there was a turning point inside of me; I felt the need to get dressed again.  Maybe I was practicing for the end of maternity leave and preparing myself for the work force.  Maybe I craved comfort and normalcy.  Maybe it made me feel a little bit connected to the part of me that no longer existed.  Whatever it was, getting dressed helped me feel like me again.  It sounds so trivial–and a little shallow–but clothing, style, and getting dressed has been such a big part of who I am for much of my life.  I’ve cared about what I’ve worn for as long as I can remember. I have such distinct memories of laying out my first grade picture day outfit with such purpose and care–a mustard, chunky knit cardigan with black and white patterned skorts.  It was about styling–controlling my own personal style and image…as much as a young girl can, I suppose.  (And I guess that my love for culottes and cardigans never really waned.)

Do I still wear sweats and yoga pants?  You bet I do–it’s hard not to when there are so many days that I work from home, glued to my computer.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that; it doesn’t mean that we’ve given up–and don’t let anyone us convince otherwise.  But as we grow and our lifestyles evolve and change, sometimes it’s the old habits that can help us power through the tough times.  I know that getting dressed in an outfit I feel confident in can have a huge effect on my psyche and productivity, so my mentality is, ‘why not?’  It’s basically my form of self-care (oh, and I reserve the right to change my mind in case I have twins in a few years or something–ha).

PS This is not an outfit I would wear on a normal day when I want to ‘dress up.’  This is what I would wear to dinner with my husband or a night out with friends.