Last September, I wrote of some of my fears about my daughter heading into Kindergarten and the vast amount of changes it applied to my life. And, oh boy, were there many. But, in order to make this post solely about me, I’m going to talk about aesthetics.
Fashionista Aesthetics, That Is
I always loved fashion and have spent many of my recent years embracing all the stuff “aesthetics” I loved in high school (specifically gothic and romantic stuff). My outfits quickly became an outlet for my creativity. People often commented on them and asked if I was a fashion blogger and eventually I started posting my outfit photos to Instagram. I never get too crazy about the pictures. I just snap them in front of my bookshelf after coming home and I change into pajamas and post the pics.
I’m quite the introvert, and I’ve spent a majority of my adult life working a full-time job that didn’t require a uniform. I also rarely ever left the house other than to go wor work, so I figured I might as well dress up for work and feel good about doing it. Then I became a mom, and while maintaining my fashionista self proved difficult in the beginning, I did allow myself the time to wake up early every morning so I could get dressed.
Then My Kid Went to School
Today’s “mom aesthetic” is all about messy buns and leggings and no-makeup. And I get it. I do. I wish I could give less of a shit about how I look when I drop my kid off to school but it’s tough to get out of a habit once you wind yourself into one. So yeah, I still got myself out of bed early, even on days when I didn’t work, just to do my hair and my makeup and get some clothes on.
But then I got to school. And the other moms started commenting on my clothes. Nice comments, yet, but after enough “I don’t know how you find the time to do it!” remarks, I started to feel insecure about my high maintenance routine. I started feeling stupid because getting so dressed up just to drop my kid off.
Mom Jeans Time
Thankfully, I owned a single pair of Levi’s wedgie-fit jeans, which I don’t often wear but appreciate having for those days when I just want to look actually casual. They’re great mom jeans because they’re a good high waist, don’t stretch out halfway through the day, and make my ass look great. And so, in honour of the upcoming school year, here’s a collection of all the “mom jeans” ensembles I put together to drop my daughter off at kindergarten.
Pastel Goth Mom Jeans
I don’t often wear these glasses because they’re a bit too “alternative” for my taste. I do still like them, but most of my skirt-based ensembles ended up being more “romantic” for these glasses. Thankfully, on “mom days”, they go well with my sweaters and my crochet slouchy hat, which I think is kinda cheugy, right? Like, kids aren’t wearing slouchy hats, are they?
I’m pretty sure slouchy hats are a millennial thing and that all the kids these days are wearing those fucking bucket hats like the New Radicals guy.
Hipster Vintage Goth Mom Jeans
I normally wear my crochet berets and hats to cover up my head, because my fashionista insecurities have basically robbed me of confidence that my straight hair is pretty. I usually curl my hair so I can pretend that I’m Kate Middleton, but on straight-hair days, the fucking hat goes on.
My mom gave me this cool vintage sweater last year and I really had no idea what to wear it with. It makes me think of the early hipster days when people my age first started really getting into old stuff. I do love the moon, though, because they touch my gothic heart.
Fun Fact: The day I wore this outfit, I got the email from the literary agent who asked me to write to the R&R that she ended up rejecting months later. Like, the rejection sucked, but the memory of getting that email is still a fond one for me.
St. Patrick’s Day Mom Jeans
I honestly am still now sure how I feel about this hat I crocheted for St. Patrick’s Day, but it did a good job covering up the broken bits of hair on top of my head on this “mom day”.
Sporty Adidas Mom Jeans
Another slouchy hat appearance. This is one of my fave “mom looks” because it also incorporates athleticwear. I don’t normally wear this stuff but I am super into Adidas, thanks to my obsession with Michael Brooks (who wore the brand a lot). This outfit made me feel more like a mom than any of the rest.
Midwestern Mom Jeans
My brother-in-law wanted me to sell this jacket it on Poshmark for him. It used to belong to his dad and while the western look isn’t really my thing, this jacket was just begging me to wear it. So I wore it. And loved it. Sure looked great with my jeans and this striped sweater.
Frumpy Sweater Mom Jeans
This is just a thrown-together look that I didn’t hate. I’ve always hated my arms and have always appreciated the comfort of a good granny-style cardigan. I don’t often wear this one but I thought the ruffled romantic cuffs contrasted nicely against the edge of the snake print on my blouse.
Princess Diana Mom Jeans
If you click on the arrow on this picture, you’ll see the original Princess Diana mom jeans look that I tried copying. I thought 80s fashion was the tackiest shit for the longest time, but after The Crown introduced Princess Diana for season 4, I’ve been diving into allllllll the 80s Diana fashion spreads I can find. This is hopefully the first of many Princess Diana copycat looks.
Here’s to a New School Year of Mom Jeans
Are you also a school mom who loves mom jeans? Hopefully, my looks have satisfied you, or maybe inspired you? I’m really not much of a pants person because I hate my short legs but I do plan on donning even more epic mom jeans looks for the upcoming year.
