Sweatsuit Alternatives - The Prequel

Last week I posted our first fashion tip from Shana from Ain’t No Mom Jeans. It seemed that y’all loved it. Today we have allowed her to go on an anti-sweatsuit rant and provide you with another alternative. Without further ado…

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Up there in the cool-mom creed, right next to “Thou shalt not wear mom jeans” is another commandment: “Thou shalt not wear sweatpants in public”. This lesser known commandment went through a period of disregard (primarily due to the popularity of the Juicy sweatsuit) but is now experiencing a revival. While I will admit to strolling out for morning coffee clad in the de rigueur Juicy sweatsuit SEVERAL YEARS AGO it is now time to move on. It’s over, people.

For those of you still in denial, let me reference the exact moment that the Juicy tracksuit died: April 30, 2004, at the release of the Mean Girls movie. I watched, in horror, as Mrs. George, her fake boobs tightly zipped into a hot pink Juicy tracksuit claimed, “I’m not like a regular mom, I’m a cool mom.” God forbid we start following her definition of cool. Next we’ll all be asking, “What’s the 4-1-1 girls?”

The lure of the sweatsuit (whether it’s of the Juicy variety, Adidas, Target, or some other lesser known brand) is that it is comfy and easy. But the problem with actually wearing sweats outside, out into the real world, where not everyone has kids or are sympathetic to those of us that do….being clad in a sweatsuit is a little like admitting defeat. It’s the cause of embarrassed glances your way, of pitying looks – “she just can’t keep it together”. Which I would actually be OK with, some mornings, if those pitying looks actually translated into HELP. But they don’t. It seems that the more desperate our appearance, the more people avoid making eye contact, lest they somehow catch what we’re carrying: The Mom Who Has Let Herself Go Disease.

Ironically, slick on a little lipstick, make an attempt to look cute, and people will jump up and carry your groceries, hold open doors and give you big smiles ”“ even while your kid is doing the limp-yet-screaming thing in the middle of the intersection.

So the goal, then, is to come up with some no-fail outfits that look cute but are insanely easy ”“ easy enough for those mornings when the sweatpants are calling. Errands with a little one are tough enough. You want all the help you can get. Here is an alternative:

Hoodie + Scarf

Never underestimate the power of a good scarf, cherie. If there was one thing I learned during my first visit to Paris, it was this: stop over-thinking the scarf. Find a scarf you love (a lightweight one will be more versatile), and throw it on with everything. It need not even match. So for for errand day, zip on your favorite jeans, a hoodie, and wind your scarf haphazardly around your neck. One can Google how to tie a scarf, but it isn’t necessary. Just wind it around anyway that you like it, tie once, or not. Whatever. I like to finish off the look with cute ballet flats.

My current pics for great scarves are…
Gap’s Lightweight Floral Scarf

Uzbek Alive’s Ultramarine Ikat Silk Scarf

Yarnz’s Scalloped Lace Scarf

My all-time favorite hoodie…Alternative Apparel’s Eco-Heather Hoodie (Unisex)

Pictured on Shana (above) are J Brand 10” Ankle Jeans in dark wash, American Apperal gray hoodie, her own scarf, and J. Crew ballet flats. Pictured on the babe are Nano plaid pants and a Daily Tea short sleeve hoodie.

Shana Draugelis is a contributor for Ain’t No Mom Jeans, a mom fashion and lifestyle blog dedicated to all that is cool about motherhood. She’ll be inspiring us with one more sweatsuit alternative next week!

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.