Looker Moms

I hadn’t been around for some time, I hope some of you missed me:)

In my opinion, most of our office clothes budget should be spent in tops. Tops are what people see and remember, and should be special, elegant and high quality.

You always need button shirts, at least 3. I suggest light colors, especially white and light gray or beige. Button shirts do not have to be classic and boring, check out this one from Gap European collection.

Cardigans are great office picks, plus they keep you warm when the air conditioner is working.

I love soft fabrics like satin and silk, but they’re hard to handle. Not recommended for daily use, keep one or two for special events. Instead, try this kind of top, made of cotton fabric.

Pants do not stand out as much as tops, so you can buy relatively low-priced pants from stores like Gap, Old Navy, etc… the most important thing here is that they sit well on your body. I have pants in all neutral colors, 5 in total: black, gray, black with gray stripes, brown and beige

First of all, all moms are working moms. Raising children at any age is far from being a walk in the park, and many stay-at-home moms also carry the burden of most of the housework. However, we would like to focus a bit on office fashion, for those of us who have to dress to impress in 10 minutes max.

Let’s start with how to plan your budget for your basic office wardrobe. We made a list of what we think is the absolute minimum for a daily wear-to-work, simple wardrobe. We wanted to list only items which we think are absolutely necessary, and of recurring use. Also easy to match, for those hectic mornings when you’re getting ready and making sure everyone else is ready too…

Our most heart-felt advice regarding office wardrobe is to keep it simple, and spice it up with accessories. It saves time, and encourages you to invest in high quality items that will be worn again and again, and will be always in fashion. Accessories bring color even to the dullest outfit, so you can still express your personality, with little time and effort.

This is what you will need as a basic wear to work wardrobe:

1. 2-3 button shirts, light colors
2. 2-3 nice tops, short or long sleeve. Avoid strong prints
3. 2-3 cardigans in black, grey and white
4. 5 pairs of trousers- black (2, try one with stripes), grey, brown, beige (not in winter, try light fabric)
5. 2 pairs of good office shoes – one brown, one black
6. 1 Jacket to match one or more pairs of trousers. (At least one suit, unless your job requires wearing a suit every day)
7. One nice coat, black
8. 1 skirt, knee length
9. Accessories (colorful scarves, earrings, bracelets, pins)

I was feeling a little photoshop-happy, so here’s what I came up with…

1. Eyelet Blazer from Gap

2. White Women’s Long Rib-Knit Tank top from Old Navy

3. Antik Denim Belt from Zappos

4. Lightweight flared jeans from Gap

5. Ruffle-toe ballet flats from Gap

6. Seed Bead Hoop Earrings from Urban Outfitters

In any case, what I like about this outfit is that each and every part of it is extremely versatile. I will build a series of outfits during the week, re-using some garments. I dress like this all the time, so I hope you like it…

In the pictures: Classic Boot-Cut jeans, $59.50 at www.gap.com