The French Inspired Stay at Home Mom Uniform
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Ever wonder how the French women look so damn stylish all the time? Here is a formula for achieving the French inspired stay-at-home mom uniform.
3 babies, 6 pregnancies, and so far, 43 months of nursing babies (and counting) all in 7 years has left me regularly staring at my closet with nothing but disappointment and frustration.
So after rereading one of my favorite books, Home Management: Plain and Simple, I have really been considering creating some sort of a uniform for myself. In the book, Kim mentions that she has one outfit for each day of the week. She plans out her week by day, one day is kitchen day, one day is town day, one day is cleaning day, etc. She creates an outfit for each day that is appropriate for the work she is doing that day.
While I really do love that idea, I may need a touch more variety in my life than that. However, to have one less decision I need to make every day would be a heck of a gift to me right now.
Now, for those of you who have been following along with me for a little while, you know that Nick and I are deep in paying off six-figures of debt. So I can’t go out and spend my face off on new clothes right this moment. We made a decision that as soon as this second to last student loan is paid off, we will take two months off from debt paying to sink some money into clothes for ourselves.
And let me just tell you, when it comes to style, my friend, I am {to my core} a lover of all things French.
But here is the thing though…I am a stay at home mom. I mean, silk camisoles and heels are not going to cut it.
I got dressed this morning, and before 45 minutes had gone by, I had been pooped on by my 9 month old, and I had spit up and oatmeal down the front of my shirt. Would you judge me if I told you that I’m still wearing that shirt? Fair enough if you do…
So the items need to be practical, functional, and durable as hell. No white shirts for me, even though the french love their white shirts.
While there will be plenty of time in my life for creative fashion, now is not the season. However, and this is a big HOWEVER, I don’t think that means that mamas should toss aside the idea of looking good each day. I know that when I look put together, I feel better, and I am actually more productive.
Since having my kids, I have absolutely allowed myself to slip into living in workout clothes. And while there is nothing wrong with that, I know that for me, it was affecting how I felt. Because as much as I love leggings, it doesn’t motivate me all that much (unless it’s to do a workout, of course!). And don’t worry, don’t exit out of this article just yet, I have a legging solution for you that is the best of both worlds. Keep on reading.
What is French girl style?
So if we’re going to pull inspiration from the French, we should figure out what exactly French girl style is!
“It is more about attitude. If I think about my wardrobe – I always dress the same way – and if you think about Charlotte Gainsbourg or Jane Birkin, they also have a very simple straightforward uniform. It’s so much more about the details – about the way you wear your clothes, rather than what you’re actually wearing. I think French women tend to keep it simple. I’d say try the less-is-more approach, which is not always easy to get right.” Jeanne Damas
So we don’t need to get fancy, ladies! But I believe in us that we can rise above the leggings. We are doing important work, and there is no reason we can’t look damn good doing it!
Here are a few items to get a stay-at-home uniform started.
Your French Inspired Stay-at-Home Mom Uniform
Jeans
I definitely went through a period of almost a decade where I just
Why? Pants are so constricting!
When I first moved to Santa Barbara I worked at Lululemon and then taught fitness classes at my brother-in-law’s Crossfit gym, and ran the front desk at my husband’s chiropractic clinic (where we exclusively wore Lululemon for about 5 years).
Only recently am I coming back around to the idea of jeans. I feel more polished when I wear them (yes, jeans!), and at this season in my life, I need all the help I can get in that department.
My choices:
- Classic fit 501’s, is the go-to French girl choice. Technically the vintage 501’s are the preferred choice, but I am not going to go hunting anytime soon through racks of vintage jeans.
- Gap straight leg (high rise). I know that Ryan Gosling told Steve Carrell in Crazy, Stupid Love to be “Better than the Gap”. But at this point in our financial journey and what I am doing
every day of my life (wearing my clothes hard!), the Gap feels better than me…just saying.
- Old Navy high wasted OG straight leg– I actually find that Old Navy jeans fit me really well! The pockets on the butt are big and high and I feel like they really flatter the buns!
T-Shirts/Shirts
Short sleeve tee– buy in grey, navyand black. I avoid buying white for the most part. I get shit on it (literally and figuratively) before the end of the first day I wear it. It’s not worth it to me. I need dark clothes if I want them to stick around my closet for any amount of time.
Long sleeve tee– grey, navyand black. I really love the Eddie Bauert-shirts . They come in tall and I have a long torso, so these fit me so well.
