A Superhero necklace would look terrific with that outfit!
Upload your photos to The Working Closet group pool here at WIM by MIDNIGHT on Sunday, September 30 (THIS SUNDAY, PEOPLE!) to be eligible to win the Superhero necklace of your choice. ONLY photos posted at WIM are eligible; every photo you add to the pool equals one entry in the drawing (post one photo, your name goes in the hat once, post ten photos and it goes in ten times, and so on). Drawing will take place on Monday, October 1, and the winner will be announced RIGHT HERE on Tuesday, October 2.

Lessons from the Flickr pool.
This month I learned that I wear a lot of black, which surprised me because I don’t think of myself as someone who wears a lot of black. But it’s hard to argue with four weeks worth of photographs.

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Molly has a question:

I always love clothes and shopping, but I’m really obsessed right now because (1) it’s fall, and I love the back to school thing, and (2) I’m getting ready to go back to work part time in the next couple of months.

I’ve gotten rid of a lot of my work clothes, so I’m going to need to get some things. Tell me what new clothes to buy for work! What should someone who has been wearing t-shirts and capris or khakis for the last 3.5 years start with?

The first step when you’re moving from the Mom Uniform to the Office Uniform is to look at what you already have in your closet. Even if your place of business is dressy, there are probably pieces–nicer tees or sweaters or a skirt or two–that can be mixed and matched with some new things to give you a good start on getting dressed. And of course, this is a good time to clean out the closet and get rid of things that aren’t working, to give you more room for the things that ARE.

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Have you joined The Working Closet Flickr pool? You really should, not only because these women are smart and funny and so very nice, but because it’s a chance to see what real women are wearing and how they are really getting it right.

What do I mean? Well, let’s see.
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Today we have two questions about shoes, and an announcement about the contest. Let’s start with the shoes, shall we?

I have a question for you. What to wear with the cute mary janes in the shoe stores for fall. I’m lusting over some brown suede ones but I don’t have a clue as to what to wear with them. I work in a very casual office so I’m in mostly jeans and kahakis. I’m thinking they would work with both of them but would I wear hoses with them? (please say no!!) socks? or just go bare? I’m in the south so that would work for a while but eventually even in South Carolina we do have winter.

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Shelly

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Actual things people have said this week in the comments on your Flickr photos:

“I’ve got to get myself more Aerosole shoes.”

“Some days, the only thing keeping me from hopping on a plane back to the States is that there’s an H&M on every corner in Germany. That, and the preponderance of ZARA stores.”

“You dress the way I’d like to, if I were an actual grownup.”

“This looks like a catalog photo. You seriously should frame this photo and put it on your husband’s nightstand.”

“I taught English as a Second Language in China for a year when I was 23. I was only the American woman in a city of four million. And then I was mugged. And then I was almost deported. And then I bought a lot of jewelry. And then I moved to Alaska, back to New York, met a Canadian, got married and landed in Toronto. The end.”

“This whole project has made me think more when I’m getting dressed.”

I hope you all are enjoying the Flickr pool; I certainly am. I love seeing your faces and your outfits and learning more about you. And I thank you, from the bottom of my fashionista heart, for your kindness and incredible effort this past week.

Only three more weeks to go! You can do it.

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It’s still hot here in Oklahoma, despite the fact that, as my five-year-old announced this morning, “It’s not summer any more!” I have a few weeks (like perhaps six) before I will really be able to get out my fall duds, but it’s never too soon to start thinking about cleaning and storing summer clothes.

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Britney Spears poses for the September cover of Allure

Tomorrow is September 1, which means that it’s time to start showing us what you’re wearing to work. I hope it will be a shirt and some pants that fully cover your backside. Unless you’re Britney, and then I guess you can wear whatever you like.

I’ve been getting a lot questions about The Working Closet Flickr pool, so I thought it would be worthwhile to take a minute and address some of them. Are you ready? Okay then!

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I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two weeks getting my sons ready for their first day of school (which is TOMORROW, don’t hate me please). This year, my seven-year-old will wear a uniform for the first time, so his closet is currently neatly hung with white polo shirts and navy chinos and shorts. He also has to wear a dress shirt and tie to Mass on Thursdays, which is simultaneously the cutest thing EVER and a little bit heartbreaking.

My baby! In a TIE! Thank god it’s a clip on.

Back-to-school shopping was always one of my favorite things as a child, and even now, the start of school gets me thinking about what I need for my own fall closet. This fall, I am coveting a few things: a swingy trapeze jacket, an everyday black dress, and a bright cheery tote. But before I bring any of those things home, I need to clean out my closet and assess what I already have. I try to adhere to a strict one in, one (or two) out policy, both to keep my clothes from overwhelming me and to prevent my wardrobe from looking dated.

So this week, after the kids go back to school, I will be emptying the closet and trying everything on. And photographing it for your entertainment.

Which brings me to The Working Closet Flickr pool. Starting September 1, I challenge you (yes, all of you! including you in the back there) to share photos of what you are wearing every day. Or every weekday or work day or every day that you can find the camera and get someone to take your picture. Tell us whatever seems relevant about your outfit–where you got it, why you chose it, what you like (or don’t like) about it. Photograph your clothes on you or on the hanger; shoot your entire outfit or just a specific item or detail. Share as much or as little of YOUR working closet as you like.

Jacket and jeans from Old Navy, blouse from J. Crew.

The rationale is simple: seeing what other women are wearing to work (even if your office doubles as your kitchen table and your boss is still wearing diapers or napping every day) can inspire our own wardrobe choices. Fashion magazines are a wonderful source of information, but only if you’re planning to replace your entire closet every season. Seeing what other working moms are doing with that black skirt from five years ago and the ubiquitous jean jacket can actually be far more useful.

I promise to post a photo every day in September; after all, as a freelance writer, every day is pretty much a work day for me. Take some time in the next couple of weeks and get your closet ready. And then, for one month, show us what you’re wearing to work. And yes, I mean YOU in the back. Come on–you know you want to.