Fashionable moms. Is that a thing? You bet your bottom dollar.
We don’t have to wear stiff business casual clothing anymore. All your professional wardrobe needs is a little creativity, fun, and simplicity.
My trick for looking fashionable and professional is that I have some go-to pieces that I dress-up with accessories. I have lots of black dresses, four pairs of the same black pants, and the same heels in two colors. Then I add in some jewelry, make-up, blouses, and blazers to mix it up and achieve the style I love. Find my three tips below.
1) Invest in a few (or more) black dresses.
I’m a sucker for an LBD. I wear them to work, events, and on a dinner date with my husband or the ladies. I’m a little black dress collector! I’m wearing the one below with booties because we were in Santa Fe. Someone once told me not to wear heels while showing homes in Santa Fe because it snows more, and there are some dirt or graveled lots. Before I got this great advice, I got stuck in mud and snow while touring new construction homes.
I do not have a link to this dress, however, any black dress that looks semi-professional will do. The booties are from DSW. And the necklace was $12 at Claires, believe it or not! And the package included earrings and a bracelet!
This black dress below is not the same dress as the one above. Told you I had a problem. To offset black, if it feels a bit drab, shoes, lipstick, or jewelry will be your best bet. When we lived in Texas, I coined the title, The Red Lipped Realtor, and boy does it still ring true.
Two other Margo fashion staples to pair with my little black dresses are turquoise jewelry and red high heels. The necklace in the photo below is sold at Chaco Canyon Trading. But I linked to the Instagram page that showcases all of their items. These are precious and rare pieces that they carry and are local to New Mexico. Go follow Turquoise Tuesday and inquire about each piece as they do tend to sell out quickly. And the lipstick is Blu Red from LipSense.
2) Find a pair of perfect-fitting black pants and buy multiple pairs.
If it isn’t a black dress, it’s a pair of well fitting black pants. Am I predictable, or am I predictable? Goodness gracious. But as my husband says, ” If it ain’t broke, Don’t fix it.”
These pants are my favorite pair in the world, so I purchased 4 of them on sale at $20 a piece! When you find a piece you love, stock up.
My mom bought me this blue blouse, and she knows my style. I have no idea where it came from, but it’s so cute and you’ll catch me in it often. I have a collection of colored tops and blazers to pair with my favorite black pants.
Recognize the pants in the photo below? Repurpose and reuse the business clothing you love.
Here are those pants one more time. My mom also bought me this shirt. Same pants, but different colored top. (This photo is pre-Covid hence the no masks.)
The black leather pants below are a little more racy. And I have two pairs of them. Talk about variety. One pair is from Express and one is from New York and Company. The blouse is also from New York and Company. My friend and fellow contributor, Cari Davis, wrote a whole piece on whether or not we can pull off these pants. The general consensus was, “Yasss, Queen!!!”
3) Find some great heels and buy a couple pairs in different colors.
In the photos above, I’m either wearing black or red heels. Guess what? They are both the same shoe.
The heels pictured are Jessica Simpson Cassani Pumps. I ordered them from Macy’s a while back for half price. That’s why I have them in red and black.
If you have struggled with being a mom, holding a career, trying to look good, and managing it all, here is a piece of advice.
We CANNOT handle it all, so keep your style simple!
I chopped off my hair that I loved, bought the same style of dresses, pairs of pants, and heels in several colors. I also have quite a few blazers in various colors.
Keep it fun, have a go-to look, chop your hair if your dare, wear some LipSense because it lasts ALL day long. And remember, we don’t have to lose ourselves in motherhood or in this pandemic. Whether you work from home, out of the office, or are a stay at home mom, you are important, and you are doing so much right now!