- Tanks– grey, white
and black. These are great for layering under button downs or sweaters when it’s really chilly. Also, Gap or Old Navyhave great basic tanks.
Do you find it boring to only have a few colors of shirts? I
And honestly, as Jeanne Damas said about in her quote, it’s not about the clothes themselves. It’s how we wear it! I was at a parent meeting last night, and there was a gal I met for the first time ever last night. She had a shaved head,
Jackets
- Trench coat– love this one from JCrew!
- Jean jacket– I wear my jean jacket all the time. I personally found mine second hand, which I always encourage, but I also really love this one from Jcrew (okay you got me, most everything from Jcrew!)
- Midi length button-up dress– What I love about this dress is a) I can nurse in it and b) it’s long enough that I will not be thinking about giving anyone a show if I need to bend over to pick up my baby. But let me let you in a little secret I have about wearing dresses… I ALWAYS wear bike shorts under my dresses. I am not above this one tiny bit. You never know when you will feel the burning desire to spring into a cartwheel, dance your face off, or you know, or lay out in a full superman pose to catch your bolting toddler. Motherhood is an adventure.
- Leather Jacket- I am looking at this one from Boden. I love the brown and how that is just a little unexpected from the usual black leather jacket. Or again, look second hand!
- Blazer– French girls are all about masculine blazers. I’m going to go check out the men’s section and look for the smallest sizes and see if this something I can pull off or not. Or
Leggings
- Faux leather Spanx: I told you that I got you, girl. I know how lovely it is to wear leggings, not to mention functional for all the bending we do. This is a must on a list of must-have’s for a mom uniform. But we can still look stylish doing it. These leggings are so cool. They will be one of the first things I order when we get this debt paid off!
Sweater
- Sweater. Cashmere. Not the usual item you expect to see on a list for a mom uniform. But, hear me out here. I feel like with all the chaos that goes on from day to day, we deserve a little bit of luxury, don’t you think? I found this article from Scary Mommy with great “wash and wear” cashmere options. I’m in love with this cashmere turtleneck.
Shoes
- Flats– I will 100% getting flats from Rothy’s. They use recycled water bottles, and every single person I have interrogated about them who owns them is absolutely in love with them. One in black and one in red (or cheetah!).
- Boots- I have spent more time investing in quality shoes over the last few years because they are so much more comfortable and I feel more pulled together. One thing I have given up on, however, is heels that I can’t literally run in. I have no time for shoes that won’t allow me to break in a jog to catch my kids. And honestly, that goes for date night for me as well.
- Sneakers– french love Converse. These are perfect for running around with kids all day!
Accessories
- Simple makeup – I keep my makeup really simple and minimal, which makes me feel oh-so-very french. My daily go-to makeup look is:
- tinted moisturizer – sheer coverage AND has SPF 20.
- brow gel
- cream blush – this may be the thing that makes me feel the most french of all. Je ne sais pas.
- lipstick or gloss This lipstick is my go-to. It goes on like chapstick and actually moisturizes, has color, but doesn’t make me feel like a clown. Anyone else feel like a clown when you wear lipstick usually? My favorite color is “terra”.
- Silk Scarf– you can find these at vintage stores or yard sales all the time. I recently just picked on up at a vintage pop up in a nearby neighborhood. Check the link for some inspiration!
- Leather Tote– Big enough to carry your wallet, a book, and a fresh baguette in, oui? Okay, maybe more like diapers, wipes, and a spare set of clothes for the time being.
- Belt– I am in love with chunkier leather belts. In that case, you could just steal your husbands like I have been doing lately :-p
- Apron– ok this is not fashion, but it’s super important and functional. If you’re going to sink money into a wardrobe of any kind, you want to take care of your clothes. I have been trying to be better around stewarding my clothes, whether expensive or second hand. Maybe you don’t make as much of a mess, or your kids don’t for that matter. I feel naked and afraid if I don’t have an apron on around my children, haha. So I recently bit the bullet and bought myself a higher coverage apron for when I’m cooking during prep day and cleaning. It absolutely protects my clothes more than the general cooking aprons do.
If you need a little more French girl inspiration to get you started, check out @jeannedamas, @sabinacocol, @janebirkinstyle, and @frenchgirldaily !
I would love to hear, do you have a uniform? How do you decide what to wear as a stay-at-home mom? I want to hear your ideas!
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