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Hi Needlestack and other TradWives

I've been tweaking my personal style over the past few months and thought I would share my results.

Before I started this, I wore a lot of pants, gym wear and tomboy clothes - leggings, bike shorts, band/concert tshirts, etc. I started noticing my peers at the playground , also wearing the same, compared to older women you might see at the grocery store, who are much more put together. Even my mom still dresses well to do chores, with blouses and slacks. I started to become self-conscious because bike shorts don't convey dignity and when you compare modern clothes with what our grandmothers wore, we may as well be wearing underwear. Modern fashion, just like everything else it seems, is a race to the bottom. We know this and we can do better, so I set out to update my style.

I started incorporating more skirts into my repertoire, still wearing tshirts but now with a high-waisted A-line instead of pants. I try not to wear pants unless I have a flowy blouse. The litmus test on whether my outfit is appropriate is if my grandmother saw me in it, would she approve?

It hasn't been long but I'm really enjoying the challenge. I love it when my husband comes home and says I look great. And I should look great, it's the least I can do when he has to look at sweaty beer gut guys at work. When I run errands, people are friendlier and nicer to me. I stand out. Skirts are cool and more forgiving than shorts. It sets a good example to my children, who I am also trying to dress more respectfully.

I'm still stumped on what to wear for getting dirty. An apron works in the kitchen but what about when you're cleaning or going to the gym? I don't want to sweat in my nice clothes or scrub the tub in a skirt.

Has anyone else started dressing more classically feminine? How is it working out?