Fashion Challenged

Yesterday my sister-in-law and I met at an outlet mall and spent the day shopping. For ourselves (supposedly). Without the kids. This rare and exciting treat was sparked by my SIL’s discovery, while going through several months worth of photos, that she was wearing the exact same sweater in every shot. Her baby, on the other hand, is rarely seen in the same outfit twice. Sound familiar?

You may recall my recent shopping frenzy over Miles’ Easter outfit. Whereas I wore a sweater I bought on clearance 3 or 4 years ago. I tend to only buy myself new clothes for special occasions. For instance, I purchased a couple of business-y outfits before a work conference last spring. And in February, I spent several crazed evenings and weekends looking for the perfect thing to wear to a black-tie event for my husband’s new job.

I OBSESSED over this, people. I was determined to find the perfect hip yet classy, elegant yet unfrumpy dress, shoes and bag so that I could stride confidently into this room full of successful professionals and hold my own. Even if I had nothing to talk about besides naps and Bob the Builder. Turns out, I looked just fine in my blue satin cocktail dress. I saw everything from floor-length ball gowns to sequined mini dresses with leggings. (Even *I* know better than that!)

So, in preparation for my shopping excursion with my SIL, I took inventory of my wardrobe. I discovered I own 23 cardigans. 23!!! The rest of my closet is filled with:
• special-occasion clothes I will probably never wear again (see above)
• work/church clothes which I rarely wear
• jeans and cargo pants
• T-shirts
The T-shirts are divided into categories: long-sleeve shirts, short-sleeve shirts, shirts I wear to the gym, shirts I can only wear under things (hence all the cardigans), and shirts I can wear on their own. My wardrobe is one sorry state of affairs, people.

So I set off to buy some cute, everyday outfits. Stuff I could wear, say, to lunch with friends, but also to the playground with Miles. And also, something to wear to a wedding at a national park where temperatures could range from the 30s to the 60s, and heels are out since the ceremony is in the middle of a meadow. Is that a fashion challenge or what?

After 4 hours of shopping, here’s what I left with: 2 pairs of khakis, a shirt, and an umbrella for myself; 4 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, a sweatshirt, and a pair of pajamas for Miles. I barely bought myself one whole outfit, let alone anything cute or wedding-worthy!

Even so, it was a fun day. We got to take our time, try stuff on, have some adult conversation, even eat lunch sitting down. (Even though my SIL said, “When I don’t have the baby with me, I hate to waste time eating!”) Mission Mommy’s Day Out: Accomplished. Mission Fashion Overhaul: Failed Miserably. Oh, well, there’s always next weekend!

TIP O’ THE WEEK: For a day of shopping sans children, carry as little as possible (wallet, lip balm, water) and dress in layers so you won’t get overheated and weighed down halfway through the mall. And for Baltimore/DC area moms, the Children’s Place, Carter’s, and Oshkosh outlets at Arundel Mills are well worth the trip. I wore out before we got to Gymboree, so I can’t vouch for that.