one dress/three ways: sporty.

Dress: Old Navy. Long Sleeved Tee: Target. Hat: J Crew.  Bag: Target. Sneakers: Nordstrom. Watch: Michael Kors.

I stumbled upon this awesome striped dress at Old Navy a couple weeks ago, while I was back-to-school shopping for my ducklings.  You know what my first thought was when I saw it?  Versatile.  A great striped dress can be styled about a billion different ways, and since I don’t have a lot of black and white stripes in my closet, I thought I better go ahead and bring this home with me.  (navy and white stripes are another story-I’ve got plenty of those…)  I thought it would be fun to show you 3 different ways to style this one simple knit dress.  I love how changing a few pieces, and styling your hair differently can completely change up the vibe.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard moms say something to the effect of “I can’t wear that, I’m a mom.”  And okay, I get it. Being a mom can be messy work at times.  I’ve had my share of spills, I’ve crawled around on my knees a lot, beat the heck out of bags–filling them with toys and wipes and diapers, and garbage.  (Because everyone knows that mom’s purse also doubles as the garbage bin.)  I’ll still wear a tulle skirt to the grocery store, even if it makes me look ridiculous and even if doing so means some of my nicer pieces end up soiled, because I believe in wearing what you love even if there’s a little collateral damage along the way.  But the truth is, that you can still feel put together as a mom and it doesn’t have to mean dressy.  You can be chic, even if your look is super casual.  This dress is just as comfortable as a pair of pajamas, and if I throw on a hat, a pair of sneakers, and tie a long-sleeved tee around my waist, I feel sporty but chic.  I also feel like I can tackle anything.  Even an 8-year-old in a “friendly” game of backyard soccer.  (We’re all a little competitive at our house.)

So there you have it.  First look, sporty.

Stay tuned for look number 2…