As soon as I think I have my wardrobe dialed in for one season, another season appears.  This year, I am skipping getting my winter wardrobe ready and focusing on spring.  And one of your fellow readers is way ahead of me.

Dear Abra,

I spent my winter in leggings and sweatshirts post-baby and I am ready to emerge from my cocoon with some cool spring outfits.  Have you started making a list of spring stuff yet?  Can you help me get started?  I saved about $1,500 for a post-baby wardrobe and I am ready to part with it.

Tasha

This is a great question.  First, congratulation on the baby.  I wish I could say I remember those days, but I’m not sure I remember them very clearly.  But I do remember that feeling of wanting to be reborn myself when it was time to venture out into the world again.

But before we get to choosing new pieces, let me caution you that your body may be very different now.  I am the same weight I was when I got pregnant, but nothing is in the same spot.  It’s very strange to have known your body for decades — what styles worked, what looked good — and then, you don’t anymore.  So I recommend going to a department store and just trying on a lot of things.  Nothing may work, but that’s the point.  Postpartum, you need to break down your wardrobe to build it up again, and it started from zero.  So that process has to happen before the shopping.

The first place to start spending your money is in the winter sale section.  February is a great time to be shopping for new denim, new cardigans and new basics.  So don’t buy any of this full price.

Nordstrom has over 800 pieces of denim on sale right now.  I bought these Claudine jeans, a relaxed ankle cut jean.  They also have a great pair of WFH pants on sale.  And if you’re in the office, this Reiss dress is sublime.  J.Crew has a lot of great, basic sweaters on sale.

Beyond sale shopping, once you’re done deconstructing your wardrobe and purging what doesn’t work, think about what you will actually wear.  I wear a lot of pants now, it’s weird.  I wore nothing but dresses for almost two decades.  But they fit my life better.

For me, I have three pieces that I’m searching for for the warmer weather:

First, I could use some fun outerwear.  I would another colored trench, since I wear my slate blue one so frequently.  I think I’ve decided on this olive Ann Taylor trench, also in petite.

Second, I need a date night dress or two.  My favorite dresses don’t fit anymore, and I can’t be fumbling around trying to find something to wear at 4:30PM on a Friday night anymore.  This Reformation dress seems easy to dress up and down, but I need to think more on the topic since Spokane is a pretty casual town and it may be too much.  I also really like this green wrap dress.

Third, I rarely wear button downs.  I tell myself that I’m going to, that they’re classic, that I should, but then they mostly sit in my closet.  They’re kind of the perfect thing for WFH, so I have made an effort to wear my chambray one more. But I spotted this great, oversized stripe one and I think it might be easier to wear.

So what are you looking for for spring?  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

{this post contains affiliate links that may generate commission for the author}