It happens every year. Right around the first of March, I get an
inexplicable and deep-seated urge to cut my hair and dye it red, to
ditch my old wardrobe and start fresh.
This just might be my year.
I’m sure it’s just the end of winter that has me ready to strike out for
a change, and I suspect this seasonal feeling of frumpiness is fairly
common among us moms. Nothing changes a wardrobe of haute couture to
wash and wear faster than a perfect jelly handprint right on the rear of
your new white Merino trousers. And who among us hasn’t tried
unsuccessfully to wipe our darlings’ hands before they smear us with the
goo of the day?
Maybe we moms all need a good dose of glamour. Sometimes, I look back
through my old modeling portfolios and fondly remember a time when I
knew my clothes were just right. My hair had a certain swing. I’m
willing to bet I even exhibited a strut from time to time.
Now, leggings and pullovers get me just about everywhere I need to go,
and my face pretty much always shows the natural look, whether the
natural look is in or not.
But I still know all the secrets I knew back then. I don’t think my
appearance has changed all that much. Then again, maybe a more profound
shift has taken place.
Maybe it’s not my techniques that have changed, but my priorities.
Perhaps it’s that way for you, too.
For me, that fact really hit home recently when I was wearing a black
knit number that my former self would have categorized as a sweat suit.
Two different people asked me why I was so dressed up.
This week, something crossed my desk that suggested women should
cultivate a signature style by first tearing out photos of their
favorite hairstyles and outfits.
Probably sound advice. Still, life high in the Colorado Rockies means
I’ll have to leave the knee-high patent leather boots to someone a bit
less clumsy in the snow and ice, no matter how much I like them. And
I’ll leave the funky, zippered dresses to someone whose toddler didn’t
just learn to unzip.
Momscape offers coupon codes for
cutting edge retailers because we know that when you look good, you feel
good. But we, like you all, also know there will be plenty of time in
our lives for glamour.
For now, let us remember what the wash and wear wardrobe stands for. Let
us embrace it as a symbol of a mother who would readily surrender those
white wool trousers for more time and memories with her kids.