The Coco Chanel Mom Uniform

This post is inspired by this month's Silicon Valley Mom's Group book club choice, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky by Chris Greenhalgh (Now a major motion picture). I received a complimentary copy of the book as part of the book club.

I didn't intend for it to happen. I didn't WANT it to happen. But alas, here I find myself in my slate colored yoga pants and long sleeve workout tee sitting with my laptop. Now a regular rotation in my laundry pile, I have succumbed to donning The Mom Uniform. I know I'm a part of the stereotype I used to joke about. I laughed at the mom jeans sketch on SNL years ago. I laughed at the Taylor Swift skit showing a mom speeding to a Nordstrom sweater sale. I laugh now because it's true.

I know because when I see photos of me with my youngest single sister, or hubby's female work cohorts, I'm jealous. They're wearing the latest cutest boots, the highest heels, the dry-clean only top or skirt. What I would have worn just four short years ago, but is oh so impractical for me today. A mom friend and I were walking to our cars after meeting up with the kids for pizza recently, and the train from NYC arrived letting off commuters as we approached our cars. We sat on a bench to keep keep the kiddos out of the way of the crowd. I enviously noticed the designer bags and cute tight-waisted coasts the working gals were wearing and looked down at my athletic jacket, jeans and warm boots and heard her say, remember when we used to dress up everyday? Honestly? Barely. 

Working from home with a kid around means that I consider my clothing purchases differently. I wonder how having a child would have changed Coco Chanel's designs and fabric choices. It's tough contorting your body to lift a 45 pound preschooler in and out of a car seat, grocery cart or bathtub, without having to worry about bending and moving freely in a tight skirt or shirt that that may twist around or unbutton.

Would she have been inspired to spend more time working to hide certain post-baby physical flaws and accentuating others? Would she have maintained her impeccably dressed and bejeweled facade? I'd like to imagine that Chanel would have found a way to do both - honor a woman's femininity and be comfortably practical. It may have been black, classic and fabulous. Until a designer figures out how to design a Chanel-like everyday wardrobe for moms, I'll make do with my closet full of Lucy, Athleta, Lands Ends, Nordstrom, North Face and Under Armour clothes.

Comments

[Lisa H.]

Great thinking! No matter how many times you promise yourself you won't be that way, it seems almost impossible not to turn to more comfortable and practical daily wear. I work in an office of mostly women and am constantly reminded of how well I kept up before... I used to care, but I don't miss the high, high heels too much anymore.

What scares me most is that my 17 month old son is far more stylish than I am these days.

[c2cmom]

Ha ha! Same here: the kiddo dresses better than me on any given day.

[bonggamom]

You mean Lucy and Athleta *aren't* the latest in style? Oh darn, here I was thinking that buying at those stores instead of target made me hip :)

[Vanessa Druckman]

When I saw you at BlogHer you looked pretty stylish to me... I bet you Coco wore a ratty old robe when she wasn't luring married men into her bed. And that if she had the option of wearing Athleta, she would have!

[Becky]

This is so true. . . . . I wore old baggy blouses and leggings - yes leggings.