Fashion Advice. Help, Please?

I bought an In Style magazine for Becky the other day. I'll admit that Anne Hathaway on the front cover was a bonus for me. I won't admit that I have a girl crush going on there. Or that reading the article about her only deepened it.

My first perusal through the 400+ page magazine was fraught with much "who the heck wears stuff like that?!" I don't care what the fashion runway is predicting, I will not be wearing socks with sandals this summer. Nor next. In fact, probably not ever.

My wardrobe consists mainly of sweatshirts, tees, jeans and capris. It's not that I'm opposed to dressing up, mind you. But being a stay-at-home-mom doesn't give me much opportunity to put on the glam. And when Walmart is the only store to shop in my one-horse town, it only inspires me to change out of my sweats and into jeans.

I've tried dressing up to sit around the house. Really. But I'm a slob with a rigorous daily routine. Bleaching kennels ruins clothing quickly, and I am not a neat chef. Grease and other non-removable stains have made their mark on my wardrobe as well. My job description just doesn't support anything other than the things that would qualify me to be on What Not To Wear.

Please tell me that I'm not alone on this. Feel free to weigh in here. If you're a SAHM, what do you wear around the house? And if you work, do you stay in your work clothes throughout the evening or do you change into comfy and grungy when you're home?

And while we're on the subject of wardrobe, there's a question that's been nagging at me for a while. I was raised in a farming community, where dirt is king. Because of the abundance of said dirt, we take shoes off immediately upon entering a house. ANY house. It's common courtesy. And habit. Do you wear shoes in the house, or is this just a regional thing we have going on here? Because people on TV wear shoes in their houses and I find it particularly weird.



P.S. I have NO idea where Micah gets his style from. Mine involves clothing.

25 comments:

My name is Sarah said...

Forget the style, I have none. But is that an onion he is cutting? And if so, is he going to eat it?

Unknown said...

I am a jeans and shirt or sweater girl. I have a few tees but I like a little nicer than just a tee.

Umm, it that a big knife in his hands? You are braver than me!!!

Suburban Correspondent said...

Adults wear shoes, kids take them off. Guests included. But we live in suburbia.

You aren't a typical SAHM - you're mucking out kennels, etc., all day. But I would still go with a work "uniform" to feel good about yourself - jeans and an attractive t-shirt with a good apron for the messier tasks. And I would change in the evening to a dressier shirt - really! You'd be surprised how it helps you feel sort of "off-duty" for a few hours.

Pam said...

After I get home from work- I change into my pjs! If it is a really exciting day, I'll change into jeans! ha ha ha But I do not stay in those clothes once I'm home! And, we take our shoes off at the door too.

Karen said...

utmomof5 - It's a butter knife. No worries.

Annette W. said...

Me- Jeans, sweatshirt/tshirt or to dress up a bit sweater/turtleneck. Capris/shorts and tshirt (sometimes the dressy type) in the summer.

NO shoes in the house. Unless it's a professional coming in. But we asked Meghan's SLP to take hers off. She was professional, but she was here twice a week. Close enough to family!

I would agree that running a kennel would mean nothing nice.

I love sweats but try not to wear them too often for Derek's sake.

Flea said...

Your Micah's always nekkid. :)

My wardrobe consists of jeans and jean capris. That's it. And we don't wear shoes in the house. It's only since moving to Tulsa that we wear them outside. :))

Becoming Mommy said...

I work mostly out of the home so I do have to, theoretically, dress up.
I like the cheapy polyesther knit dresses in summer and nice slacks and a sweater in winter. So, I'm actually still fairly comfy and can get to work fairly easily when I get home.
I do ruin a lot of clothing though. Some of my chores when I get home (to include cleaning crates) include home repair. Things like PVC primer stain like mad.

Kaytabug said...

I think you are not the average SAHM, you are on a farm and raise dogs. You have a lot of reasons to dress the way you do, very practical reasons. If I don't have to go anywhere I stay in my Pjs all day, and then only change into Jeans and a t-shirt if I have to leave. The majority of my wardrobe is jeans and t-shirts. I have a few nicer shirts that I toss with jeans occasionally when I want to "dress it up" and add jewelry and make-up. I think it's sad that adding jewelry and make-up is dressing up for me but it is what it is.

Viv said...

I don't muck out any kennels, but, I'll bet your wardrobe and mine are pretty darn close.

We don't wear shoes in the house because it is part of my husband's culture, not to ruin those Persian rugs, I guess. While we don't have any of those, we still take our shoes off. I didn't grow up that way though, it was pretty normal to wear shoes in the house, and ALWAYS at our friends' homes. I like this way better!

Keri said...

Jeans, sometimes layered with silky thermals because I'm cold natured and can't afford to turn up the heat like I'd really like to do. Sweatshirt, almost always layered over a long sleeve tshirt. Socks, usually one pair, sometimes two, re: heat costs. Tennis shoes, almost always, because I have old woman feet and have orthotic inserts that keep me from limping.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to limp properly when BOTH feet hurt?

My closet is full of tshirts of all types. I WANT to buy other types of tops but always end up with more of the same. It works. It fits my lifestyle. It keeps me from crying or swearing when someone pukes on me or wipes their nose on my shoulder.

Not that anyone has ever done either of those things...

