The next Oscar de la Renta

I've already influenced Evan's (extremely varied, sometimes questionable) taste in music, and though I hope and pray he never walks into school singing, "Rain makes corn/ corn makes whiskey/ whiskey makes my baby/ feel a little frisky," the damage is done. I'm paying the price for not heeding the old "little pitchers have big ears" saying, and I'm sure the day is coming when I'll get horrified looks in the SuperTarget check-out line. But I never thought I'd influence Evan's taste (if you can call it that) in fashion. He's a boy, for pete's sake. Moms of boys know that for every 500 "awww!"-eliciting leggings, dresses, peasant shirts, ruffled skirts, and mary janes you'll find for little girls, there might (might) be one cute boy's shirt out there...but only if you look really hard.

So Evan took it upon himself to up the ante. First with Nate's shoes. Then with my shoes, gloves and hats, and even my sunglasses, if I wasn't looking. Apparently, that wasn't enough.

Evan's year-long fascination with what he refers to as "cool dresses" started with this performance on So You Think You Can Dance, a show we re-watch so often that Evan recognizes its name on the DVR recordings. I said something to the effect of, "Oh, what a cool dress!" That was it. And ever since, when we watch SYTYCD, I'm marveling at the dancing; Evan's critiquing the outfits. I guess I should be happy that there's one male in the house who actually wants to watch Project Runway with me, but I'm dreading the day when the Barbie exhibit at the children's museum packs up its stilettos and closes five months from now. Next to playing with the ball machine, watching the runway show in what Evan calls the "cool dress" exhibit is his favorite thing to do at the museum. Never mind all the cute little girls twirling on the mini-runway right in front of him--Evan only has eyes for the real runway show honoring Barbie's 50th anniversary last year during New York's Fashion Week, playing over and over again on the flat screen near the backstage area.

I have no problem with Evan's interest in cool dresses; I love having a son who lets me look at clothes, especially considering the coaching Nate gave him early on to "scream whenever Mommy goes near the shoe department." (Nice try, honey.) But the obsession with cool dresses has suddenly put a terrible strain on our water bill. Evan has always loved taking baths, and now showers. No one in this house has been able to take a shower solo since Evan figured out how to strip down by himself. He could be playing with his trains, watching Pete's Dragon, or eating an entire box of fruit snacks on the sly...but as soon as he hears running water and the zip of a closing shower curtain, he's hopping in right next to one of us for the duration of shampooing and shaving, and crying for more when the water turns cold after 40 minutes. This past Saturday, he took two showers and a bath within 10 hours.

But when he finally pulls his little wrinkled, raisin-y self out of the tub, he's happy again...because being wet means he gets a towel. (Oooh! The excitement!) And getting a towel means he gets to wear it around the house like a 1960's jersey wrap dress. In his mind, every towel is just one wrap away from a cool dress. Beige, green, blue, striped; fluffy towels and baby towels--he loves them all.

And someday, he's going to find some way to incorporate them into an uber-chic, ready-to-wear look, and he's going to knock Heidi's socks off.

Evan's Evolution of Style