A plaid vintage housedress, tall boots, and a headscarf

A Vintage Housedress

This dress only has one pocket. So far as I have understood, generally dresses with a single pocket from the midcentury were meant to be house dresses, not really worn in public. I laughed when I realized that this dress is probably meant for cleaning and cooking and home-bound things, as we’ve recently seen an upswing of people in their pajamas at the store due to the cold snap of the last few weeks! Ah, how the standards of appropriate public attire have changed! 

Of course, I’m not going to judge what anyone wears to the grocery store. As a mother of two whose time to get ready during the weekday is very limited, I absolutely understand those days when you just can’t be bothered to get properly dressed. My stained yoga pants and ripped tees have been thrown on for the public far more often than I care to admit.

Lately, though, I have been trying to make more of an effort. After the closet clean-out and refill, I have so many more options of garments that fit and even if my hair is unwashed and I have no makeup on, I throw on a pretty dress and instantly feel better.

I think it’s important to wear what makes you feel good.

Many times when I am asked why I started a fashion blog, I struggle to find a deeper answer. I want to come up with some great logic that has more “umph” to it than just “because I want to.” Not that this is a bad excuse to fashion blog at all, and the truth is, I mainly blog for that exact reason.

But I also blog because I want to encourage people, especially women, and especially moms, that it is okay and it is possible to be a mother of young children, to weigh a little more than you would like, and still dress in a way that you like.  I think it’s important to put that out there, because motherhood seems so daunting. You give up so much when you become a mom, and in some ways, the public’s expectations of you change sort of negatively.

People are always surprised if I go out looking like this and then they discover I have two kids. Especially soon-to-be mothers; the expectation is that you have kids and become a bit schlubby. That you will no longer have time for yourself, to look nice because you want to look nice, to look nice for your husband, to look nice for whatever reason; that it’s selfish to take a little time in the day to spruce up; that it’s stupid, or vain, or shallow, or whatever other things I have heard.

And I have fallen into all of these thoughts myself. Sometimes, it does feel stupid to wear nice clothes when I’m just going to be at home with my kids. Sometimes it feels vain or shallow. Sometimes it feels useless.

But then I remind myself of the benefits.

If I get dressed up in a pretty outfit, I work harder throughout the day. My house gets cleaner, I am more creative, I feel more energized, I’m less likely to do the least amount of work required of me that day. If I get dressed up, my mood changes. I’m happier, and by turn my kids are happier (because a happy mama means a happy home!). And if I get dressed nicely, my marriage benefits too. I feel prettier, my husband appreciates it, and I’m more likely to want to go out and do things at the end of the day.

Getting dressed isn’t just about looking good, but also feeling good and preparing myself mentally for the day. It’s not just beneficial to me, but to my family.

Of course, some days it totally is just about the pretty dress. But essentially… I fashion blog because it’s an important part of who I am in the flurry of also being a wife and a mother, and it’s a part of my outreach to other young wives and mothers who might feel a bit bogged down and stuck in a wardrobe they don’t care for. Or anyone, really, who wants to get out of that hard little spot of not feeling “good enough” for pretty clothes.

It’s always a good time to get dressed. You’re always good enough. Get dressed. 😉

Dress, Lotty Dotty Vintage | Boots, Amazon | Tights, Target | Cardigan and belt, thrifted | headscarf and brooch, vintage

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