My 6 Year Old Stylist

When my now six year old was a mere 18 months old, she discovered a pair of red leather Venezualan leather Mary Janes in a bag of hand-me-downs. And like that, she was smitten.

She wore them all over town, to the playground, on picnics, and to the beach.  I turned my back to her blooming love for shoes. (First because I am a feminist and second because the crown jewel of my shoe collection at the time was a well-loved pair of pink Crocs. Yeah, the kind your toddler wears to jump in mud puddles.) I didn’t understand her budding interest in fashion and did a freak out number for a few months, whining to myself about my appearance-fixated daughter. But as it turns out, she’s not fixated on her appearance.

The girl simply loves fashion.

Over the years, she’s rubbed off on me and to my surprise, I’ve found that clothes can be totally fun! I’ve been feeling rather blah about my wardrobe lately in these duldrum grey days of winter so I decided to hand it over to my little lady for a week and let her style me. She was more than up to the challenge.

Monday: Aztec Bumblebees

When I checked out Fee’s picks for day one, all I saw was colors, layers and patterns, oh my! And then, she pulled out the skirt. A denim miniskirt that once fit me like a glove and now hung in my closet as a throwback to my pre-kid days. She wanted me to wear it, proclaiming it “totally rock star cool.” With a little extra tugging, it fit. It fit! I was thankful for all of the layers and found that once I put the outfit on, it wasn’t so bad. As the day progressed, I even began to delight in the whimsy of the whole thing. Plus, the miniskirt. It was badass. And I rocked it. Mommy style.

The Lowdown:

• Mama bird and baby birds necklace: Uncommon Goods
• Turquoise sweater: Goodwill
• Bumblebee top: Target
• Light blue tank: Old Navy
• Rockstar Mama Denim Miniskirt: Gap, circa 2001.
• Aztec leggings: Target
• Uggs: Hand me down from my sister

Tuesday: Shabby Chic Punk

Fee took a bunch of my very favorite pieces and put them together in a way I never would have. I’d previously only worn my Docs with leggings, fearing that pairing them with my skinny jeans may be a little too Iggy Pop for this mama of three. Turns out adding a floral shirt, my dear Aunt Norma’s sweater from the 80’s and peekaboo polka dot socks helped bring me to the current decade. “And the hair, don’t forget the hair, mom.”

The Lowdown:

• Polka dot headband: Kinney Drugs
• Shabby Chic Shirt: Bella Boutique, Church Street
• Sweater: Circa 1980’s, Aunt Norma
• Skinny jeans: Old Navy
• Polka dot socks: Old Navy
• Doc Martens: Stella Mae, Church Street

Wednesday: Cowboy Boots and Sequins

Fee initially styled this outfit for a date night. Sickness kept my hubby and me from going out so she suggested it for a mid-week bit of glam. I was definitely hesitant at first but wanted to give her the freedom to express. I got compliments all day long on this look and admit, I wound up loving it.

The Lowdown:

• Grey cotton button down: Hand me down from friend
• Sequined top: Second Time Around, Church Street
• Dress: Kohl’s
• Thick tights: Kohl’s
• Cowboy boots: My first ever cool shoe purchase since having kids. Some Western store in Greenwich, CT.

Thursday: Comfort Day

Fee recognized that since I had dressed up the prior day, it was time for something comfortable. Again, she chose some totally different patterns with a popping, colorful shirt and a striped scarf. But it totally worked.

The Lowdown:

• Striped Infinity Scarf: Old Navy
• Green sweater: Goodwill
• Mulicolored top and tank: Old Navy
• Skinny jeans: Old Navy
• Leather Boots: Danform Shoes, Shelburne

Friday: Anchor Your Outfit

I was going on an ice skating field trip and explained to Fee that my outfit had to be appropriate for the occasion. She dashed to my workout clothes drawer and pulled out a well-loved anchor shirt that I generally save for runs. “I love this shirt. Let’s design the outfit around this shirt.” Awesome, awesome, awesome.

The Lowdown:

• Anchor shirt: Second Time Around, Church Street
• Striped tank: Hand me down from sister
• Plaid button down: Hand me down from mom
• Skinny jeans: Old Navy
• Uggs: Hand me down from sister

Fashion Lessons Learned:

1. Don’t be afraid to mix patterns. Nervous about it? Pretend you’re modeling for Anthropologie.

2. Wear the skirt. ALWAYS wear the skirt.

3. Wear all of the shoes in your closet. If you’re not wearing them, get rid of them.

4. Have fun.

5. There are no rules.

6. Own it.