*Disclaimer: Featured photo is by Kai Pilger on Pexels.com

Creating a mommy essentials wardrobe is the first step to reinventing your personal style. Having pieces that you can mix and match easily without having to think of it really is a dream when you’re a mom.

I’m so excited to start this project. Over the years I’ve accumulated clothes for my resort job. As a manager, I get to put together my own work outfits and working in a resort, I get to to wear colors and prints. Over time, I had “uniforms” because I would wear the same outfit over and over of course. But I don’t feel a connection to these clothes and outfits anymore. I look at them and feel sad because when I was buying them, I was really only thinking about work.

Obviously, I don’t wear these clothes anymore now that I’m not working at the resort anymore and have taken on the full time stay-at-home mama role (for at least a year). My reasons to go out of the house now are either to run an errand or go to the beach which really don’t require a full high fashion styling. BUT – and that’s all caps BUT – I’ve always loved fashion and styling, and I really do not want to lose that love because of the little time I have left for myself. If anything, I find this as a challenge on how I can reinvent my personal style that I feel confident in, connected with, and a look that I can put together effortlessly.

So I put together this thorough step by step guide on how to approach this project. I hope this will help you as well, mama:

1. Declutter Your Closet!

• Ask yourself this question: will I ever wear this? And be very brutally honest. If you hesitate a yes, remove it from your closet!
• Tip: if you plan to donate or sell your pre-owned clothes, make sure they’re still wearable!

2. Create an Inspiration Board of YOUR Essentials Wardrobe

• Taylor this to your needs, like for me, I made sure the pieces are breastfeeding-friendly
• Tip: Add the pieces you kept from your decluttering-the-closet process
• Tip: Mix and match the pieces you have on your inspiration board to give you a vision of how many outfits you can put together, have fun with this!

Here’s my Inspiration Board of an Essentials Wardrobe. I carefully curated the pieces that I know I would wear and would also be functional for me while I’m breastfeeding my daughter. I already own a fraction of this collection so it made it quite easy to put this together because I have an idea of what I will pair each piece with what.

Brands that inspired my inspiration board >> Banana Republic | Gap | Old Navy | H&M | Everlane | Madewell | ASOS | Target | Amazon | Lulus

3. Plan a Budget on Each Piece

• I recommend a budget on each piece to give you a realistic idea of how much you will spend to create your mama wardrobe
• Once you know the potential total amount you might need, you can then adjust as needed – I’m a budget person but I am willing to spend more for quality if it means I get to wear it more and keep it longer

4. Do Your Research Before Buying

• Read reviews on the products first, and also check out fashion bloggers and their recommendations before buying.
• KNOW YOUR SIZE. Every brand makes clothes differently so it’s so important to confidently know your size in every clothing item. Knowing your size will help you utilize the “size chart” or “size guide” tool most clothing brands have on their websites.

5. Build Your Essentials Wardrobe First!

• Mix and match to know her many outfits you can come up with your essentials!
• BE METICULOUS AND SMART about what you plan to add on. Always ask yourself – will this work with what I already own? When will I wear this? Really second guess yourself so you don’t end up having to declutter your closet again.

6. Don’t Rush the Project!

• Mamas, with the little time we have left for ourselves – after the babies, the partners, the chores, and everything else – take your time with this project. It took me a whole week to put together my inspiration board.

I’m already mixing and matching in my head, I can’t wait to complete this wardrobe! I did keep other clothes like dresses when I was decluttering but this guide is to create an essentials wardrobe so I have the basics I need.

I would love to hear from you on how your project is going! Let’s stay connected!

You got this, mama!