When skinny jeans came back into style, I heard "the
80's are back!!" being trumpeted. But for those of us who have
actually LIVED through the 80's….the skinny jeans of today are a far
cry from the actual 80's. But when my little sister dragged me into Forever 21, I found myself surrounded by things like jelly bracelets, waaay too
much neon, and off the shoulder graphic tees that were bringing up
horrific flashbacks of big bangs and banana clips, of jelly shoes and
yoke-waisted pegged jeans. Things I've tried to bury deep in my
subconscious.
My visit to Forever 21 was tied into my sister's visit. Fashion-wise, my sister's visits
are always a good thing. She has a completely different body type than
mine, a completely different style, shops at completely different
stores and hates to buy anything over $40. So true to form, she showed up looking amazing in something I hadn't even considered….the legging. Which is how I ended up at Forever 21, surrounded by my worst
fashion nightmare.
Leggings are quite practical for moms. They are comfortable, they are
cheap, they wash easily. They are also great for transitional weather dressing when temps fluctuate. But are they flattering? With a little
inspiration from my very fashionable (but cheap) little sister, I think
we can make leggings work for moms.
My sister's outfit that serves as my inspiration is pictured at left (she wasn't wearing make-up so I was forbidden to show her face). Scotti is wearing black leggings from Zara, a gray tunic and yellow scarf both from Target, over-the-knee flat boots from who knows where and my mom's black cardigan from Banana Republic. I would like to draw attention to the following:
1. Scotti's leggings are not tights. They are not tight-like or sheer in any way. Leggings are thick and must be like pants. But tight like leggings. Again, NOT tights.
2. Scotti's bum is covered. Unless you are 15, when wearing leggings your bum should be covered at all times, even when your arms are above your head.
3. Scotti's leggings are black. I also support dark gray. Other colors are tougher to wear and should probably be avoided by moms.
4. Leggings are also not stirrup pants. Stirrup pants should never be worn by anyone under any circumstances. Period.
Since Scotti was the inspiration for this post, I will source most items from her mecca of cheap, cute clothing: Forever 21. To recreate Scotti's outfit, consider the following items:
Above, we have the Kara Knit Leggings, $14.80, the Marlee Knit Tunic, $7.50, the Alesha Open Front Cardigan, $22.80, and the Brushstroke Scarf, $7.80 all from Forever 21. Staying true to Scotti, I've paired them with a very affordable flat faux suede boot from AmiClubwear.com for $24.99.
Scotti's outfit is great for those of us with larger hips, and those of us that need to camoflauge a little stomach ponch.
Breastfeeding moms, or those that have both boobs and hips would look cute in the below outfit. This outfit has the added advantage of using a little dress, which helps to guarentee bum coverage. The sweater is the Cashmere Blend Open Cardigan , $29.80, the dress is the Sleeveless Knit Dress, $11.50, and the belt is the H81 Shirlie Woven Belt, $9.80 all from Forever 21. Wear the same leggings and boots as the above outfit.
I'm on a roll! So just for fun, here's another breastfeeding friendly, little-red-riding-hood-meets-ballerina outfit that feels very Spring. This would be cute with little ballet flats, but would also work with tall boots. And the black leggings, of course.
But wait!! I found another one! This clean Woven Pintucked Dress (below), $24.90 over top of the super-sale Fab Striped Turtleneck Top, $3.99 (and leggings and flat boots) would be amazing, espiecially with the chunky Plastic Flower Ring, $3.80!
Somebody stop me. Forever 21 is like fashion
crack. And I think I need a pair of leggings.
xo, S
