As the Cookie Crumbles: The Disheveled Family Rescue Plan

Madeline Holler — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:00:00 GMT

I guess what's missing when the husband and I take our girls out is a "cohesive family look." What with the heat sensitive husband always in shorts, the cold sensitive older child in a hooded jacket, the color insensitive younger one in mix-and-not-match colors and patterns and me, mostly in jeans and a kicky top (usually clean). We've never thought of ourselves in that Von Trapp "we'll look good on stage" way. Once, we all accidentally wore green shirts to a picnic and felt a little on the silly (and/or Amish) side.

As usual when it comes to style, though, I was mistaken. The goal is to dress alike, especially mothers and daughters.

Thank goodness for the October issue of Cookie magazine. They tackle the challenges of raising a child as an accessory and give you plenty of ideas for ensuring your kids never come up with their own ideas on what to wear.

Let's start with this month's big event: Halloween. To get you out of your "lame" witch hat habit, you are encouraged to coordinate family costumes. So, if your son is dressing as Sherlock Holmes this year (what? Yours isn't begging you for a houndstooth cloak?), you need to go as Dr. Watson. Orange cat outfit for the little one? Focus all attention back to you and shimmy into a black shift and pearls. You're a dead ringer for Holly Golightly!

The monkey kid (looking less than thrilled with his round ears and peeled banana -- "but mooooommmmm! I want to be a Transformer!" ... "Shut up and get cohesive, son!") will be a perfect sidekick to your Man with the Yellow Hat idea. There's also Tinkerbell/Captain Hook and Bucket of Chicken/Colonel Sanders pairings. Cute, sure -- and you're the star of this show!

Wait, whose Halloween is it?

Next in mini-me stylings is the "Separated a Birth" section, this time with winter coats. Gorgeous wool coats for kids should match your own gorgeous wool coat (remember: cohesion). My favorite pairing? Mom's taupe tie-neck coat from H&M ($129) and a kid's Dominique Rouzier "recital coat" for $450 (oh, she'll wear it all the time!). That's the sign of a truly cohesive family unit -- a mother who shops discount so her daughter can wear couture.

So many lessons.

Oh, the shambles that is my uncoordinated, uncloaked family unit!

As the Cookie Crumbles: A Taste of the High Calorie Magazine

Photo: Cookiemag.com

Strollerderby : matching clothes

As the Cookie Crumbles: The Disheveled Family Rescue Plan