Also... Stacy and Clinton are WRONG about the jean-slack look. It's stupid unless you're trying to do a casual Friday thing at work.

Karen said...

Becoming Mommy - you're quite the Jackie of all trades! You go, girl!

Karen said...

Keri - Stacey and Clinton don't live in the real world. I mean, if I lived in NYC I could see how jeans would be considered casual. But really. That's so not me.

Or maybe it's I who doesn't live in the real world...

Trisha said...

Not a SAHM but I share your lack of style. When at home I just don't see the point of getting dressed up when I will get those spots and stains as well as a liberal helping of cat fur. The shoe thing - we always take off our shoes in the house. Of course, we were raised in Ohio and I have heard that this custom is a "northern" thing rooted in the snow and muck during the winter.

Danyele Easterhaus said...

if it makes you feel any better, i have on a hoodie almost every day in the cold...and i really don't care. i do have a few nice things to wear, but what's the point with laundry and dishes and mopping?

Roger Miller said...

When I saw that picture of Micah, I thought that he was into Greco-Roman wrestling, as it kind of (at first glance at least) looks like the uniform.

As for the clothing, I prefer a very casual shorts and tee-shirt kind of look, and for work ... jeans and a hoodie. I do dress nicer for church, a given, but it's not a suit. Those are reserved for special events, christenings, weddings, funerals. Which is probably why I almost always need a new one - they just keep on shrinking.

Roger Miller said...

Forgot to mention the shoes ... they come off, especially during the winter, although I do have a habit of forgetting, especially when I am running in and out. During the summer, they can be on or off and mine are almost always off.

My feet don't like being imprisoned for some reason.

JennyH said...

HA! My kids like the "no clothes" style as well!

I wear jeans, T's and sweatshirts. All the time, everywhere I go. As for shoes, we take them off once we get in the door. BUT we didn't start doing that until Max was born. You know, having dirty shoes all over the house with a baby on the floor is just gross.

Sadly, I will admit I do sometimes wear my sandals with socks and hope nobody notices!! I try to cover them up with crocks so it is not so noticeable. But just slipping on sandals while walking out the door is so much easier than actually sitting down and putting tennis shoes on! And with snow on the ground, socks will keep my feet warmer! I know- crinch!

CC said...

We wear no shoes in my house because of dh's instance. As an Asian American he says there is no way that he or anyone else should be wearing shoes in the house. After several fights, I've given in. no shoes.

Chelsie said...

I am a jean and tee-shirt kind of gal, always have been always will be. I do work, but as soon as I get home the jammies and sweats get put on...in fact I often strip on my way to the bedroom and come back through to pick up my heavy shoes and slacks. I was raised in the south and we always took our shoes off at the door. I still do, but that's because honestly I'd rather be barefoot or in socks than in shoes any day, my husband leaves his boots on most days, but that's just because he is too lazy to undo all the laces until he absolutely has to.

Brandie said...

The shoes have to come off. I don't want chicken crap and automotive fluids on my floors.

I wear the standard SAHM attire. If we are expecting a therapist, I try to find clothes without stains. Just yesterday I took the time to put on a decent shirt only to have Hank puke all over me. My daughter got me another shirt, it had a big ink stain. The next one had a grease stain. And they were both maternity shirts. Still.

I love the pic of Micah making himself and onion snack!

HalfAsstic.com said...

Micah rocks the half-put-together look!
My seriously most used thing in my wardrobe is a clean white tee shirt. These are easy to come by in my closet due, mainly, to the use of a Clorox bleach pen. Wonderful things invented by faeries. I use it every time I wash anything white... well, just about.
It's funny, but my white cotton knits are easier to keep clean than most of the other things I own.

Burgh Baby said...

In our house, the shoes come off if you're stepping on to carpet. Other than that, I don't worry about it. Of course, we have a paved driveway, paved sidewalk, etc. There isn't much opportunity to get dirt on ones shoes.

(P.S. Playing outside in the back yard means you take your shoes off down in the basement because you have to wear your outside shoes. That only makes sense if you've ever noticed that Alexis wears the most ridiculous glittery, girly shoes EVER most days.)

Anonymous said...

I adore Anne Hathaway, and am not ashamed to admit that I have watched The Princess Diaries more than any grown woman should. (Okay, maybe I am a little embarassed, but it's a cute movie.)

Anyway.

I am with you on the wardrobe! Some days I think it would be nice to get a little more dressed up, but then I wonder why?! Maybe the other moms dropping their kids off at preschool would be impressed, but them I am too uncomfortable to get down on the floor and play with the kids. And my kids don't care (yet) if I am dressed up or not - as long as I am there.

And we are a shoes off house - even when I don't have a baby crawling around, we ask people to take their shoes off at the door. Really for no other reason than that was how I was raised.

caramama said...

I dress pretty nice at work because of the nature of my job and culture of my company. But the minute I get home? I'm in sweat pants or other lounge-y clothes! And when I was home on maternity leave, I wore yoga pants and tee shirts every day, so that would likely be what I wore if I were a SAHM.

We take our shoes off at the door. We have cubby holes there for our shoes. Most family, friends and guests do as well. But we don't require it, so if a guest does not want to take their shoes off, they don't have to. The only requirement I have is that there are no shoes on the furniture, which our daughter is learning quickly. :-)