Chic bedroom interior featuring a stylish clothing rack with cozy sweaters in earthy tones.
Family Life

The best wardrobe essentials for busy mums

I’ve been working with a minimal-ish amount of wardrobe essentials for a few years now and I’m loving the simplicity of having just my favourite clothes! However, I quickly realised that you need some essential pieces to get the best out of a capsule style wardrobe so I thought I’d put together a list of the clothing items I find super helpful when dressing with less.

Here are 10 items of clothing that make my all-time favourites list. These are the essential building blocks I use to help create my easy ‘mum-life’ friendly capsule wardrobe!

Blue Jeans

Where better to begin than with an everyone, everyday essential, blue jeans. I think you really would struggle to build a good ‘mum capsule’ without a decent pair of blue jeans, they just go with absolutely everything! The key to blue jeans is to find a shape that suits you. I particularly favour girlfriend style jeans, in particular I love the Chesham Girlfriend Jeans at FatFace. They are a super flattering shape and have a little bit of stretch in them to maintain their shape and at only £55 you can’t go wrong! An absolute bargain, 10 out of 10 Fatface.

Breton Top

Another well known mum item but really they’re a ‘mum’ item for a reason. Such a simple and comfortable t-shirt but so flattering. Make sure you get one with ‘hoops’ rather than stripes and you’re good to go. I love the ‘Ella’ Breton from Boden, comfy with the right amount of stretch. The Ella comes in several colour ways so there’s sure to be one (or two) for you.

Round Neck Cardigan

Buy a super good quality round neck cardigan and it will last you years and years. I wear mine with absolutely everything, buttoned up with jeans or as a cute addition to a fit flare dress. It’s an absolute must in my book! My favourite has to be the ‘Lulu’ cardigan from White Stuff. I’ve had one for years and it’s only just needed replacing. Loved it that much I went out and bought the same one again!

Dressed up-yet-comfy Joggers

I love the comfort of joggers, (particularly when I’m sat on the floor playing with lego!) but I’m not overly sold on the super casual vibe and that certainly doesn’t work for my capsule wardrobe. I recently added a pair of black ‘Explorer’ trousers from Sweaty Betty to my wardrobe and I’m really enjoying wearing them. They combine the best bits of joggers and trousers in one easy to wear pair! They are really comfy, they’re flattering, look a little ‘nicer’ than your standard joggers and are perfect for everyday mum wear. I’ve even worn mine to work and they passed the dress code test with flying colours!

Just a note on sizing here. I ended up getting the 27″ inch leg which is the longer of the options. At only 5’4 I generally don’t need the longer leg options but the 25″ pair where too short!

White Trainers

No mum approved wardrobe would be complete without a pair of white trainers. There are tonnes on the market to choose from but a personal fave are the ‘Campo’ from brand Veja (I have the super versatile ‘Platine’ colour-way). Comfy, stylish and earth friendly, what’s not to love? I have also enjoyed wearing the canvas ‘2750’ pumps from Superga in the past, they’re really nice in summer.

Cotton Shirt Dress

A year round option for me. Dress it up, dress it down, with tights or without. That cardigan I mentioned? A perfect companion to this dress. I have a cute floral number with a waist tie from Fatface, I love it and could not be without it. It can work for all sorts occasions, I even wear it to work sometimes. A particular favourite is the ‘Corby’ from Fatface. Mine is quite old now so they no longer stock it but the ‘Corby’ is beautiful and would work just as well.

Cashmere Jumper

You can’t go wrong with cashmere it’s cosy warm in cold weather and breathable when its not quite so chilly. Always looks smart and like you’re ‘put together’. I wear mine in so many different ways, simple with jeans, tucked into a favourite skirt or even over my lovely shirt dress to mock up a skirt. Pick a plain neutral and it should last forever if well cared for. The cashmere from Marks and Spencer is really nice, and affordable to boot.

Super Stylish Raincoat

Now we can’t forget the outer layer can we? After all, mums have stuff to do even when it’s raining cats and dogs! Whether the school run is soggy or you’re on a wet woodland dog walk you really need a stylish raincoat to keep you warm and dry. I always favour a fun bright one to keep me cheerful in the rain. My current one is a previous incarnation of the ‘Portwell’ at Joules in yellow. It keeps me nice and dry, is breathable and doesn’t make that horrid crunchy noise when I move around!

Cute Dungarees

I love, love, love denim dungarees (or any type of dungarees!). Mine are worn almost daily when the weather allows, I just can’t get enough of them. I picked a vintage style flared pair from Joanie a few years back and basically live in them (the only time they’re not in rotation is the three hots days in June we get every year!). A go-with-everything, mix and match piece. and really flattering on everybody.

They don’t stock my pair anymore by the looks of it but this pair look equally cute. You could try Lucy and Yak for a great pair too (I especially love their cord dungarees for autumn and winter)

A pair of high quality black boots

Last but certainly not least is a gorgeous pair of black leather Chelsea boots. These really are a key to my wardrobe in the colder months and work with everything from jeans to dresses. I love a chunky sole and heel to add a modern twist. My current pair are the ‘Esme’ boot from White stuff and are on their fourth year, they’re doing super well and still look great.

Honourable Mentions – seasonal pieces I love

Here are 5 extra items that are useful in my capsule wardrobe

Cute shirt

You can’t go wrong with a lovely shirt. Whether you choose a plain one or decide to inject a little pattern into your wardrobe it really is a great option. I find they work great on their own or teamed under dresses, cashmere or tank tops. All create gorgeous, timeless outfits.

Cord skirt

A fab autumn-winter addition, that looks great with a variety of top including sweater, jumper and shirts depending on the weather. Works lovely with the ankle boots and opaque tights!

Wool dress from Wool&

I couldn’t do this list without mentioning the fab dresses from Wool&. I truly adore these dresses. Made from Merino wool they are simple, classic shapes that work through the year. Merino is super breathable, soft and cosy but short sleeve version are great in summer too. I have a couple of these dresses but my favourite has to be the ‘Rowena’ in black. Check out Wool&’s 100 day dress challenge too; could you wear one dress for 100 days in a row?!

Linen Trousers

I love linen for the summer and linen trousers are a sure-fire winner to keep my cool and practical especially at work when I’m carrying tonnes of books, reorganising shelves or running a sing-a-long session for kids!. I have a lovely cropped pair from Fatface, so comfy and go with everything. They are a great ‘dress me up, dress me down’ wardrobe item. Mine are no longer available for but are similar to these.

A (boring) but essential plain t-shirt

I know it sounds boring but a plain t-shirt (I favour black so it doesn’t get covered in sticky finger prints!) is perfect when you have a limited wardrobe. Again a really good quality cotton one will last for ages if washed carefully. I really love the organic cotton from Colorful Standard and the shape is lovely. Check them out here.

I hope you’ve found this article useful. Would you try a capsule wardrobe? Do you think you could manage with just your favourite clothes? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Why not check out our article all about creating a capsule wardrobe for your little one next?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *