More Affordable Summer Outfits For the Middle-Aged Mom

 

Along with celebrating my forty-something birthday this week, I did a little bit of clothes shopping for myself and also received some wonderful outfits as gifts.  Everything in this post is inexpensive, practical but still interesting, and most of it can be found at Kohl's.  Other than working on the color and cropping a bit from these photos, there was no touching up.  So these are of the real, slightly heavier than last summer, middle-aged me.  I try to keep it real on this blog. 

Hubby surprised me with the sundress above on my birthday.  It's been a long time since he bought me clothing that can be worn out in public.  He did an excellent job, I think.  This dress is Chaps and is found at Kohl's.  I love the light, flowing fabric and the way it feels on me.  I haven't had a long sundress in ages, but  I'll be wearing this a lot.  It will be perfect for an upcoming grandmother/mother/daughter banquet and a future baby shower.  On my feet are the same thong sandals worn last year from Land's End.

 

I found this plaid skort at Kohl's yesterday and paired it with an old white sleeveless blouse purchased at Target after our 6th child was born and I could no longer wear any of my size 4 clothing.  The white canvas sneakers are a couple of years old too, and I have no idea where I bought them.  The white reversible belt was also purchased at Kohl's, and the turquoise watch is Gossip brand and is one of those cute watches that you can switch the colors of the bands.  This just feels perfect for backyard barbecues and picnics.

 

This nautical jersey knit dress is also Chaps and from Kohl's.  I like it because it's a bit thicker than a lot of the t-shirt or polo dresses in the stores today, and it's also not too clingy.  The horizontal stripes do make me look a little wider than I'd prefer to be, but that's a good motivator to keep me running.  There's just a hint of red at the button line, so I switched the watchband to a red leather one.  The white sandals are the same ones as last year and are from JC Penney.  Great for shopping, casual dinners, and carting kids to summer activities.

 

Now that I'm attempting to train for a 5K next spring, I was in dire need of some running clothes.  My husband found some great stuff at Kohl's.  Along with some sports bras (which you will NOT see me in), he also found these Fila running capris that have this nifty pocket in the side for my cellphone.  That comes in handy since I use it to track my time, check my heart rate, and have it on hand if I should ever come up against a bear in the woods and need some saving (yes, this has happened before.)  I raided my kids' drawers for the running pullover in the photo so you wouldn't see the sports bra.  And the Nike sneakers were found for a steal at Macy's last week.  No need to explain where I'll be wearing these, and I try to never run errands in my spandex or yoga pants.

So this concludes my new summer finds that didn't break my budget and that aren't too young and hip or too grandmotherly either.  The weather was not cooperating during this mini photo shoot.  It poured down rain and blew all over the porch, and it was only about 55 degrees.  I coerced my teenagers to take the photos, and years from now I'm sure I'll hear about how much they hated being my personal fashion photographer.  But I just can't get the selfie thing down, and this is one of the advantages of having a large family.

What do you know?  The sun is peeking out, and it's time to pick up my younger ones from their very last day of school for the summer.  Woohoo!

Casual Summer Attire for a Middle-aged Farm Mom

Now that I have hit my mid-forties, I find it increasingly more challenging to find clothes that fit my lifestyle, personality, and my changing body.  The past two summers, however, I have been pleased to find a number of fashion pieces that are easy to mix and match, are versatile and comfortable, and don't cling to my middle or hang like a tent.  I know that JC Penney is not the store of choice for preppies, but it just so happens that the majority of my fashion finds for this post came from there.  In the rural area where we live, our choices are limited, and when I needed something in a hurry, Penneys rarely let me down.  So far, these items have held up well through many washings and line drying in the summer sun.

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T-shirt: St. John's Bay from JC Penney; Crop pants: J. Crew from local thrift shop; Reversible Belt: Talbot's; Leather Sandals: Land's End

Brightly colored t-shirts and cropped pants or capris take me from our farmhouse to the grocery store to a picnic at the park with our children and friends.  My only problem is finding crops that are the right length.  These are petites and are still a bit long.  Although, I bought them from a thrift store, so maybe they're not meant to be cropped at all!

Dress: Studio One from JC Penney; Sandals: Pesaro bought many years ago from ?

Even though this dress has 3/4 length sleeves, it is lightweight enough to wear in the summer.  I love the way it hangs, and it's incredibly comfortable.  I think it's versatile enough to wear to Mass or shopping or to volunteer at the children's school.  I will probably wear it into early fall with a pair of low-heeled black pumps.

Blouse with attached camisole: Liz Claiborne from JC Penney; Skinny ankle jeans: ana from JC Penney; Wedged sandals: Yuu from JC Penney

This blouse is so flowing and breezy, and it has an attached matching cami underneath.  Since it is quite loose and long, I prefer to wear it with something more fitting on my legs.  These white jeans can be worn folded up or unfolded down to the ankle.

Sleeveless blouse: Liz Claiborne from JC Penney; Crop pants: J Crew; Thong sandals: Land's End

These are the same crop pants worn with the t-shirt above, but they're a bit more dressed up with this blouse.  I can wear this to run errands or have a casual lunch with a friend or just sit at home and blog.

The sterling silver necklace in these photos is from Silpada, and the Citizen watch was a gift from my husband from years ago.