I think we can all agree that "momiform" can be a negative, goofy word, but the idea of having a basic ensemble that you can put on every morning and feel put together, whether you're headed to the playground, the grocery store or a work meeting, is pretty appealing,
Over the last few years, I've spent an embarrassingly large amount of time studying my wardrobe, flipping through magazines and studying Pinterest like it was my job, trying to figure out how to be happy with my closet and my daily outfits without dressing in things that are totally impractical for my real life or spending loads of time and money.
In the last year, I've finally felt like I've made some progress and most days (notice I didn't say every day), I am pretty happy about how quickly I can grab an outfit from my closet and feel great every time I catch my reflection in the mirror or a store window.
Here are my five closet essentials:
1. Shoes that lace or buckle. I feel like this is contrary to most people's advice for stay-at-home moms, but I find it so annoying when I want to walk the garbage out to the bin or go to the mailbox or run over to the school for pickup and I'm hunting around the house for my shoes that I slipped off who-knows-where. I'd rather take 30 seconds to lace up my shoes or buckle my sandals in the morning and then I'm ready to go at any moment.
Images via @historyinheels, @theladyjoules, @whitv
2. High-quality jewelry. I frequently hear moms say that they buy their jewelry at somewhere like Forever21 because it's so cheap and so it doesn't matter when their child inevitably breaks it, and I totally bought into this. But then I got a subscription to Rocksbox. At first, when the nicer pieces of jewelry showed up, I thought, "It will be a miracle if I can return this unscathed" but I quickly discovered that high-quality jewelry is—wait for it—higher quality. The three or four nice pieces I've received have been tugged and pulled, caught on a carseat buckle and worn by toddlers, and they haven't even thought of breaking. My Forever21 necklaces would have been gone in a heartbeat. These ones look nicer and last infinitely longer, so I end up spending less to look better. Win-win.
3. Non-T-shirt tops. I would love to be one of those women who looks effortlessly chic in a T-shirt and jeans, but inevitably, I look like a slob. With a nursing baby and two other little girls, my shirt is stretched out and saggy by lunchtime (a great look, for sure), and they fade in the wash and develop tiny holes at the stomach. It's just as quick to put on a button-down shirt or a real blouse and look put-together all day, plus they last much longer. They still go in the wash and most of them don't require ironing, but it's a huge improvement to my daily look.
4. A great pair of sunglasses. Keep all your brand-name makeup and give me a big pair of sunglasses instead (although I'd prefer both, obviously). They look chic, they match with everything and they cover eyes that woke up with a potty-training toddler and a hungry baby multiple times during the night. Between those and some lipstick, you can look like a movie star in 10 seconds flat.
5.A flattering pair of jeans. Jeans are kind of overwhelming because there are approximately ten million washes, styles, brands and fits. But if you have one good pair, you can wear them practically ever day, and in our casual world, most of the time you can get away with wearing jeans everywhere. A good pair of jeans makes every top look better, every pair of shoes look nicer and is a thousand times more flattering than the most flattering pair of yoga pants.
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