Motherhood & the Vintage Lifestyle

[I Adore Film Noir]

I'm not a mother, but can I pop into this thread for a moment? I'm currently a personal care assistant for the disabled, it is NOT a glamorous job and I get tired of wearing jeans & Tshirts all the time. Does anyone have any suggestions for glamming things up a little? Just to lift my spirits. I have to do lifting and dirty work, so nothing that's too...y'know. I thought about making a pair of high-waisted jeans and some pretty blouses, nothing too fancy. I just don't know. I love to be elegant and feminine but I'm having difficulty transitioning this into the one area of my life that really needs beauty...lol

I've seen cute scrub jackets and pants in the sleepwear/lingerie section of WalMart.

 

[Miss Moonlight]

I'm not a mother, but can I pop into this thread for a moment? I'm currently a personal care assistant for the disabled, it is NOT a glamorous job and I get tired of wearing jeans & Tshirts all the time. Does anyone have any suggestions for glamming things up a little? Just to lift my spirits. I have to do lifting and dirty work, so nothing that's too...y'know. I thought about making a pair of high-waisted jeans and some pretty blouses, nothing too fancy. I just don't know. I love to be elegant and feminine but I'm having difficulty transitioning this into the one area of my life that really needs beauty...lol

Perhaps images of gals working the WW2 factories could inspire you? Jeans, hair in an updo with a bandana or snood, and a simple blouse or oxford shirt, and loafers or saddle shoes.

I've recently decided it's time to give more time to my appearance. My daughter is two, and while in some ways she needs more attention, in others, she doesn't. I'm tired of bangs but each time I decide to grow them out, I cut them again because the in between phase is so... argh! I can't style that in between bang at all. The length (past my bum at this point where it finally slows to 1/2" a month instead of 2") I can snood up or learn to put in buns at the nape of my neck. Or braid. But ugh, those grow-out bangs.

 

[hellsbellslolly]

Hi there, I found since becoming a mother my routine got better, as I had to for my little boy Henry. He is now 5. When he was first born, I wanted to look respectable. I was 23 so not incredibly young, but people would say I looked younger. And so I used to make even more of an effort to look well kept. I found that wearing dresses was a great time for me, because all I had to do was match shoes! I have more dresses now than any other type of clothing. Even this morning, I threw on a vintage shift dress scraped my hair into a pony tail and popped on some flats. It saved more time than ironing trousers matching a top and then digging out my pumps etc. (I can only ever find 1!) It probably makes me sound lazy, but I do look better in a dresses. And I feel more put together too. I'm not a morning person, I get up and make Henry's porridge thats the one thing without fail I do, because if he doesn't get a good start to the day how can I expect him to concentrate. I usually make sure my hair is washed, so it can be clipped back at the front in a vintagey sort of quiff and its presentable. If there is a morning and I dont have enough time to wash it, I use dry shampoo quick squirt and it buys you a little bit extra without it looking greasy. I never leave the house without foundation and blusher or lipgloss. Those days are gone, my skin isn't evenly toned and I work nigh shifts so I need a little extra help covering up under my eyes lol! Most of the mummy's in my playground all wear huge sunglasses, whether its sunny or not. It is very forgiving for first thing in the mornings! To make sure I am never caught short in inappropriate attire, I carry my wellies in my car, my umbrella and a spare waterproof jacket. Also a smart vintage pashmina/shawl too. This is great if you spill something down you or something gets grubby, you throw it over and its a good save.
I always have perfume, spare lipgloss (basic vaseline) in my car without these I'd feel incomplete.
My sister always said to me, give your-self the gift of time. So I always try to make sure I'm early so Henry isn't flustered and he has a chnace to play before hand etc.
Vintage clothes for children are hard to find, I usually stick to brands like Cath Kidston, Joules, Monsoon do fab tanks and beautifully printed shirts and shoes always from Clarkes. I take Hen to a proper barbers too for a old school boys hair cut. No shavers.
The key thing for me is if you invest in a good coat, you can pop it on with most things and aslong as you can pop on some nice earrings (a feature point) that sets off an outfit etc. If you have a good face on thats the deal breaker. It what people look at when they are talking to you. Hopefully this helps? x

 

[C-dot]

Does anyone have any suggestions for glamming things up a little? Just to lift my spirits.

My first suggestion is to do your make-up! Put on mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, shadow, etc. every day. Even just dark eyelashes and bit of lip colour will give you the appearance of glamour, and it takes seconds to apply.

My second suggestion is to wear cute lingerie. I don't mean a merry widow and seamed stockings, but a lacy bra or a colourful matching set can quite literally give you inner confidence. Others may not see it, but you will, and thats the most important. It's like having a secret

I'm tired of bangs but each time I decide to grow them out, I cut them again because the in between phase is so... argh! I can't style that in between bang at all. The length (past my bum at this point where it finally slows to 1/2" a month instead of 2") I can snood up or learn to put in buns at the nape of my neck. Or braid. But ugh, those grow-out bangs.

