It feels quite odd at times that we, the kids of the 80s and 90s, who have witnessed the high fashion wave of those times are now all grown up. Not only that, we’re having children of our own and bringing new ideas and trends into the creative world of parenting. When it comes to fashion or style, I have always seen it as a personal expression. But I have been curious to know how does one ‘look like a mom?’ I might have fallen afoul of this myself pre-child: “But she doesn’t look like she has a kid!”. So apparently, moms don’t wear bold colours, big earrings and heels? Moms wear button-down shirts and wrap dresses and yoga pants because they must be comfortable and breastfeeding-ready (for the rest of their lives).
Comfort Is Fashion
But all women (not just moms) deserve to feel comfortable in their clothing. And I would never shame a woman for wanting to wear any of those things. But ‘comfort’ is not objective; comfort is as mental as it is physical. And more than anything, it is personal. For some women, comfort means leggings forever, for others, it’s pencil skirts even to the park. One way is not better than the other. But I am not in favour of forcing a woman to abandon her identity just because she has a baby. What if my wardrobe is what anchors me? What if the clothes are mandatory to who I am?
Changes Are Inevitable
Honestly, keeping every such argument aside, I must admit I have felt an inevitable shift in my wardrobe since I became a mom. I resisted it at first, even bristled at the implication, but there is no doubt that I dress differently since I had my twins. Where I once regularly wore heels in the day, I would never, ever reach for them now, unless I have a fancy meeting in town or an evening event. It isn’t that I am dashing around the park with a pram every day of the week or running around toddlers all day and therefore need to dress with that in mind. It’s more that I look at the more overwrought parts of my wardrobe now and think, what’s the point?
I think it has as much to do with age and the fact that I mostly work from home as it has to do with me being a mother. I am in my 30s now; my style has inevitably changed since I was in my 20s. There is no doubt that my style is less fash-un than it used to be. But is that not merely the passing of time and has nothing to do with being a mom? I cannot deny that I no longer want to dress how I used to dress. Right now, my personal style is buffeting me away from things that feel like old me and nudging me toward things that are a little less high-strung.
Millennial mums are clever, educated, and bustling with excitement as they navigate through life, fighting challenges left and right. It’s a lot of work; but somehow, we juggle careers, children, and still find the time to indulge our interests. Hence, the fashion we mums pick is practical, stylish, and entirely cool and modern.
Want minimalistic yet fabulous looks? Watch this video and recreate fashion looks inspired by Kareena Kapoor Khan, after all, Bebo is known to give us women some serious fashion goals!
Easy Styling Secrets For Moms
1. Add Outstanding & Bold Accessories
Accessories are a big thing for millennial mums, mostly because they’re perfectly aware of just how much complexity they can add to otherwise simple outfits. A simple silver belt can make a black dress look glamorous, and a bright red lipstick paired with a red necklace can make anything pop. You can even add style to your everyday wear with a long-line necklace. A pair of earrings and a necklace or a few bracelets can dress up a look in under 30 seconds. Wrap a cute scarf around your neck to look instantly chic. Check out a few jewellery trends here.
For a more formal occasion, add a big-sized finger ring that completes the look. Have you heard of crochet jewellery? It’s the newest thing around and totally mom-approved!
2. Banish The Baggy Stuff
You might think wearing that baggy shirt is hiding your lumps and bumps, but it’s actually adding on pounds. Instead, pick a top that flatters your new-mom figure; for example, go V-neck if your decolletage is fab. It doesn’t need to be form-fitting, but something that defines your curves is ideal.
3. Pick Versatile Outfits
There’s nothing in this world that’s more versatile than a pair of jeans or maybe a kurta, and any mum can benefit from having a well-fitted garment to help her get from her 9 to 5 job, to picking her kid up from daycare, to finally getting home for dinner.
A simple kurta with leggings or palazzos, a choker, a big leather handbag (in a fun pop of colour), flats- all of these are the secret weapons that you can use to make sure your personal style doesn’t suffer because your day is so stuffed with obligations. Try and play around with different sleeve styles- ruffles, noodle-strap, or bell sleeves.
For bottoms, try our cigarette pants, palazzos and long skirts depending on the occasion.
4. Don’t Forget Your Comfort, Of Course, The Chic Way!
Quick, practical, and undeniably chic is the millennial mom style game. Simple accessories, like a long scarf, will keep you warm and add beautiful, easy detail to complement any outfit, and cool ankle boots are comfy to walk in, and yet give such a sexy, edgy vibe. Knit sweater dresses and leggings, plaid button-downs and leather jackets, straight-leg jeans, and soft long-line tops- who says looking good needs to involve complicated outfits and neck-breaking heels?
5. Yes To Sustainable Fabric
Millennials are the generation that is driving the trend of sustainable clothing forward, and we want our fashion to be eco-friendly. Organic cotton, fluid fabrics, biodegradable materials, all of these are important because fashion absolutely does not need to be harmful to our environment. Second-hand clothing, thrift shopping and repurposing of all wardrobe is also a big trend.
Pick up organic cotton dresses, shirt dresses, midis – they are stylish yet comfortable without doing any damage to the environment. Perhaps those old jeans of yours could be made into a chic skirt, or maybe you can use a scarf to create a top that looks better than anything store-bought. These and a bunch of other projects can easily be done with the kids.
You can also take your fashion hacks to the world. Here’s how to start a tailoring business from home.
With so much of your time and energy being taken up by mommy-ing, it can be hard to get motivated to change out of sweats or your standard easy-on work outfit. But as they say, when you look good, you feel good. Try these quick and easy tricks to look like a million bucks (without losing the comfort factor!).
Go Mommy!
