Does being pregnant mean you lose your sense of style or perhaps it means that you adopt a one? I prefer the latter as opposed to the former and while I’ve never been the most fashionable woman around, I do believe that my sense of style hasn’t been atrocious. What I have noticed; however, since my pregnancy is that I’ve taken more of a laid back approach to my clothing. Whether that be because I’m super frugal with my money and I have no desire to spend hundreds of dollars on a wardrobe I can’t wear that often or because I just want to be comfortable. I’m not really sure what’s driving my current fashion sense.

This week, my husband and I have been on vacation at the beach. Normally I pack summer outfits that will show off my sunk-kissed and toned body (something I don’t have this year). Instead I packed, shorts, t-shirts, sneakers and wait for it…Old Navy flip-flops. What was I thinking? Our first day at the beach, it was overcast and rainy so we took the opportunity to do some shopping. It used to be that when we would go shopping, I would try to dress cute, with little dresses and tank tops, along with matching sandals. Wednesday, I defied all rules of dressing for shopping when I threw on a pair of shorts, my Yankees t-shirt and sneakers. I didn’t even bother to bring a blow dryer with me to the beach, but instead decided to let my hair go with the natural waves. All of these are attitudes I never really had before getting pregnant. I can’t help but wonder if it’s a new set of hormones perhaps taking over my body and actions.

Let me give you another example of how things have changed. The first day of shopping, I avoided all outlet shops that have always been my favorites in the past: Banana Repulic, Ann Taylor, Calvin Klein, DKNY. I’m sure a portion of that avoidance has to do with the fact that it’s a colossal waste of my time to look at the clothing in any of these stores considering the fact that I can’t even try any of it on! That creates a certain level of disappointment within me. So, the first day of shopping the only thing I bought for myself was two pairs of hiking shorts, in the size that I wore BEFORE getting pregnant. My husband and I plan to take Davey into our backyard, aka Paris Mountain, when he gets older. And here’s the strange thing, I actually bought hiking shorts! They’re not even all that stylish and my old self would probably turn her nose up at such things.

The next day, we went shopping again and this time I bought two pairs of shoes…..FLATS! I never wear flats, at least not until I got pregnant. I have my fair share of Converse sneakers that I’ll wear, but for the most part my dressier shoes are usually heels, not flats. And here was my rationale, or at least the one I gave my husband (he really didn’t care), I wanted something more practical when Davey is born. Practical and stylish go together, right? As I explained to my husband, I don’t want to try to carry Davey while wearing heels. I’m not exactly the most graceful person in the world, actually I’m pretty clumsy, so mixing heels with a baby doesn’t blend well.

Yesterday, we hit up another set of outlets and I actually spent money on clothing that I could wear pregnant and post-pregnant. You see, the joy with being tall like myself, is that I carry my pregnancy weight pretty well. I can wear a lot of the dresses, such as the maxi-dresses and little sun-dresses, that I have in my closet from previous summers, even while I’m pregnant. I haven’t spent as much money on maternity clothing as some women have, which is a plus. But when I look ahead to the future and my role as a mother, my fashion-sense takes a backseat and all I can think about is fitting into my pre-pregnancy jeans and even *gasp* my long-sleeve t-shirts! What has happened to me? How has my mentality about fashion changed so much?

I guess, much like everything else, when you have a child, things change…fashion is no longer my priority. I can’t believe I just said that!