[dgie]

As a new stay at home mom, I'm trying to rebuild my wardrobe to go with my new casual lifestyle. I used to be a lawyer that worked all the time, so my closet is filled with great cashmere sweaters, pants, button down shirts, suits and high heel shoes. But those don't work so well with a 6 month old baby, so I now need to revamp my whole wardrobe. I'd love to see what other moms are wearing or what you would wear on a casual weekend!

[ibimus]

Jeans and khakis are great. Polos, tshirts (nothing frumpy!), layered with tanks and cardigans. Flattering, comfy, and stylish.

[PerfectPerfect]

In my opinion, I wouldnt completely revamp my wardrobe. Then it's someone elses style. Stick to yours. I would say pair some of your pieces, even if they are a little dressy, with more casual ones. Like, trousers with plain tees. Sweater sets with jeans. You might only have to change your shoes. Get some flat knee hi boots that you can wear over or under your pants. Some ballet falts, sandals. Dresses might also be helpful since they eliminate having to buy a top and bottom.

[LaurieAnn]

I have a 10 year old son so I've been working on this for quite a while. All very good advice so far. I especially like the advice from PerfectPerfect to mix some of your dressier pieces with jeans, khakis, etc. This way you retain some of your identity and still look appropriate. I made the fatal mistake of thinking I had to dress more "Mom-like" for a few years and it wasn't good for my mental health.

Great fitting jeans have been my best friends as have good quality ballet flats and boots. A great handbag is worth it for a confidence and style booster. Since I'm no longer in the diaper bag stage my Birkin works well to stuff my son's books or jacket into.

Buy some washable tops in shapes that flatter your body type so that spit-up's won't ruin your best pieces.

Since you have a six month old you may not be able to accessorize much. If you can save some $$ for when your child is older and not grabby with the necklace and earings to treat yourself to some new accessories.

Most of all have fun with your baby!

[jenmkat]

i have a 2 1/2 year old, and after a year of wearing clothes while I lost the baby weight, i started going back to dressing myself for me, which included buying some new clothes that fit my new mama body.

one thing I realized is that no matter what i'm wearing, if my hair looks nice i feel great. If I'm wearing yoga pants and a tank, I feel slumpy if I have my hair dirty and pulled back in a ponytail.

Like laurieAnn says, make sure things are washable and you like it and it makes you feel good. Of course, there may be no need to wear your cashmere around the house when you are on the floor, but why not dress up a little to go to the grocery store and run errands? you'll feel great and more efficient.

happy mother's day by the way!

[LaurieAnn]

but why not dress up a little to go to the grocery store and run errands? you'll feel great and more efficient.

happy mother's day by the way![/quote]


That's excellent advice. I do that and it certainly does help me feel great; and I receive much better service as well. Just for the heck of it yesterday I wore some new Jimmy Choo's with a simple (read inexpensive and washable) shirt dress to my local Starbucks. I felt great and fell into a fun conversation with the Barrista about our mutual longing to visit NYC for some shopping.

I admit that I came home and got ready after I took my child to school which you can't do with an infant or toddler, but every so often it might be good to try it.

[dgie]

Thanks for all the advice! I've been having a really hard time making the "fashion transition" to mommyhood, so I appreciate it! Any outfit ideas (or even better, pictures of practical yet fashionable outfits) would also be so helpfull!

[Autumn]

Jersey, jersey and more jersey. I've gifted most of my "dry clean only" items to my younger sister because they'll never work with a little baby.

I ordered this shirred cotton skirt and it's super comfortable. I've been wearing it with tanks mostly.



credit: shadeclothing.com

[Aradia-Renee]

anythin but M O M J E A N S.

[Aradia-Renee]

Hear is the Saturday Night Live MOM Jeans skit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEdWVkGgUK4

On a side note there are "Not your daughter's Jeans" that are okay. I bought my wife a pair in brown. They were a very fine whale corderoy I think. She had to go down a size and with heels they are really too short for her.

[fashionista-ta]

^ I find the fit of that brand very odd ...

[Aradia-Renee]

I suppose it was now that I think of it. I would not buy another pair I do not thnk.

[tourist10]

The whole mommy style thing has been on my mind, as I'm due with my first child in a month. I really enjoyed all the advice in the thread. Definitely agree with trying to maintain your pre-mommy personal style and also the advice about having washable tops! I feel lucky in that a lot of what I already have is pretty casual, lots of things are machine washable. Since I'll be nursing, definitely tops that have buttons down the front are a must. For me, this usually means henley style peasant tops (have a few from Isabel Marant). I'm looking to get a casual blazer to throw over these tops as well as a pair of low heel ankle boots to go with cropped pants and straight leg black jeans. The whole casual, boho, Marant look is definitely my version of mommy style.

[D A N A]

Good investment pieces like handbags Louis Vuitton and Prada
Perfect fitting jeans/trousers
Great heels Louboutins and Choo's

[tourist10]

per softgrey's advice, I'm reviving this mommy style thread. So what do you mommies wear when you're spending time with the kids? Has your style changed much since having children?

It's funny to see my old post from when I was pregnant. I used to love wearing boho/peasant style blouses, and I always thought they would be a major staple of my mommy style. However, I don't know if it's just me, but the shapeless silhouette of this style only accentuated how run down and tired looking I was after my son was born. Wearing something a little more structured and tailored makes me look so much more put together than I feel, lol. I recently purchased a pair of Acne high waist, moderately wide leg jeans, and suddenly, I feel like I know how I want my casual style to be like. It's so easy to just throw on a simple (and washable) top and a pair of flats. Even when wearing a floaty top, tucking it into high waist jeans gives me just that extra bit of polish without feeling overdressed for the weekends. Here's a picture (and sorry, I took a photo before I had a chance to hem them!). In addition to flats, I'm also loving the idea of a sandal with a small, comfortable, walkable wedge for summer. These wedges from APC look perfect. Finally, I've been feeling like adding a tiny bit of glam to my look. It's a bit like what's been mentioned before, about dressing up to go to the grocery store. I've been adding these Chanel earrings to my outfits, which fortunately, my son hasn't tried to pull off yet!

(pic of the wedges from apc.fr)