Fashion for Moms of Teen Daughters-We Might Need a Support Group

I just want to take a hot minute to talk about fashion for moms. Is that a thing? Can I even say those three words together? I know I spent the first decade of motherhood in comfy pants wearing shirts that could be hiked up easily for breastfeeding. When I really wanted to get fancy, I was looking at Rachel from Friends for all my fashion needs. So obviously, I'm about as fashion forward as I can get. Now that I have a teen daughter with a very vocal opinion things are getting interesting up in here.

If you've been reading along for a bit you will know that the majority of my clothes are from garage sales and thrift shops. It's pretty darn common that I will spend more on my cup of coffee from Starbucks than I will on the outfit that I'm wearing. So not that you have that visual on my wardrobe lets move on. Right now I'm struggling with the fashion that's out there. Downright struggling. I took my 15 year old daughter out to the mall and I was regretting every Goodwill clothing donation I had made the past two decades. Every single thing that I wore in high school is back and I'm not quite sure that's a good thing. My daughter specifically asked me to buy her mom jeans. And because of that, I'm going to stop right now and have a silent moment because I can't even. I wish I had those crushed velvet dresses and that slip dress with the t-shirt I wore underneath and my comfy pair of overalls and worn-in Birkenstocks. I'm not mad that overalls are back in one bit. But if they could quit trying to make them weird I'd appreciate that.

You know how sometimes you get in those moods to go and buy something? I've had a few occasions where I've been looking for something to wear to an event and I have money burning a hole in my pocket and yet I can't find a single thing I like at the stores. Not a thing. Because some of those trends should not be coming back. Nope. Not a single one.   I've done mom jeans and I can't go back. When I wore those jeans I didn't know. But now I know and now I can do better. So please mom jeans, go back to wherever you ran off to. I don't want you back. My daughter though, she can pull off a mom jean. But that doesn't mean the rest of us can. And seriously, it doesn't mean that the rest of us should either. Somethings you can't unsee. Speaking of daughters, I am finding that we have a very one-sided relationship with clothing. She comes into my closet and takes my clothes and yet I can't go into her closet and take her clothes. It's not fair. I have hips and my body has seen pregnancy and childbirth and years upon years of life that hers hasn't been toughened up to bear just yet.  But yet when she borrows a piece of my clothing I do a small little victory dance because it's like she's validating my taste. I'm a grown woman and for some reason, I crave the approval of my 15 year old daughter. If I put on an outfit and ask her what she thinks and she doesn't have a total gag reflex reaction to my clothes I think "yes, I still have a little bit of game."  If I'm honest, I don't want to dress like my teen daughter. I want to seem like I have some idea of what's in fashion, but I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard. It's why I didn't buy the choker sweater in my last StitchFix. I am kind of drawn to the animal on the sweater trend right now, but that's less teen daughter and more of me channeling my inner six year old. I've earned my age and my wisdom, which is why I'm never ever not ever going back to mom jeans thank you very much. And if that means I need to be content in the items hanging in my closet and keep making those work even if my daughter tells me they are so last year, then so be it.

I like my shoulders warm and my jeans to not be personified.  So tell me, are you struggling with fashion for moms right now? What are you finding that works.
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