New Clothes!

If you follow BlogHer's Life Well Lived series of posts, you know that this week they are asking the following question:

What are your favorite ways to dress well for your size and shape? How do you make your wardrobe work through transitions?

And you know, I've had transitions! I have three young kids and am perpetually broke, so I have some experience with making regular clothes work as maternity clothes, and then back again. I've finally gotten rid of all my maternity clothes and am slowly weeding out the elastic waist pants and baggy shirts and am replacing them with some other basics. I don't have much of a clothing budget at all, but I've found that by hitting the thrift store and the clearance racks and by being really picky, I've built up a solid core of a wardrobe. Granted, I don't work in an office, but I do like to not be sloppy all the time.  For me, the key is patience, not to get something just because it's a good deal. I like knowing that when I walk into my closet that I like almost everything in it, even if it's not totally full.

For example, I recently had to get a new pair of jeans. (I always end up blowing my out just above the knee. I don't wear tight jeans, and they don't rip elsewhere first. I can't for the life of me figure out how I do it.) So just before we went to Colorado we went down to a local store and I found a pair of straight leg, dark wash jeans. They aren't high rise, they aren't low rise. They don't have whiskers or bleaching or faded parts or rips in them. They are pretty much perfect with everything I own, except the most casual of tees. Oh, and I probably won't wear them to the lake. But for everything else? They look great and are flattering. This pair wasn't on the clearance rack, but because I don't care about the label and didn't want anything flashy on them, they were very reasonably priced. (I think they were $21.)



See? Versatile AND flattering.  The shirt was on clearance at JC Penney for $2, in case you're curious.
Head on over to the BlogHer website to see what other people had to say in answer to the question, and be sure to go enter the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes as well, they are giving away an iPod Touch and a $50 iTunes card!

Life Well Lived: Fashion Resolutions

One of the things I constantly struggle with is my image as a Stay At Home Mom. I've blogged about it before, but I'm (apparently) obsessed with the idea that I might present myself as a sloppy stereotype. You'd think this means that I judge other moms, and I don't. (I DO, however, judge anyone over the age of 5 who is in any public area that is not an emergency room wearing printed fleece pajama pants. It's not playfully cute.) My point is that I don't want other people to think I'm a slob. I don't want to be a slob. 
Near the end of last year I found myself getting a bit lazy. Since I don't have to take the Pirate to school in the mornings I'd find myself still in my pajamas at pickup time. Now, I'm not so far gone that I left the house wearing them, but I will admit to wearing my slippers a time or two to go get him. I may have also forgone proper foundation garments. I am, frankly, horrified at myself. I don't expect a lot from myself, I don't think I'll ever be a cute mom wearing heels and makeup every day, but I thought maybe it was time to put set some rules. I mean resolutions.  I posted the beginning of my list over at the discussion on BlogHer, but I thought I'd refine it more here on my blog. Be sure to go check that post for other great ideas and add your own resolutions.

1. I will not wear slippers past my own mailbox. (Who are we kidding,  I WILL wear slippers to the mailbox!)
2. I will always wear proper foundation garments if I plan to exit my vehicle or talk to a person who is not in my immediate family. (Or, well, Bo Peep. She does get here at 7:30 in the morning.) (Or I guess her parents, cause she can't drive yet.)
3. At least once a week I will fix my hair in a style that does not require a rubber band. On a day that I am NOT going to work.
4. More skirts. (I wore skirts for almost three months straight last summer, then one day put on a pair of jeans and haven't worn one since.)
5. Continue to look for interesting basics at the thrift store. I've found some really great unworn shoes (Borns, Danskos, cowboy boots!) in the last few weeks, and I'd love to find a few more shirts. In fact, I'd like to make a list of missing things so I know specifically what to look for. I already keep a similar list of craft type things to look for.

PS. While you're over there at BlogHer, you might enter their giveaway for a Kindle Fire.