On the Road to De-Frumpification

I’m in dire need of a fashion intervention. Be forewarned… the following pictures aren’t pretty. (I can’t believe I’m posting them.)

That’s me on the left with my sister, Claire (obviously, we look like twins). Oh look… no makeup! Black t-shirt and jeans! And if you can’t tell, we’re at somewhat of a fun party otherwise we wouldn’t be wearing teeny tiaras. Yeah, I’m not wearing party attire.

Here I am with my grandma, celebrating her birthday. I’m wearing a gray thermal hoodie, ratty jeans, running shoes… No make-up! Again, at a party and I didn’t bother to at least fix my hair.

Here I am wearing make-up. The only reason is that this was a Superbowl party and I went to church prior to the party. But yes, I’m wearing a t-shirt and you can be sure I’m wearing jeans with that.

Here’s my attempt at wearing something that’s not a t-shirt — a hand-me-down sweater dress that’s 3 sizes too big. Okay, this is an old photo but you get the idea of my horrible fashion-sense.

So… what I gather from looking at some old photos:

1. Get clothes that fit
2. Wear make-up
3. Attempt to fix my hair
4. Accessorize if I’m wearing a t-shirt
5. Add other pants besides jeans in my attire
6. Try some color

My challenge is to do all this on a budget. I don’t like clothes shopping and I start to get panic attacks just browsing through women’s clothing stores. (I’m being serious.) Second-hand stores are more my speed. (Hey, I just want more for my money. And I don’t want to feel like I’m being judged by my purchase.) Clothes shopping is quite discouraging because I’m short, have broad shoulders and pretty much no waist definition. I’ve got an athletic build so I’m not a dainty, petite gal. It’s tough to find clothes that don’t look like a sack on me since I choose shirts based on how they lay on my shoulders.

My husband likes to shop with me (yeah, I know… lucky, right?). He just wants to make sure that I don’t get anything that doesn’t “enhance my looks.” At the same time, the clothes he finds on the racks tend to be on the more, well…teenager-side. I know I’m not 21 any more and I don’t need to dress like it. I’ve got gray hairs and I tote around two crazy girls, for crying out loud! But I don’t want to go full-on, “soccer-mom in jeans and sweater sets.”

No. That’s not me.

So… I’d appreciate tips on what styles I should look for! Any fashion experts out there want to help a fashion-challenged mom out?

Have you fallen into a “mom uniform?” Do you have any great tips to dressing better? Discuss in the comments below!

UPDATE (01/18/13): I put on make up yesterday but it was short-lived. I went to the pool 2 hours after I put it on — so it had to come off. You can’t say I’m not trying!