I guess throwing chic at the end of something turns the mundane into a carnival.
Country-chic, Shabby-chic and my new line of clothing Stay-At-Home-Mom-Chic.

The idea came to me as so many ideas do, during a conversation with some of my gang affiliates known to most as the “After School Pick-Up Moms” or “ASPUM” as per our lower back tattoos.

 
We got chatting about the various stay-at-home-Mom wardrobe essentials and I thought what a terrible disservice it would be if I didn’t share them publicly.

 
For starters, you can always spot me in the crowd because I am the one wearing jeans 7 days/week.

 
Sure I have other pants in my closet, strides even, but there’s something about the statement jeans make. I’m casual, I haven’t given any thought to what I’m wearing, there’s tea stains on here that are four years old which is why I’m sporting the dark wash, there’s a simple elegance that says ‘keep walking’ I’m not selling anything over here.

 
You’ll know it’s me because my dark denims will have a strategically placed dirt smear (not to be confused with another ASPUM symbol), somewhere around my lower calf. A little mark I like to call, “I really should wash my mini-van more often.”

 
Next is the top. Just bi-pass that section of your closet reserved for “work” or “good” and hit the folded (wink) stack. I always go with a t-shirt and my preference is white for a couple of reasons. The first is, you can bleach a white t-shirt and make it look great even after being covered in children’s gooey craft supplies. The second is, as a layering piece, it really goes with anything. “Did she wear that t-shirt to bed last night?” Maybe but that’s why they invented Febreeze.

 
I think one of the key talking points I want people to take away from this is the stay-at-home-Mom-chic line is above all else, predictable. You are not going to turn any heads, surprise anyone with flashes of colour, buckles or hem-lines that require a translator. There’s comfort in being predictable.

 
But there’s more. Now it’s time to add the next layer and this is where you can get creative with your cardigans. I tend to go with neutral greys and beiges but you can go to town on the shade. Some days I go with charcoal, others heather. The cardigan achieves a couple of things. 1) It hides the stains on your t-shirt the bleach couldn’t touch, 2) it provides some comfort like your bathrobe that you may or may not have just taken off.

 
Shoes. Let’s not make this more complicated than it has to be. A simple black boot of any height works best for me but there are days when I’m feeling like a risk taker and I wear my bright orange Merrel’s. Look, there’s no harm in that. Ellen wears sneakers every day. It works because I’ve done nothing with colour anywhere else on my body (aside from the dirt smear that could be pink from some sidewalk chalk residue left by my four year old but it will take me hours to realize it’s there).

 
Make-up–no make-up. Jewellery–no jewellery. These two bonus items are all about how much time and energy you have to make yourself presentable. I wear earrings about 50% of the time but make-up is a luxury best saved for weddings.

 
I do like scarves.