27 Jul 2010

Fashion on the Hill: MOTHs Find a Good Fit at Nordstrom

Uploaded to Flickr by the State Library of New South Wales collection's photostream

Uploaded to Flickr by the State Library of New South Wales collection's photostream

A couple months ago Anna Cranage Conathan, 37, went to a cosmetics trend show at Nordstrom. She thought it was interesting, but it  focused far more on luxury than practicality. It wasn’t for her, she thought, at least not where she is in life right now:  a work-at-home mother who tries to remember to brush her teeth before leaving the house and for whom luxury is, well, an uninterrupted shower.

Enter Nordstrom and Anna, Take 2. After extensive thought, gathering of feedback from mothers everywhere and a vision of getting excited about getting dressed, even if  merely for the playground, Anna contacted Nordstrom in Pentagon City.

The plan: a personal seminar of beauty, shopping and intimates fitting for MOTH (Mothers on the Hill) women this past Saturday where they could have the run of the store and its specialized staff for a couple of hours before the store opened to the masses.

The invitation:

NORDSTROM wants to put the MoTHs in “Time-Out” on July 24th. We’ve averted diaper disasters, brokered toy sharing on the playground, and concocted sleep solutions. We’ve brought home the nitrate-free, free-range, organic, farmers’ market bacon and fried it up in a Teflon-free anodized pan.Enough is enough, already, moms. Sip coffee and nibble on croissants. Relax, finish a few sentences – maybe even a whole conversation – then sit back and let the talented stylists and department specialists reacquaint you with the store, introduce you to some of the time-saving, complimentary services you may not be familiar with and present you with simple, stylish solutions to help make your fast-paced maternal life easier.

After a brief, entertaining presentation you will be free to schedule an appointment with one of Nordstrom’s complimentary consultants, or maybe pop down to the Beauty Department for a little eyebrow touch-up or make-up refresher, and there’s always the option of browsing (ah, browsing, the hobby of the carefree and childless…) around the practically empty store which will be filled with sale items from Nordstrom’s famous Anniversary Sale.

“I thought about what a show ‘for me’ would look like. One that incorporated convenience, ease, speed and pleasure into the shopping experience. One that showed me how to dress my post-baby body type…To remember that taking care of myself is of great import and doesn’t make me a Bad Mom. Then I realized there are other moms who feel exactly the same way,”  said the part-time screenwriter and former stand-up comic by way of L.A. and New Hampshire.

About setting up Nordstrom, Anna noted, “it was like setting a couple up on a date: I really led with the whole–here’s this group that has a need but doesn’t have time to serve themselves correctly…We should be able to look good. We ask in return ease, convenience, speed, professionalism, knowledge of what it is we need.”

What they needed were clothes that fit all their newly-morphed, not quite yet accepted body parts.

“After kids, everything changes, feet, boobs, waists, stomachs, butts,” she explained. Moms on Hill are generally in their mid-30s to mid-40s. We don’t want to look like, “we robbed a teen wearing clothes from H&M, nor do we want to look like a Waldorf teacher or a Mennonite,” Anna said.

Specifically, responses came in from MoTHs looking for:

*Anything I can wear to the park, then accessorize, change shoes, and go out looking respectable if I have to be seen elsewhere.

*The Third Piece – Something to wear over tops (little sweater, light jacket, etc.) so that I don’t look like a college kid trying to show off her boobs.

*More “looks” to see how things could go with other stuff you’re buying, or pieces you already have. “This lovely blue-green scarf goes nicely with this printed dress, but it’s also terrific with a white Oxford and jeans, or try it with capris or a denim miniskirt.”

* Elastic waistband skirts that don’t look like yoga-wear or bag lady wear. Something comfy (cotton or jersey with a touch of spandex) yet flirty & feminine. “Run-around skirts” you can do errands in but also dress up with a blouse and necklace and wear to work.

*New lingerie. Because, similar to the state of my shoes, my bras and underwear are ridiculously out of proportion, and just plain wrong. (If only L.L. Bean made bras & underwear!)

“It was such a fun event,” Kai told me over the phone from Nordstrom, calling the MOTHs there a “neat group” of “interconnected” women. There were about 56 people there, and about seven Nordstrom staff, from top-flight beauty stylist Diana Burgess, to a jeans expert to an expert lingerie person, he said. The personal stylist, did a little presentation on coordinating outfits called “Garanimals For Grown Ups.”

