Life's Daggy Essentials

I'll start this off by saying that "Mum" doesn't need to be synonymous with "daggy", as most of you know because the baby booming Hollywood industry has seen the emergence of some truly stylish and "yummy" mummies. But on a practical level, looking fabulous with children in tow just doesn't work. Nice shoes aren't condusive to running after the world's fastest crawler and short-skirts-on-windy-days-while-pushing-a-pram-and-picking-up-a-dummy are great if you want everyone to see your faded black undies.

Quite a number of stylish wardrobe items have been put into storage this year. Short skirts were the first to go after the aforementioned undie-flashing incident. It should be mentioned that my cellulite is *probably* a little more severe than it was two summers ago, which may have also influenced my decision to wear jeans year-round. My vintage fur coat - where would I wear it? Bright patterned blouses would look fairly ridiculous at the local park and any material that isn't denim or interlock is likely to be destroyed by vomit and dirty little fingers.

That said, giving birth isn't a free pass to veg out in your trackies every day (she tells herself in the mirror each morning). It just requires a little jigging of style - you know, a wider range of converse trainers to choose from, an even greater number of jeans and a selection of shirts and jumpers that cover the delightful plumbers crack subtly revealed each time you pick up a screaming infant.

Still, I have enjoyed finally being able to embrace my inner dag. And when I say "inner" dag I really just mean my outer, real self dag I tried in vain to disguise in a former life. Finally, I'm out and proud. Daggy things I have welcomed with open arms include wearing joggers everywhere (and by joggers, I mean real Nike runners - everywhere), Birkenstocks (us daggy people think they're cool but come on guys, they're daggy), backpacks (so practical!), and caps. You know like baseball caps that say "Port Douglas - Paradise"? Yep, those.

But my all time FAVOURITE daggy item is my rain coat. While many of you may feel that rain coat is more in the "practical" and less in the "daggy" column, I have always firmly believed that Mountain Designs waterproof windbreakers are the epitome of dagginess, despite having always been desperate to purchase and wear one.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew the waterproof windbreaker was finally within my reach. As a mum, I would have a legitimate reason/excuse for wearing one. Finally, late last year, I purchased my very first one and boy, do I love it! It's everything I dreamed and more. Lightweight and comfortable, I can throw it on over anything and immediately be protected from wind AND rain. Gone is the cumbersome umbrella of old, replaced instead by an item that sees fashionable women of a similar age ignore me in the street.

My rain coat has been getting a good workout lately with all this rain we've been having, so I can vouch for its effectiveness. As for its style factor, well, I'll let you judge for yourself. Still, isn't it nice to embrace practicality?

Loving the rain these days

 Z xx