by Christina Bernice Butler

Created on: November 11, 2009   Last Updated: December 13, 2009

The fact that patterns in mothers' clothing rarely change is quite the conundrum. Who says mothers in winter are intended to wear ill-fitted jeans and over-sized sweats? Nobody. The key is finding where the balance is of practicality and fashion. For example, it is winter after all. A mother needs to be warm but the old-fashioned sweats that exist in every color imaginable should stay in closet for paparazzi days (when all you do is put up a ponytail and go out to run a quick errand, hurrying back to watching Lifetime; I call it a paparazzi day because of the many paparazzi shots taken of celebrity moms when they look like they are doing this very thing [

like Jennifer Garner]). The trend for clothing for moms in the winter has equal amount to do with practicality as with fashion.

Practicality:

You want your clothes to work for you. You don't want to swim in them, you just want to live in them. Moms already carry many extra items so pockets in their clothing can be of big help to the mom who doesn't want to carry an extra bag. Mothers need functionality. Too many zippers or buttons is never good but when kept simple and also when just for simple decoration, they can be good. Anything that makes a mother's life simpler is welcome. For example, the new hooded scarves are genius! They solve the problems that may occur with having to carry both a hat and a scarf, and, still having the wind hit all of the places between your crown and your neck. This link shows a Lands End hooded scarf for women in a bright red.

Low cut tops and tight pants are not practical, period, let alone for a mother's winter fashion. You want to aim to be covered and comfortable. A staple in women's fashion is leggings. Mothers can wear tunics, which are very forgiving, often cinching the waist and grazing the hips, or a short dress, which would do the same, with leggings. A casual look is to wear it with "ballet slippers." To be daring (and weather-appropriate), wear the look with boots, whether ankle boots or cowboy boots:

The main concept that I believe mothers should consider when shopping PRACTICALLY for winter clothing is quality. Honestly, you know you will wash a single shirt approximately ten times each week, from chocolate cookie smudges from your toddler's hands to colorful artwork from the (hopefully) washable markers in your pre-schooler's hands, so you will need to know for a fact that the integrity of the fabric can withstand such frequent TORTURE (to be blunt). The best fabrics

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