In the months following the births of my children, I was convinced that barf was the new black. I would spend most of my days in sweatpants, and any sense of fashion went out the window, along with my prepregnancy outfits. But as I emerged from the postpartum fog, one of the promises I made to myself was to try my best to maintain a “sense of fashion”— even when yoga pants were calling my name. Since then, as a rule, I try to avoid dressing in anything that can be mistaken for pajamas, or outfits made of material intended to wick away sweat. I want to dress like a Mom, without dressing like a Mom.

Nowadays I'd like to think I’ve found a style that is “stylish, but practical.” For me, that means I dress somewhat on-trend and still love anything wrinkle-free. When I do bust out "dry clean-only" items, it’s on special occasions or when I’m standing outside the 10-foot radius of a child. 

That’s why I was so excited to hear about Strut, a new runway show at last month’s New York Fashion Week that featured real, attainable style for Moms.  A group of Moms joined together after realizing that year after year Fashion Week only showed looks for 20-somethings or celebrities. These moms decided to show how women of all ages can still be fashionable!  The show featured a lot of different looks and steered clear of “Mom jeans.” Yes, having pint-sized projectile vomiters and stain monsters living under your roof doesn’t mean you have to give up fashion completely! 

What I loved most about Strut was that Moms of all shapes and backgrounds walked the runway, and the show was about encouraging and empowering fellow moms to look and feel good.

My favorites were two easy-to-wear and easy-to-wash (yes!) looks that Clorox sponsored:

Don’t forget: anything tie-dyed is great camouflage for spit-up!

Don’t fear the white shirt when bleach is your friend.

Of course, despite my attempts to avoid the slippery slope to 24/7 sweatpants and Mom jeans, there is one "mommy accessory" that I will never give up. Although it may never make it to Fashion Week, my custom-made macaroni necklace is something that I treasure, because it reminds me that I AM a mom.