The Closet Stare-Down

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I envision myself as the mom who walks her kids in to school perfectly coiffed, confident in her style, and the envy of all the mothers who wonder, “How does she always look that good?” But the reality is I’m typically standing in front of my closet most mornings wondering why dressing myself hasn’t become any easier. Sounds familiar, right?

dresses-53319_1280So, I’ve tried a few things to help me avoid the dreaded closet stare down. From the “let me style you for a price” boxes that show up at the front door to sitting at coffee shops hoping to see some fabulous woman walk by whose style I can straight up copy! I feel like I’ve put a lot of effort in to figuring out what style means to me, so here are my tips and tricks to feeling comfortable and confident when I’m headed to work or out with the family:

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1. Undergarments

Ladies, these are important so update them more than once every five years. Get bras that fit, panties that you don’t hide in the back of the drawer for “Flo,” and invest in a few long, fitted camisoles. These babies are a life saver because they suck everything in, keep my children from sticking their hands up my shirt, and when you inevitably have an entire cup of milk spilled in your lap, you have something to ride home in that doesn’t smell horrible.

2. Buy flats

For heaven’s sake ladies, we live in Charleston where the brick sidewalks will trip you at any moment! Be sure to choose something comfortable and versatile because you will be wearing them often. Then when you’re ready to get rid of them, they make a great addition to any child’s dress up wardrobe!

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3. Don’t wear black, unless you have to

This one pains me because black has always been my go-to color. However, I can’t get out of the house without a milk mustache kiss to the middle of my skirt or chocolate covered hand prints on my shirt that never seem to wipe off with ease.  Basically, you should invest in a nice bathrobe, wear it at all times around your kids, and then take it off to reveal the fabulous outfit you’ve been planning in your mind for days!

4. Choose patterned tops

The strategic placement of these patterns will be sure to hide tears, snot, and most leftover from breakfast items that happened to be wiped on you when you are carrying little ones in to school. Those of us with older children should wear patterned pants because greasy hands and dirty faces always want to kiss mom’s legs goodbye, and they make sure to leave their mark!

skirt-775217_19205.Buy anything maxi

From dresses to skirts these look good on everyone! Maxis feel like you are wearing pajamas, and who doesn’t love that? They flow nicely away from the parts you don’t want to highlight, they look elegant any time of year, and they are long enough to cover those legs you forgot to shave three weeks ago.

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From a striving-to-be-stylish mom, I hope you find these suggestions helpful. Here’s my Pinterest page if you want to check out where I get some of my inspiration.

Any time you want to share other ideas with me I’m all ears.

I’ll happily take any advice you are willing to share!

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Erica Rabhan
A South Carolina native, Erica is originally from the Upstate and has moved back to Charleston with her family after a 10 year, traffic-filled hiatus in Atlanta, GA. Having lived in only two states she likes to explore different cultures through travel and food.  Of all the hats Erica wears her most important roles are as a wife, mother, daughter and fundraiser for her alma mater, College of Charleston. She has been married to her college sweetheart for 13 years and together they have to kiddos that keep them on their toes.  She prides herself on being honest about motherhood and enjoys learning from other moms who tell it like it is. When life offers a little down time Erica enjoys wave jumping at the beach, unapologetically watching bad TV and organizing and re-organizing everything from the dishwasher to the sock drawers to help calm her inner OCD.