The Closet Coach

Real-world style advice for your frantic, fabulous life.

Sep 15, 2011

Site spotlight: Style as identity from BiblioMOMia

Amy of BiblioMOMia

This month in the Site Spotlight is Amy L. of BiblioMOMia, a style blog that proves that fashion, motherhood and academia are not mutually exclusive. (Smart girls love shoes, too!)

About Amy L.

I am a 29-year-old perpetual student raising an adventurous toddler. I live in a house inside of DC with my husband (The Doc), my son (The Pup) and my two wild pooches, and no one is more surprised than I am that I started a style blog.

I am working on my Ph.D. in literature; while I have spent lots of time in the classroom as both student and teacher, I just made the decision to write my dissertation from home full-time so I can focus all my energy on my ideas and on my child. I am an academic, I am a mom, and I love shoes – and many people seem to believe that those three things cannot coexist.

When I’m not writing, reading, or thinking about writing (or being distracted by my real life), I like to collect folk art and dream of travel. I’m also a master of the Crock Pot. I have also recently become a contributing writer for the blog Ain’t No Mom Jeans, where I’m doing a series on Southern Gal Style.

About BiblioMOMia

Academia, motherhood, and style are not opposing subjects. A major part of my identity is revealed through my clothing choices, whether I am presenting a paper at a national literature conference or taking my son to the Zoo.

The purpose of BiblioMOMia is to help myself – and maybe even other people – understand the foundation of these multiple re-fashionings of my identity. Clothing is an exterior marker of self–pretending that what you wear doesn’t matter (as both academics and moms like to do) ignores a big part of who you really are. [H: Love this! Love!]

BiblioMOMia is not an outfit-of-the-day blog, although I certainly post a lot of daily fashion choices. My larger interest is discovering ways to help women like me realize that style doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming or belittling, but that finding your personal style can be empowering, practical, and illuminating.

There’s a lot more to style blogs than “look at my pretty shoes” – how about the different ways that flats and heels are viewed in your profession, or what kind of shoes to wear in the snow in public with your toddler? I am a book lover who loves boots and happened to have a baby along the way, and I write about my closet in order to share stories and experiences from my life. That being said … “look at my pretty shoes!”

What She Writes About

This blog is the most intensely personal project I’ve ever undertaken. In so many other parts of my life, I find that I’m forced to be The Mom or The Scholar or The Girl Who Shops. However, none of those people are me, not all of me at least.

I have to crawl around the library stacks in heels, and I get dog hair and goldfish crackers in my cashmere sweaters, and I have a whole closet full of shoes. I have to find time to write at the same time as raising my son, and many of my recent posts are about discovering the tenuous balance of a work-from-home mom.

A main feature of my blog are my “Mom-ula” posts, or style formulas for fashionable moms complete with inspiration outfits – the concept is that every individual woman needs more than some type of mom uniform, but that formulas can still be a useful way to help you organize your ideas about getting dressed.

I also try to focus on the financial and emotional consumption aspects of fashion, and I therefore often participate in challenges that force me to stretch my wardrobe instead of buying something new. Poetry is known to creep in to posts, too, as well as ideas about home décor.

As a former ballet dancer, I’m also incredibly conscious of personal and social body image, and one of my main goals – for myself as well as for my readers – is to help every woman find their best version of what is beautiful, regardless of size or shape.

I try to be funny, I try to write from the heart, and I try to be real – many of my posts are inspired by questions from my friends, family, and readers, so please don’t be shy!

Her Favorite Posts:

[Site Spotlight is an occasional feature that brings you a new or noteworthy style and fashion blog or site.]

Share the love

Thanks to Amy for participating in this month’s Site Spotlight, and thank you for reading. Did you like this post? Please leave a comment or share it with someone else; just use the handy sharing widget below.

(Want to get more shopping tips and fun insider stuff? Join The Style List. It’s like a secret club in your email inbox! And when you join, you’ll get my free email series, 7 Days to Better Shopping. It’s my gift to you!)