Three Late Spring Outfits

Sloane was born three-and-a-half years ago. For the first two years, getting dressed every day felt like a chore. For the past year, getting dressed has meant coming to terms with the body I have at 43, and figuring out how to make it look its best. But recently, I’ve started to like getting dressed again. Like I remembered suddenly that clothes can be fun.

Here are a few outfits that are exactly or are similar to what I’ve been wearing lately.

Girls Night. Paige Anessa Jeans // Ann Taylor Eyelet Shirt // M&S Air Yarn Jumper // Monica Vinader Huggie Hoops // M.Gemi Una Slingbacks

Last week, I had dinner with a former colleague of mine. She was the House chief of staff and I was the Senate chief of staff during the 2021 Legislative Session, so we are trauma bonded. It was just nice to be able to chat about work and family and politics with someone who is deep in the trenches.

We had a semi-casual dinner at The Montana Club in Helena, so getting dressed was a bit of a challenge. Montana is not a dressy place, so I tried to wear something nice that wasn’t fancy. I settled on a Me + Em broderie top from two summers ago, my favorite jeans, a sweater over my shoulders for a pop of color, and the shoes that are getting more work than a rented mule.

I chose the button up shirt from Ann Taylor, because, with navy trousers, it would be great for a casual office day. If you want something a little dressier, this Boden top is nice. Plus-size? Talbot’s has a navy option in plus and plus petite.

Also, I would like to say a word about these M.Gemi shoes. I would never have purchased these shoes in store. Suede? Slingbacks? M.Gemi gifted them to me, but they are my MOST WORN shoe of the spring. They are literally the perfect little shoe for dressing up jeans or shorts. They are so chic and unique. I love them. And the blue is the perfect not-quite-neutral color. I also like this light blue woven flats from Sam Edelman.

Zoom Meeting. J.Crew Collared Cardigan // Spanx Twill Cropped Pants // Mejuri Jojo Loop Necklace // New Balance 471 Sneakers

Something about a collared shirt just makes me feel dressed for work without needing to layer on a blazer or sweater. Plus, I feel like I can get away with way less makeup if my hair is done and I have a collar on. So I’ve just been doing cc creme, bronzer stick, and filled in brows most days.

I adore this striped polo cardigan from J.Crew, which also comes in a bolder color palette. It’s a little preppy, a little cool and works solo or under a blazer. I also love this one from Boden in a bright color palette. If you want something under-$75, Lioness has a cute collared cardigan, but you need to size up or it’s a sausage casing.

While we’re on the topic of J.Crew, they have a 40% off sale going on right now. So if you’re planning to make a couple of summer purchases, I would do it now before sizes become limited. I grabbed this super easy chambray shirt dress because it’s such a great throw on piece for summer, and it was 50% off, so consider me sold.

As for the pants, these are the Spanx Supersmooth pants. If you need white pants or white shorts for summer, these are my forever recommendation. If all of your male colleagues wear golf pants to work in the summer, these are the female equivalent because they’re super comfortable and they read more casual than wool trousers.

I wear sneakers most days when I’m not at the Capitol. I like these New Balances the best of any pair I own. They’re a cool Mom sneaker. If you want a sandal, a couple of my “cool Mom” friends are in these tortoise jelly Birkenstock-copies.

Family Golf Outing. Tuckernuck Sport Beatrice Dress // Chord Baseball Cap // Sunski Champagne Polarized Sunglasses // New Balance Spikeless Golf Shoes

Lastly, as we’ve discussed, Kyle golfs, while I pretend I’m serious about learning. (I am not. I am not good at sports, and this one is particularly unforgiving.) But Sloane likes to go to the course, so we will often book a tee time if we need to tire her out. She can run along the cart, take a few putts, and practice her course etiquette. (She uses her outdoor voice in people’s backswing.)

I don’t want to buy golf clothes. We’ve discussed this before. But Tuckernuck has all these great sporty polo dresses that work for the occasion. This one is probably my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. The red trim on the one in the inspo image is really fun.

Add a baseball cap and some spikeless golf shoes and you’re done. I love that these New Balance golf shoes look like all of my other sneakers. Adidas also has so many cute options.

Also, we should probably take a moment to talk about the sun. I was slightly horrified to see that booth and bed tanning is back. Apparently, the young ones, raised in the protective veil of SPF 50, have rebelled by deciding that aging skin and engaging in cancer causing behavior is a thing. I saw a girl on Instagram smearing beef tallow on her face for sun protection and I felt like I was watching a slow motion car crash. Sure, let’s bring skin cancer back.

I use Tanologist drops in my lotion and a mitt to get a little summer color. You can also add the drops to face moisturizer. I apply it when I wake up, let it dry for a bit, put my clothes on, drive Sloane to drop off, let it sit for two-three hours and then shower. I also find that I get better coverage if I apply lotion before bed.

Sloane inherited her Dad’s vampire-like complexion, so there is sunscreen everywhere in this house. She will apply the stick herself, so that has been my go to option for every day. We lather up with lotion if we’re headed to the pool or golf. There’s a big sale at Supergoop! right now, so you can stock up for less. I was importing spf from overseas, but after two shipments got stopped at customs, I had to find a domestic alternative, so I’m back in Suntegrity. NPR explains why foreign sunscreen is better, and I feel like if RFK really wanted to do something for the MAHA Moms and the rest of us, he could fix this problem for us.

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