There has been a lot of chatter lately about wearing the same thing to work to reduce decision fatigue and whether or not women should embrace this trend. I was particularly intrigued with one woman’s choice of work ‘uniform’ and after reading her story, I began to think seriously about my own WOHM wardrobe. Do I waste precious time in the morning choosing an outfit? After I do decide, do I truly feel like my best, most competent self? The answer to both of these was a big yes, and then a big no!

My professional style has gone through a series of transitions, and each ‘era’ had a purpose. My very first role after college was middle school teacher. I absolutely embraced dressing with minimal fuss as an educator, as I wore an adult version of my students’ uniform most days of the week – khaki pants and a school polo which was either blue or yellow. After I transitioned to a role managing and developing teachers, but stayed in education, I expanded my wardrobe a bit with a new suit or two and some dressier pants. And while working in education in Cambodia, I dressed as my Cambodian counterparts did to assist with cultural integration – long, heavy skirts and a collared shirt, every day (despite the incredibly hot, humid weather!). Now, I work completely out of the classroom in a typical professional environment, but still regularly visits to schools for a variety of reasons.

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My work uniform in Cambodia.

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Last week, as I commuted into work and reflected on these series of articles about work wardrobes, I realized that I hadn’t paid very close attention to what I was wearing postpartum and, if I was honest with myself, I felt a bit frumpy. I think part of the lack of attention to professional dress was because I was (am?) battling the heavy weight of not being entirely sure I was completely happy working outside the home, away from Will. I think I finally got to a place where I can say I am happiest working, I love that Will interacts with so many people, and I am very unlikely to be a stay at home mom anytime soon. Once I had come to terms with this personal epiphany, I decided I wanted to dress in a way that reflects the professional, but together woman I want to be (fake it til you make it, folks!).

I considered what I feel my best in from my closet – sort of surprisingly to me, it was my most non-casual items like pencil skirts, trousers with a great fit and cut, and my dressier, non-cotton blouses. Armed with this info, I have decided to go whole hog and am doing a complete professional clothes overhaul with the aim of bulding a closet full of clothes designed to fit my new work style and chosen ‘uniform.’ I am going for a ‘classy yet fun’ feel and so will stick to classic, muted separates with pops of color and pattern in my tops and accessories.

I plan to edit my current wardrobe this weekend to weed out anything that even has the smallest feel of ‘frumpy’ and purchase a few new items to build out my new uniform. Mainly, I plan to buy a couple of great, well fitting suits, a stand alone blazer or two, and a dozen or so long-lasting colorful blouses to pair with the mostly dark (grey, black, navy) suits. I have a suit from The Limited and just grabbed a great one from Banana Republic while it was on sale last week, but I plan to look at a few more places to find the best cut for my body. I am considering some great separates from J. Crew – which is having a phenomenal sale, ending today!

For those visual bees out there, I have pulled together a little board of my new work style to keep me focused:

My-WOHM-Uniform

Navy lightweight wool suit from Banana Republic, including trousers, blazer and skirt / Cap sleeve blouse from J. Crew / Floral scarf from Gap / Leather belt from Gap / Tassel earrings from J. Crew

What do you think about the discussion  around wearing the same or similar things to work? What do my other WOHM mamas typically wear?