“A lot of fun and I hope we get invited to do it again.. I really had no expectations coming in,” Kai said. “The women were really excited about finding a bra that fit them properly…Right after the event, they were running upstairs, saying, ‘I have to get fit, I have to get fit…’ It was — funniest thing I have ever seen. It was the the coolest group of women,” he said.

Nordstrom Pentagon City can do this a couple of times a year, perhaps even before the holidays again this year.

Anna neither asked for or expected any payment or gratuity from Nordstrom and did not receive any.

Anna says she is particularly overwhelmed  by the other Moms’ responses. “It feels so great  to get emails from women that say they feel so good today,” she said. She apparently started getting teary-eyed recounting the happy women who contacted her  Monday morning, as she told her toddler that Mommy was crying “in a good way.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you!!!!! I feel like tomorrow is the first day of school with a new outfit (or 5) and a new outlook!,” one  typically enthusiastic woman told Anna. “The best news of the day: there are clothes out there that we can wear without looking like we are trying to compete with the ever so fashionable 18 year-old interns gracing our streets every summer and without resigning ourselves to the stereotypical “mommy pants” that cover all aspects of flesh between your armpits and your ankles. We have real options! For instance, there is a jean brand called “Not Your Daughter’s Jeans” that creates the illusion of a tummy tuck and fanny lift, and, in contrast to the typical “mom jean,” the zipper is shorter than the one on your four year old’s rain jacket,” said Jessica Foley.

Another  woman who “ended up with a super cute pair that I never would have tried on if I hadn’t just asked for help,” said the best thing she got from the experience was to push back, and ask for more, ask for help, and expect more.

Indeed, the MOTH listserv was lit up with delighted women, who had great new shoes, who had sizzled their AmEx cards, who got just the right fit, who learned to be frank about their budgets and tell the sales people their needs, and who mostly had a wonderful time.

“At the end, Anna took the stage one more time, with tears in her eyes, to remind us that we really do matter. Even though our kids, husband, pets, house, and work usually take priority, we need to take some time to do something nice for ourselves every now and then…It was a very emotional ending and sniffles could be heard around the room. I’m pretty sure the make-up consultant could figure out who didn’t own waterproof mascara!,” Foley said.

Anna gave  Nordstrom further Mom-friendly props for the fact it validates parking, will clean that khaki canvas bag for free should your child besmirch it, and cleans jewelry.

As for Anna, she told the salesperson she was not going to spend more than $300, and didn’t.  “Everything she pulled for me was on sale,” she said. She bought  casual clothes, including a pair of jeans, pants, a pair of shorts. “I went in and said, I’m heavier than I want to be — if we (as Moms) are waiting to get to a certain weight and  I am waiting to buy cloths, we are not being kind to ourselves.”

“I am building a relationship with this person–she knows my sizes, what I like. I can go down there and be served in 45 minutes and get a dress for an event now… if you have a relationship with that person,” she added.

Besides a possible pre-holiday session, Anna and Kai are  also talking about throwing a similar event for the DoTHs.

“I’m already brainstorming on what it would take to get men psyched about an event that centers on clothes. I’m thinking bourbon tasting. In a bar. Clothes as a side dish,” Anna said.

What perhaps made it special for the Moms was that even as many women realize  they can reclaim their bodies after  giving birth and tending to young children, in time, this group of women did it together, as a sort of sisterhood. Side dishes, indeed!

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3 responses to “Fashion on the Hill: MOTHs Find a Good Fit at Nordstrom”

  1. S says:

    Wow–this event was SO amazing. I was crying along with Anna–first with laughter, because she is SO hilarious (not surprised to read she was a stand-up comic and screenwriter); and second because I felt emotional along with her–I no longer felt like a frumpy, dumpy, lumpy mom is clothes that really don’t fit my style, aesthetic, etc. just because they were the few things I found at H&M or Loft that fit and didn’t look god-awful. Thanks, Anna–I will be sure to hit the next one too–and I have my stylist, Tiggy, on speed dial now!

  2. Jenn Bussell says:

    Sounds like a great event! If you’re looking for a fabulous personal stylist who has significant experience working with young mom’s on and off the Hill, check out Wardrobe 180° and give me a call!

    Cheers.

    Jenn Bussell
    Owner, Wardrobe Stylist, Personal Brand Coach
    Wardrobe 180°
    wardrobe180.com

  3. Jenn Bussell says:

    Sounds like a great event! If you’re looking for a fabulous personal stylist who has significant experience working with young moms on and off the Hill, check out Wardrobe 180° and give me a call!

    Cheers.

    Jenn Bussell
    Owner, Wardrobe Stylist, Personal Brand Coach
    Wardrobe 180°
    wardrobe180.com

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