Laura Bennett discusses fashion and raising her six kids in New York
Former Project Runway contestant Laura Bennett is a busy mother of six, as well as a fashion designer. So, just how does the 44-year-old do it all? Parents.com sat down with Laura to discuss her parenting style to daughter Cleo, 19, (from a previous relationship) and sons Peik, 12, Truman, 9, Pearson, 5, Larson, 4, and Finn, 13 months tomorrow, with husband Peter L. Shelton, as well as her opinion on fashion for the pregnant woman.
Click below for excerpts of the interview.
Your life sounds crazy! How do you handle it all?
On a wing and a prayer! No, actually I am very, very busy — but organized. I have narrowed it down to a few projects, but large and encompassing ones.
How does anyone have time to be fabulous with six kids?
Part of it is illusion, but I also take time every morning to get dressed. It’s so easy not to do that when you are a busy mom. But if I take those 15 minutes I feel better all day long.
Women prioritize everyone else in their family and put themselves last. But if I take time for myself it can only be good. In the long run it makes everyone in my family happy because I am happy.
Do you have a team of people helping you every day?
I have two girls that help me. One has been with me for 12 years. If my kids wake up crying they usually call for Alicia. She comes in the morning and another girl helps me in the afternoon to bathe everyone. We powwow and figure the logistics every day. It’s all about the logistics. I also have a great husband.
Sometimes we aren’t on time or not at every practice and we get a lot of slack from our friends. If I am in a meeting and it;s running over, I will call one of the other moms and ask if she could pick up my son. I am not afraid to ask for help and I think that’s really important.
Women tend to get stressed out trying to handle everything by themselves. But who are you really trying to impress? I think a lot of women don’t ask their husbands for enough help. Sometimes it’s perceived that what they do is more important than what women do at home and that just isn’t true.
My husband is so great at helping me and I would encourage other husbands to do the same.
You seem so put together. Do you ever have days where you just wear sweats and no makeup?
I don’t have help on the weekends and sometimes if I think I am not going to be leaving the house, I have a pair of stretch velvet pants I wear. My nanny laughs because they’re sort of upgraded sweat pants.
But I think it’s a slippery slope. If I am dressed dumpy, I am going to eat badly and act dumpy. It’s such a simple thing to get dressed and feel better about yourself.
Most people couldn’t imagine managing five little boys in a New York City apartment.
We have a large space by Manhattan standards and we go out of town to a house we have in the Berkshires on the weekends to let them run around. During the school week they are so busy, it’s fine to be in the city.
You are in amazing shape. How do you manage that after all these pregnancies?
I’m a runner and like spinning. I used to preach that you had to make the time to exercise, but it’s been harder for me now that I am so busy. But I feel like if I can do it three times a week, it’s enough for me to mentally feel good and that’s what it’s really about.
Ever have mommy guilt about working so much?
As a parent I think that it’s great for my kids to see that I am taking advantages of all these opportunities. They have a healthy, successful role model. I love the idea that more moms are starting businesses and doing things for themselves. Women are amazing. Men could never handle all of the things that women do.
It never gets easier, but women keep doing it and take whatever comes. We need to do a good job as parents, but also have to be responsible to ourselves and live our lives to their fullest potential.
Do you have celebrity clients now?
Patricia Heaton has called me and I think she really related to my designs. I’ve designed things for Heidi [Klum]. Julie Bowen called me to make her some fancy maternity dresses to wear to events.
Are you still planning on doing a line of maternity clothes?
I have designed a maternity line, but I haven’t produced it yet because I haven’t found a home for it yet. But I am ready to go! It’s also focused on a bit more glamour.
What do you think about maternity dressing these days?
It’s changed from the days when Grace Kelly hid her pregnancy with a Kelly bag in front of her. I think if you feel good about your body you should wear more fitted things. I do think the bare belly thing is a bit much, but if you like something fitted and you feel good — wear it!
When I get pregnant I explode and feel like my butt is getting bigger and bigger, so I like those baby doll silhouettes. But these days I think anything goes.
Source: Parents
