I can't be the only one on YLF who has spent a lot of time thinking about what to wear to Disney World- or any amusement park. This post is for other moms (and non-moms, of course) who may search the archive for advice, like I did. Y'all helped with shoe suggestions when I was preparing to go about a month ago (time flies!), and I wanted to do a follow-up report.

We only went to the parks for two days, and it was in mid-October, so I wasn't dealing with super-hot weather, though it was definitely warm.

Clothing
I decided to wear BF jeans both days, and two tops I felt good in and that didn't need a scarf/necklace/topper. One happened to be a knit and one was woven. What I learned? Definitely choose woven tops! The knit shirt I wore is J Crew and I wear it regularly, and it doesn't stretch out much. However, after a day of running around, carrying my preschool son more than I'd like, getting wet, etc., it was stretched out and a bit frumpy by the time we went to a character dinner at the park. The other day, I wore a trapeze-style, cotton Anne Taylor (or Loft, I forget which) woven top, that was still cool enough for me, soft enough, and yet didn't bag out when carrying my son.

Jeans: On a similar note, I had bought jeans in a size-up recently, but wish I had worn my smaller ones to the park. Though they would have been slightly less comfortable in the morning (I'm between sizes, I guess), the rest of the day would have been more comfortable. With the humidity, running around, stretching, carrying kids, etc., even my jeans that usually don't bag out much (e.g. KUT) were baggier than I would have liked. This was exacerbated by the bigger size. The crotch of the jeans started rubbing on my thigh because they were falling down on my hips a bit. Luckily, I had the crucial Glide stick ready, and I slipped into the bathroom and applied it. No harm, no foul, but next time, I'll wear the smaller size.

Generally: When deciding on clothing, I spent a long time thinking about silhouettes, which I guess is what we all usually do. In retrospect, I wish I had instead 'maximized' on 'good color close to my face,' because ultimately I don't really care much what other families at the park thought of me. Most pictures were relatively close-up shots, and looking at the snapshots now, I would rather have had brighter colors near my face, at the cost of somewhat-less-stylish silhouettes. This made me realize that in general, I should make it a priority to get brighter colors near my face (for my coloring, obviously this is a personal thing). But, in terms of advice, I wish I had thought more about 'how do you want to look in pictures with your family', not 'how do I look walking across the park.' There were plenty of people there who looked nice, though there were plenty that looked not-so-nice. Even a bit of thought puts you well into the 'decent' category, so I wish I had accepted 'decent' and then focused on face-framing colors/collars.

Shoes
This was what stressed me out the most-- and as it turned out, I was fine. I probably overthought it. On the first day, I wore Converse sneakers (tied; I adjusted them to make them a bit looser 3/4 through the day) with an added Dr. Scholl's gel arch support. They were definitely comfortable, and looked stylish enough. I have no-show socks, so you could only see the sneakers. I am pale and have blondish hair, so my light-gray Converse are relatively low-contrast.

On the other park day, I wore a new pair of Toms (violating Angie's rule- I know!) with no socks, also in a low-contrast-to-me linen color. Toms start out super comfortable, but they never seem to last me more than a summer before I get leg pain. I bought a 'new' pair for the trip, but wore them for a couple of days at my office so that they'd stretch to my feet. I also added Dr Schools gel arch support, which didn't stay in place as well as I had hoped. (Next time, I'd bring double-sided tape and not just rely on the sticky stuff from the support itself.) I liberally applied Glide to my feet before putting on my shoes, and reapplied a couple of times throughout the day. Because they were new and because I added the gel support, they were sufficiently supportive. My feet were okay at the end of the day.

Each night, I made sure to rub my feet a bit and put on Cereve SA Foot Cream (it has lactic acid and salicylic acid in it), in an attempt to exfoliate and prevent calluses from building up. Not sure if that made a difference, but it seems like it did.

Ultimately, we had a wonderful time. I didn't expect to like the trip, but I actually can't wait to go back. Next time, I'll stress less about everything because I'll have a better idea of wardrobe necessities, and how things work (e.g. FastPasses, using the Disney app, etc. etc.).

Hope this helps someone in the future!
-J.J.