It's like she was reading my mind...

On the back of the current issue of my new favourite magazine Cookie (see Friday's posting on this), there is an Eileen Fisher ad that I've featured here.

Ever since I saw this ad 2 weeks ago, it's been staying with me and I go back to it again and again to look at it. It's like it's haunting me... ok, that's totally overly melodramatic but you get my drift. And I think I've just figured out why it's staying with me - it's because when I think of it, this is how I want to be dressing right now.

As Archer's getting a little older and a little wiser - not content with just sitting there and looking ridiculously cute - I need to revisit what I'm wearing during the day. I'm starting to understand more and more why new moms end up in Lululemon - because at one moment, you're rushing to get your little guy from his crib, at another, you're on the floor with him singing to him "I wanna be sedated" by the Ramones while shaking around looking like an idiot to everyone else but him.

You do that, right?

Anyone?

Beuller?

Ok, but you see what I'm trying to say. He's more active and this leads you to have to be more active. You need stretch, you need the ability to easily go from cold to warm, you need to be able to nurse, you need to get dressed in less than 5 minutes... but you also need to look, in the words of Miss Jay and Tyra Banks, FIERCE!

Ok, maybe not fierce (I take any opportunity to over-use that word - it works better in person though) but how about not doing the sweatpants thing? And Lulu, while good for working out (although you can get cheaper at Joe Fresh...), is becoming, like a Bugaboo and mom's blogs (I will only make fun of you if I can also make fun of myself), a cliche for the new mom. It's time to shake it up.

I've always thought of Eileen Fisher as kind of an older woman's line but then I saw this ad I decided 2 things: 1) she is clearly trying to market to the new mom, taking out a full page ad in Cookie and 2) in fairness, maybe I am getting pretty close to being an older woman which actually kinda rocks when you think about it.

But an older kept woman I am not and when I went to the Eileen Fisher website (http://www.eileenfisher.com/) , I a) loved a whole bunch of other stuff I saw and b) had a bit of a cry when I saw the prices. Decidedly not in the DM budget.

The essence to the clothes featured in this ad could become my new fall DM uniform and comprise of a few key items as I see it - all items that can *easily be recreated at a lower priced range and which you probably have in your wardrobe already:

1. Leggings - I would invest in both a black pair and maybe even a dark grey pair. Leggings are not going away (for good reason) so you probably already have some but if not, look for leggings that are totally opaque and have a nice weight to them. I saw some at H&M for $14.95 that would do the trick and these ones for $24 at Urban Outfitters also look like they'll do the trick.

2. A Loose, longer tank top in various colours - If you're just going to wear leggings, you need a longer tank and unless you have totally lost all of your baby weight (in which case I totally hate you), you also need a looser one. And yes it's fall and getting colder but I am finding myself overheating all over the place so being able to strip down in a hurry is a definite plus for me. Don't just look for cotton tanks - this is good for around the house but look for a rayon or dare I say silk tanks to dress you up a little when you go out. The EF ad features a gorgeous deep cranberry silk tank that I'm sure you could recreate at a lower price but I recently bought this tank at Urban in a salmony pink colour that looks great both dressed up and down.

3. A long, drapy, cardigan sweater - Again look for longer and loose. You'll probably need a neutral - the dark grey one in the EF ad looks great but branch out into some great fall colours too. I saw one for $29.95 at H&M in an olive green which I loved. Aritzia always does these sweaters but they are a little more of an investment so you might want to wait for a sale.

3. A belt - If you're going for an embellished tank like the one featured above, keep the belt simple (or skip altogether) but I love a thicker grommeted belt for an outfit that is otherwise simple and plain. Actually I love all things grommeted right now. I don't know what it is. I just do. Don't judge. And really, when you go to Walmart to go grocery shopping and you see a fabulous grommeted belt for $16.95 like say the one pictured here (I don't know how that ended up on my kitchen table with my hands in the picture... really I don't), how can you resist? Wear a thicker belt like this over your sweater - on your hips or at or above your waistline as you like. If you don't like a thick belt, I also love a long thin belt that wraps around you twice under a sweater just loose at your waistline.

Don't go overboard with accessories but I love a chunky scarf around your neck for when you go out into that cold and crisp fall day...

Easy peasy right? And for further evidence that Eileen and I are on the same page, check out her website. There's a section that talks about how to put together basic pieces so you can get dressed in 5 minutes - which you'll need to take advantage of once you have spent hours playing with that website!