Out of the Sweats and Into the Style

I have a confession to make.  I used to wear sweats and yoga pants almost.every.single.day. There were also days where I never got out of my pj's - somewhere in Arizona, my mother is gasping in horror right now.  I work from a home office with my husband in our hardware business, and I justified this behavior by telling myself that no one was going to see me, so I might as well be comfortable.

Confession number 2 coming up.  I have a DEGREE in fashion.  I used to work in the industry, and I love clothes.  As a matter of fact, I have a closet full of pretty clothes that I never wore unless I had an appointment or a meeting.  So I really had no excuse.  A few months ago, as I was pulling on yet another stunning yoga pants/tshirt combo, I tripped over a pair of cute boots that I bought in the fall and had never actually worn.   

That was the moment when I finally got mad at myself.  I was wearing sweats because it was easy and no one was going to see me, but I realized that I saw myself every day, and so did my husband and boys.  I wanted to feel more confident and put together, and I wanted them to think I looked pretty!  I made a promise right then to get out of the sweats and into the style.  

It actually wasn't that hard.  I mean, I did have to get dressed every day.  Pj's were no longer an option - you're welcome, mom.  So I started making a concentrated effort to put together pretty, stylish, age appropriate outfits from the things in my closet.  I spent an entire Saturday purging the things that no longer fit or were completely out of style, and then I did a little shopping to fill in the blanks with the items I needed.

The biggest surprise?  I'm actually just as comfortable in my current clothes as I was in my sweats.  Okay, maybe not JUST as comfortable, but not uncomfortable enough to go back.  The second biggest surprise?  My husband and the teens actually noticed, and I get an occasional "you look pretty mom", which is one of the best compliments any mother can hear.

Every Wednesday I will be writing about an outfit that I wore that week, with links to the actual or similar items I am wearing. Most of the time I will be showing casual, mom about town outfits, since that's what I wear just about every day.  I will also be linking up with other great mom bloggers to see what they are wearing.

I do have one disclaimer - clearly I need to work on my self portrait skills :) They are terrible! Somehow I have lived this long without a full length mirror, and that makes it really difficult to get a good shot of the whole outfit.  I will work on it and hopefully my pictures will get better as I go along.  Without further ado....

This outfit couldn't be simpler.  I love my boyfriend jeans and wear them all the time because they are SO comfortable.  I got mine at Gap, but I don't see the dark denim online right now. Old Navy has them in lots of cute finishes, but I would definitely try them on in the store first as their sizing can be hit or miss. My shirt came from Kohl's, and they have it in several pretty spring colors.  I also like this one from Loft and the reviews are good.

I have a bit of an addiction to Tom's shoes.  You will see me wearing them A LOT.

I have them in several solid colors, and I'm in love with the Jonathan Adler spring patterns they have right now.  Tom's are so comfortable and I wear them at least a few times a week.  Plus, they have a great story - for every pair you buy, they donate a pair of shoes to a child in need somewhere in the world.  Tom's run big and they stretch a little with wear, so I always get them one size smaller than my normal.

Thanks so much for reading along!  I hope you'll come back soon....Lana

Linking up with Get Your Pretty On, Because Shanna Said So, The Pleated Poppy,Vodka Infused Lemonade