The Mom's Guide to a Working Wardrobe

Going back to work after taking time off to be with your children can be nerve wracking enough without having to stress about clothes every morning.

With careful planning, you can build a professional wardrobe that can get you through fixing breakfast, attending a school function, meeting a clients and organizing a play date in style.

The key to a hassle-free wardrobe is stocking your closet with a few key pieces that all work well together. This is easy if you keep in mind a few simple principles:

• Stay within a color family. When shopping for garments, limit your selections to neutrals (brown, tan, white), cool tones (blues, greens, grays) or warm shades (red, yellow, orange). Choose a color family that suits your skin tone, and do not wander out of it!
• Keep it solid. When you add stripes, florals, dots or any other pattern to a garment, you are limiting your choices when it comes to matching the rest of the outfit. Solids are classic and easy to combine.
• Go classic. Opt for traditional lines and styling over trends. Stay away from fringe, bows, plunging necklines and other details that will look dated in a few months.

Before you go shopping for your new work clothes, make a list of what you want and how each piece will work together. You may be surprised at how many options you will have out of just a few well-chose garments. The following sixteen pieces, for instance, combine to give over two hundred different outfits suitable for a business-casual office:

• Two jackets
• Two oversize shirts
• Two button up shirts ("Oxfords")
• Five fitted tee shirts
• Two skirts
• Three slacks

If each piece is within the same color family, solid and classic, you have the following options for combinations:

• Tee shirts alone (five)
• Button up shirts alone (two)
• Tee shirt under jacket (ten combinations)
• Tee under oversize shirt (ten combinations)
• Tee under Oxford (ten combinations)
• Oxford under jacket (four combinations)
• Oxford under oversize shirt (four combinations)

That gives forty-five different looks just based on your tops! When you consider that you have five different bottoms to throw into the mix, your working wardrobe is up to two hundred twenty five different combinations.

Once you have made your shopping list, choose those elements very carefully. Classic clothing can be expensive. Think of your purchases as an investment and consider the durability of each garment. Picking easy care fabrics will help you save time in the laundry room and money at the dry cleaners. Be sure that any pieces you buy are comfortable and fit well.

Now that you have your clothes in order, choose your shoes just as thoughtfully. If you have stayed within the same color family, you will probably only need one or two pairs of working shoes. If your clothing is in the neutral family, one pair of tan and one pair of dark brown shoes will blend with all your choices. If you worked with cool tones, look at navy and black pairs. If you opted for a warm colored wardrobe, a dark brown pair may be all you need.

Accessories can be a quick and inexpensive way of introducing some more color and even patterns into your look. A wild pair of earrings, prominent necklace or colorful pin can liven up any outfit.

As seasons and tastes change, you will have to supplement your wardrobe with outerwear and accent pieces. Keep in mind the basic principles - stay in one family, use only solids, and choose classic styles - and your clothes will stay coordinated, and your busy mornings a little less stressful.