Stylish Mother

02/02/2015

Written by: Laura Sybil Hollington

Any type of change has an effect of your body whether it’s what you eat, stress, a different environment or hormonal changes. Probably the biggest change my body had to go through was pregnancy. My children did a number on my body not only physically but mentally as well. My hips expanded, my feet grew and my weight went up. In the end most my clothes didn’t fit me and I was left with sweats and Tees. I came to the conclusion that I had to change my whole wardrobe if I wanted to look and feel good.

The Whatever Faze

A new baby will definitely test your patience, kill your sleeping schedule and have you cry from exhaustion. I would always feel so tired and sometimes I didn’t even notice I was going to my car in my pajamas. I guess I had more endurance with my first two kids because I was younger so I didn’t have to go through this phase. Putting on makeup or going shopping  for new clothes was the furthest from my mind, plus I didn’t want to try on pieces only to have them not fit or just look plain wrong on me. This went on for three years after my youngest daughter was born.

Starting Over

My pathetic little wardrobe hit me when I had to go to a fancy party. A dress was the obvious choice but the zipper didn’t want to close on any of them. The final push came when I looked in the mirror and saw that there is no way any of my clothes would fit me. Thinking over my options it came to me that I shouldn’t wait to get thinner and the a quote from the show What Not to Wear was echoing in my head “Dress for the body you have not the body you want.” The first thing I did was take a good long look at my body for the first time in three years. Sure my proportions were different and I had a bit of a tummy but it wasn’t the end of the world, all I had to do was figure out what would work best with my half pare, half rectangle shape.

The Fashion

I hadn’t gone to the store to buy new pants without a elastic waist in ages and the new styles, bright colours and weird prints hit me like a bus. In the end all I bought were a pair of basic black pants. I wasn’t ready for that so I went home to do some research. I went online and looked up the latest fashion trends and styles. Going to online stores was a big help I could mix and match articles of clothing, creating my new style at the same time. I extensively looked at dresses online knowing that it would be hard to find ones that worked for me. One thing I did wrong was clench onto clothes I couldn’t have so if you decide you do this think of them as a template for your look.

Shopping was not easy. I was still confused but the employees would always be ready jump in and give a helping hand. I never brought my kids with me, shopping was already difficult so I didn’t want to add more stress but you should definitely bring someone along for an honest opinion. Another piece of advice is to take breaks; whenever you feel overwhelmed just go have some coffee or a lunch break and you’ll be ready to go in half an hour.

The Aftermath

I forgot how good clothes make you feel. When the fit was right and the outfit was telling a tale on its own I felt my confidence go through the roof. It didn’t matter that I was bigger than before because I now look like a person who takes care of herself. I started going out more and socializing more with people. The change was so big that even my children noticed and kept telling me I looked pretty. But what surprised me the most was the way people treated me. The parents wanted to talk to me as opposed to trying to ignore my presence and opinion and any clerk would be more attentive.
It true that it’s hard to even think about being stylish as a mother of a small child but it gives you a sense of pride and (unfortunately) gets you respect from other people. You could say that fashion gave me a new lease on life because it helped me pull myself out of a rut.