7 Dresses Before Noon

That title is only slightly exaggerated: 6 of them were dresses, the other a ruffled shirt/shorts combo.  But literally seven outfit changes before noon.  When she’s eating the dress comes off,  when she is drawing the dress comes off, when she goes to the bathroom EVERYTHING comes off, and somehow the things that make it on are never the ones on the floor next to her.  But I do have to give Loxley some credit, she has gotten much better about picking up all the discarded clothes and putting them back in her drawer, explaining to Stanton the other day that, “If I don’t, then Mom will be grumpy at me!”  And while I might usually feel bad for showing grumpiness towards my children, I’m actually quite proud that I controlled my exasperation enough that “grumpy” was the strongest vibe she got. 

Oh, my Loxley girl.  She really is a wonderful daughter, and I have appreciated her even more lately as I’ve been going through a wardrobe overhaul.  For no reason in particular, I got tired of wearing black, white and grey in some variation of T-shirts and joggers every single day.  Even on Sundays, my go-to outfit was a knee-length black skirt paired with any number of black or white tops that all look pretty much the same.  Call it my Steve Jobs era, my capsule wardrobe attempt, whatever, but it just started to feel boring and drab.  Plus, I have a mini-me (well, really she’s a mini Stanton with long hair) who reminds me how adorable ballet dresses, ruffles, and accessories can be.  

I started a few months ago, collecting a piece here and a piece there in thrifting trips, and even made a shopping trip specifically to try all the things.  I am making notes of what I know I like, what I have always wanted to try, and things that are just a no-go.  I am drawn to monochromatic pieces, but I crave some visual interest and have found that textures really do it for me.  I have branched out beyond skinny jeans and found some styles that are comfortable and still cute (I think, and Stanton humors me), and even indulged in a non-thrifted pair that will take me quite a while to achieve a price-per-wear of $1, but I’m up for the challenge. I can’t do polka-dots, patterns, red (anything), or thick stripes, but I am toying with the idea of subtle florals…  I’ll update if I find anything that matches my imaginings.

My clue that I was on the right track came as I was getting ready for church one morning with a new sand-colored flowy skirt and a loose knitted neutral top.  “Wow, Mom, are you getting married?!”  Her compliments are just the best.  My real ambition is to learn to sew well enough that I can make coordinated outfits for her and me - yes, I will be THAT mom - with her creative input to give them that little bit of extra that I’ve been needing.

Thanks for listening, and I hope that you all get to dress up in your favorite clothes this weekend.

-KK

P.S.  And in the time that it took to write this newsletter Loxley has changed dresses two more times.