Yuppie Housewife Fashion

I love clothes. Shoes, accessories, beauty products, etc., you name it, I probably have an affinity for it. I shop and shop often (but I'm trying to resist the urge now that I'm job hunting.) In my various jaunts through neighborhood shopping areas, I have noticed the sudden sprouting of stores geared towards a particular woman: the yuppy city housewife.

Before I get into this, I have to confess that my husband thinks we're yuppies. I am in disagreement...so let's get on with it.

This woman is in her late 20's/early 30's, with one or maybe two children under the age of 4, who drives a VW Jetta, Land Rover or some kind of SUV. She has the latest in baby stuff, be it the sling/pouch, the hi-tech double stroller, or camouflage jumpers and tees for $70 a pop. She likes to meet other moms & their babies out at the Einstein's Bagels in the neighborhood around 10:30-11:00am when they've finally managed to wrestle the kids into clean clothes and gathered all their equipment. This woman is not shy about being loud, commanding towards her children, or taking up public space on the sidewalk and in stores. She believes that if you don't have a child, then you must acquiesce to her.

Contrary to the image of the housewife as portrayed by the tv show, Desperate Housewives, these yuppie women are not what I would call fashionable. Just as Phoebe on Friends described Pottery Barn furniture as having "no soul", I would say these housewives are fashion drones because they wear what certain retailers market to them as hip. For example, while I am a fan of reasonably priced clothing, did Anthropologie really have to open up right by my house? For those of you not familiar with the brand, Anthropologie is for women who want non-conservative, tasteful, stylish, maybe slightly bohemiam...shabby chic, if you will. We're talking from clothing, books, housewares, right down to the little bar of soap you put in your bathroom. Nothing is tailored just right, it all looks a little worn, so you don't look canned, even though you are because they are mass marketing these goods nationwide via retail locations and catalog. I won't be a hypocrite and say I don't shop at the store, because I do. I have bought several candles for gifts, but I can't bring myself to love the clothes. Everything is laid out so you as a shopper do not have to do much thinking. You can pick up several items on the same table, rack and get an outfit out of it. We're talking quirky colors & prints, cuts, and materials. And because it's shown together, you think, "this must look good!" Despite my beef with the concept, the store, having only been open for 2-3 months, is doing spectacularly because of all the yuppie housewives patronizing it daily.

I'll give these women Anthropologie; they are attempting to look good, trendy even. However, I cannot excuse the ones who dig the frumpy sections of the department stores. My friend, Jen, recently got as a Christmas gift, something from the Karen Kanesection of Nordstrom. She was aghast, and so was I. Jen is a very stylish person, with a slant for European design in her clothes. I believe what she received was this odd peasant skirt which...I don't even have words for. Can anyone look good in this? I also take issue with the other items being shown, such as the crewneck mesh tee, the paisley faux wrap top, and the long denim skirt. What I find disturbing is that the target audience (aka our yuppie housewives) are being told it's ok to put all these "trends" on, often at the same time. That faux wrap top looks like someone threw up on it, and nobody, unless you are an anorexic 20 something could possibly look flattering in that denim skirt. If even the model looks crappy, why would our everyday shopper look any better?

IF you are a housewife with child(ren), looking find some stylish pieces or flirt with the latest trend, but not spend a fortune on clothing & accessories---I beg you to look at H&M, the soon-coming Zara, and the specialty designers for Target (ie. Tara Jarmon, Behnaz Sarafpour, Isaac Mizrahi). All three stores carry big trends of the day in disposable materials and a variety of cuts and colors, have many transition lines, turn product over quickly season-to-season, and won't break your bank account. H&M is also carrying some of their select, more timeless pieces in higher quality fabrics for just a fraction more on the price.