I'm guessing you style your bangs in a more Bettie Page type look (from your avatar.) When they get to that icky awkward length, you could always curl them with pompadour height and push them to the side. It might take a bit of getting used to, but it's an option

 

[Miss sofia]

I'm at the same stage as you with the growing out fringe, it's a total mare as mine isn't long enough to do a roll with, but thank heavens for the headscarf or the beret, like C-dot said i just pull mine back into a kind of pomp and pin it, so it almost looks like a roll then i wear the beret pulled forward so it hides it as much as possible. I have also been tying a big bow in my headscarf to try and disguise my miserable little pomp too!!

 

[HomesteadHattie]

I am expecting my first little one in about 5 months, so this thread is very interesting to me. I'd like to add my two cents! I started working from home a few years ago and I love to sew, so since then I have stocked my closet with many cheerful cotton 1940s-style housedresses (can't resist vintage patterns, or those quilting cottons at the fabric store). I anticipate these being very useful in those early months because they have the following characteristics:

Easy to throw on (may keep me from reaching for sweatpants)
Not too fitted (good for housework and post-baby bulge)
Happy colorful prints (instant spirit lifter)
Cotton, thus easy to throw in the washer/dryer
Big pockets -- a must, even pre-baby!

Even now, I try to put on some undereye concealer and a little eyeliner every day. I may work from home but I still want to like myself in the mirror, and be relatively put-together for my husband when he comes home in the evenings. The thing I see myself having trouble with is hair -- I am a curly girlie, so my hair only looks right if it's been recently washed and properly attended to. I will probably over-rely on the ole snood...but better that than a scrunchie, right?!?!

 

[C-dot]

Even now, I try to put on some undereye concealer and a little eyeliner every day. I may work from home but I still want to like myself in the mirror, and be relatively put-together for my husband when he comes home in the evenings. The thing I see myself having trouble with is hair -- I am a curly girlie, so my hair only looks right if it's been recently washed and properly attended to. I will probably over-rely on the ole snood...but better that than a scrunchie, right?!?!

You've got the right idea! Your little one will be proud of his/her mum. Congratulations!

 

[Viola]

We're hoping to have a baby in the next year-ish.

I'm thinking of fairly low maintenance vintage-y things. Cardigans, cotton dresses/skirts. White Keds. I don't think sundresses ACTUALLY take any more care or special needs than velour sweatsuits do.

I just changed my avatar today - just got bangs this afternoon for the first time since I was 7. I like them! And it seems to take a lot of the sideways out of my big, coarse, thick hair. Which means it will be faster to manage. I was thinking something a little more Bettie but the hairdresser wasn't really with me on that. Still debating what to do with the rest of it, and if I'll take the bangs up a little more once the newness of having them wears off, or they need trimming, whichever comes first.

 

[HomesteadHattie]

Viola, your bangs look great! I hear you on the hairdresser thing. Its rare that I can find one who understands the vintage aesthetic. I actually hate going to salons because I always have to explain my weird curly bang situation... I cut them in an odd way to get them to lay right when I (minimally) style them... so you can imagine how I feel when a hairdresser spritzes them and stands there looking and says "What's going on here?" Somehow I doubt the answer "I'm going for a carefree, plaid-jacketed, saddle-shoe wearing 1944 college-girl look" is going to explain it to her properly. LOL!

 

[Viola]

Oh, thanks. Yeah, and "retro" can be anything from the '80s back, in some minds.

I am going to be following this thread for tips and wisdom. At the moment I'm just preparing. About to switch multi-vitamins to the ones they recommend before conception/during pregnancy. Oddly momentous.

I am trying to streamline my beauty stuff to be more efficient but still cute, and also get into good shape beforehand. I'm actually doing relatively well at that part. I know it might not be noticeable by the time baby comes (or after...) but I figure it at least has to be helpful for energy and strength.

 

[Kishtu]

I put some of my old pre-Small dresses on this weekend when we were going to a christening.... felt rather sad, but it cleared the mind wonderfully. I had a very lovely 50s silhouette black wool crepe full skirted dress, high neck, long sleeves, net petticoats. Just no longer works with my shape... the more streamlined look is so much more flattering.

Well, I did always have the great dilemma of "I love to wear the 50s look but I love to make the 40s look"....
.. and now I don't have that problem any more, I guess!

 

[EllaMinnowPea]

This is such a great thread. My son is just over 1 and it can be challenging indeed to feel like "me". My plan of attack is to choose my clothes the night before. Otherwise, it is so easy to end up in jeans and a tee instead of taking the 2 minutes to put together an outfit that makes me feel great. It has the wonderful effect in the morning of starting a momentum to my day of getting things done.