Some Moms Get Way Too Dolled Up for School Drop-Off

on October 21, 2011 at 11:45 AM

designer clothes Do you dress to the nines to drop your kid off at school? Do you slip on your Prada jacket over your $400 jeans and teeter along in your Christian Louboutin pumps (making sure all the other moms see a flash of those tell-tale red soles) before handing over your son or daughter's backpack and kissing him or her goodbye?

Yeah, me neither.

I just got back from dropping off my kid at school, and you know what I wore? The same not-terribly-clean pair of jeans I wore yesterday (no time to do laundry) and a T-shirt that has to be at least 10 years old under a hoodie, topped off by the fleece my husband had left lying on the chair closest to the front door. Oh, and a pair of slip-on sneakers I snagged last season on sale for $10.

Is my crappy drop-off fashion sense unusual?

According to an alarming trend piece in The New York Times, yes! Moms in the fashion mecca that is Manhattan are apparently now finding designer togs de rigueur for school drop-off and pickup, prompting even celebrity parents like Brooke Shields to gripe, "Look: I’m a mom, I’m tired. I don’t feel like dressing up.”

When Brooke Shields -- the woman who made expensive designer jeans famous -- is complaining that school pickup fashion pressure is too much, it's a sign that things have gotten a little out of hand.

Look, I'm all for women being able to express themselves through their clothing. If it makes these women feel good to throw on designer outfits that are worth more than my car for the stroll to school and back, on some level I say, sure, fine, whatever floats your boat.

But I hate the idea of moms judging each other based on the labels tucked under their necklines and on the soles of their shoes and the pockets of their jeans and handbags.

We've got children to raise, jobs to do, households to run. Who has time to shop the sample sales and high-end retail establishments for the latest "It" bag and the jean trend of the moment? (I can barely find time to throw in a load of laundry most weeks!)

And what message are we sending our kids? That the labels on our clothes define us? That our value is proportional to the price of the purse we carry?

Ugh. Count me out. I'll stick to my ragtag look. And if other moms judge me for it, well, I guess that's OK. We probably don't have that much in common, anyway.

Do you dress up for school drop-off and pickup?

Image via Noemi Manalang/Flickr

About the author Amy Reiter

is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband/work spouse, two kids, and very demanding laptop computer.

Filed Under: back to school, clothes, celebrity, elementary school, in the news, middle school

Comments (45)

momkaribg

on Oct 21, 2011 at 11:58 AM

I am usually dressed for work.

Report this comment

LoganTroyMom

on Oct 21, 2011 at 12:04 PM

its not middle school. If i had that money, id do it too. But i dont and i dont care if ms prom queen in the 80s looks down on me for it

Facebook comment from Brittany L. Ison

on Oct 21, 2011 at 12:10 PM

Bah!...My kid takes the bus. I get to wear yoga pants, furry slip ons and my ratty hoody to the bus stop. The driver has no judgement :-p

kelticmom

on Oct 21, 2011 at 12:13 PM

Did it ever occur to you that maybe they are going someplace afterwards? Like work? Or an appointment? Or breakfast with friends? And not just to go home and sit on the couch and watch the View?

hoticedcoffee

on Oct 21, 2011 at 12:14 PM

I don't, but really, I'd rather see parents showing up well-dressed than some of the outfits I see in the car line at school. A bra, and pants don't show your ass cheeks, whale tail, tramp stamp, or belly button for the women, and guys - cover your damn armpits and try to find a shirt that doesn't look like you used it as a napkin, please.

on Oct 21, 2011 at 12:16 PM

P.S. It takes just as much effort to put on a pair of jeans, cute top and shoes in the morning as it does to put on sweats and tennis shoes. Plus you feel better about yourself when you look nice.

Stephenni

on Oct 21, 2011 at 12:23 PM

I agree with kelticmom, when I put on jeans a nice sweater and some flats I feel a lot better in the morning.

RhondaVeggie

on Oct 21, 2011 at 12:33 PM

There's a happy medium between dressing like a slob and dressing like a fashionista. There are some women at my son's school that dress like slobs in sweats and baggy old tshirts. There are also some that have impeccable hair and make up and designer outfits. Thankfully both groups are minorities and the vast majority of moms show up dressed to be seen in public but not at a fashion magazine. It takes no more effort to pull on a decent pair of pants, a nice fitted tee, and a cute cardi or jacket if it's chilly than it does to pull on sweats and a hoodie yet the person wearing decent clothes looks respectable and the person dressed like a hobo is sending out a message that they don't care about themselves or those around them.