Can DIYers dress fashionably? I tried; you decide

Livin’ the life of a stay-at-home mom, DIY blogger and National Guardsman can be challenging. After leaving the corporate world a little over a year ago, I now joke that I traded a white collar job for a blue collar one. Nevertheless, I love what I do, even if I have to break a sweat daily to do it.

One thing I miss, however, is dressing nicely for work. My current uniform of the day is often yoga pants and whatever clean t-shirt I can find. I knew things were getting bad recently when I received an unexpected visitor and I greeted her in a ratty tank top and paint-stained shorts. It was then that I knew I needed to stage my own intervention.

Fortunately, at Haven this year, I met up with some folks from Duluth Trading Company and they agreed to let me try out a few of their pieces (at no cost to me) in exchange for an honest review. (Don’t worry; there are goodies in it for you, too. Keep reading. ;))

Duluth designs tough, functional workwear that bends, stretches and flexes with you as you get down and dirty with whatever DIY project you’re working on. But they also make you look fabulous in the process. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

I chose to try out the Double Soft Henley shirt in Natural and the Bogey Windshirt in Cayenne.

(I apologize that these photos are not as crisp as I’d like. My photographers – aka the husband and kids – work for free and I take what I can get. ;))

Here’s what I think of the Double Soft Henley shirt:

1. I love that it has one color outside and another color inside. It feels heavy and warm. Most of the shirts I find in the mall feel paper thin and they shrink and lose their shape after one washing. Has anyone else had this experience?
2. It feels super soft and comfy and supposedly will not develop those ugly pills no matter how many times I toss it in the wash.
3. It has a trim fit without being tight. Duluth’s shirt sizes do seem to run a smidge on the larger side. I ordered a small and it is pretty roomy. (And I’m not a particularly small person. ;))
4. The thing I love THE MOST about this shirt is that it is 2″ longer to keep my backside covered. All the shirts out there that get short and tight after one washing? My sisters and I call them “baby tees.” And we try to avoid them. Duluth does not make “baby tees.” 🙂

Here’s what I think of the Bogey Windshirt:

1. It is lightweight but really does a great job of blocking the wind.
2. It has a drawstring at the waist and I love the collar.
3. It has zippered side pockets for your stuff.
4. It has a very soft, comfortable feel.
5. The color I chose rocks! The cayenne is perfect for fall.

Now for the best part. Duluth has agreed to give away a $50 gift card to one of you lucky readers so you can go “hog wild” on their website.

I’ll start the giveaway next week, so be sure to keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, head on over to Duluth’s website and pick out what you want. Right now, they’ve got the cutest flannel shirts with a microfiber shammy cloth sewn into the shirttail for cleaning your glasses. Love!

All you DIYers like me out there: Let’s stage a fashion intervention and quit walking around in public in all that paint-stained, holey stuff. What do you say?

Oh and for the record, yes I stacked that wood myself.