Going back to work after maternity leave is a big moment, and for a lot of women the wardrobe is where it suddenly feels real. You open the doors, pull out the trousers you wore before the baby, and nothing sits the way it used to. Or it fits, but it feels like it belongs to someone else.
If that's where you are, please hear this first: nothing is wrong with you. Your body and your days have changed, and your clothes simply haven't caught up yet. That's a wardrobe problem, and wardrobe problems can be solved.
So here is how I would approach what to wear going back to work after maternity leave, the same way I would in a session with you: practical, kind to your budget, and built for the life you actually have now.
WHEN TO SHOP (AND HOW MUCH TO BUY)
Timing matters more than most people think.
Shop a couple of weeks before you go back, not months ahead. Your body is often still changing in those first months, and if you buy a whole new work wardrobe too early, you may find half of it doesn't fit by the time you need it. Too late, and you're panic-buying online at midnight the Sunday before.
Two weeks out gives you time to try things on properly and return what doesn't work.
And buy few, flexible pieces that you can wear for months, not just weeks. I look for pieces that can evolve with you as your body and your routine settle: forgiving cuts, stretch fabrics and adjustable waists, so you feel like yourself on your first day back and long after.
DRESS THE BODY YOU HAVE NOW
This is the single most important thing I tell mums: buy for the body you have today, not the one you had before or the one you think you "should" get back to.
Clothes that pinch, gape or need constant adjusting will drain your confidence on days when you need every bit of it.
A few things to check in the changing room:
- Waistbands: sit down in them. If they dig in when you sit, they will dig in all day at your desk.
- Buttons across the bust: look for gaping. If a shirt pulls, size up and have the sleeves or shoulders adjusted if needed.
- Shoulders: get these right on a jacket and the rest can be altered.
- The size label: ignore it. Sizes vary from shop to shop, and how it fits is what counts.
FABRICS AND CUTS THAT FORGIVE CHANGE
When your shape is still settling, the right fabrics and cuts do a lot of the work for you.
Fabrics to look for:
- Ponte and good-quality jersey: smart enough for the office, soft enough to wear all day
- Crepe and viscose blends that drape rather than cling
- Fine knits with a little stretch
- Washable fabrics wherever you can (dry-clean-only and a small baby are not friends)
Cuts that work hard:
- Wide-leg and straight trousers with a high, smooth waist
- Wrap shapes, which adjust to you rather than the other way round
- Relaxed, unstructured blazers that give you polish without feeling stiff
- Midi skirts with a comfortable waistband
FEEDING-FRIENDLY WORKWEAR
If you're still feeding or expressing when you go back, your tops need to make that easy. The pieces I'd look for:
- Button-front shirts and blouses, ideally in a soft fabric that doesn't crease the moment you sit down
- Wrap tops and wrap dresses
- Separates rather than dresses, so you only need to deal with your top half
- A fine-knit cardigan you can wear buttoned as a top or open as a layer
Dark colours and small prints are your friends here too: they're very forgiving of the odd mark you only notice on the train.
SHOES AND BAGS FOR THE COMMUTE AND THE NURSERY RUN
Your mornings may now include a nursery drop-off before work even starts, and your shoes need to cope with that.
Shoes: loafers, smart flats, low block heels or clean leather trainers if your workplace allows them. Comfortable enough to walk in quickly, smart enough for the office. If you love a heel, keep a pair at your desk.
Sounds like you? Styling For Mums could help.
Bags: a structured tote big enough for your laptop, your lunch and, if you need it, everything for expressing. Inside pockets save you digging for your pass at the barrier.
A 12-PIECE BACK TO WORK CAPSULE
Here's a small capsule to start from. You may already own some of it, and that's the point: a handful of the right pieces goes a long way.
- Tailored trousers in navy or charcoal, high-waisted and comfortable to sit in
- A second pair of trousers in a softer, drapier fabric, wide-leg or straight
- A midi skirt with a comfortable waistband
- A button-front blouse or shirt
- A wrap top
- A good-quality jersey top in a colour you love
- A fine-knit cardigan that works as a top
- A relaxed, unstructured blazer
- A wrap dress or a button-front shirt dress
- Loafers or smart flats
- Ankle boots or clean leather trainers, depending on your workplace
- A structured work tote
Do the maths on the bottoms and tops alone: three bottoms and four tops (the blouse or shirt, the wrap top, the jersey top and the cardigan worn as a top) already give you twelve combinations, before you add the dress or the blazer. That is more than two working weeks without wearing exactly the same outfit twice, from twelve pieces.
If smart casual is your office dress code, my post on building a smart casual capsule wardrobe for work goes deeper into outfit formulas you can repeat.
PLAN YOUR FIRST WEEK OF OUTFITS
The first week back is tiring enough without decision fatigue at 7am. So plan it before you go.
The weekend before, try on five outfits and hang them together, shoes and bag included. Then:
- Day one: the outfit you feel best in. First impressions back matter to you, not just to everyone else.
- Mid-week: your most comfortable combination, for the day you're likely to be most tired.
- Friday: something a little easier, maybe the trainers and the knit.
Take a photo of each on your phone. When a morning goes wrong (and some will), you just put on Wednesday.
WHAT TO KEEP AND WHAT TO PASS ON
Before you buy anything, have an honest look at your pre-baby work clothes.
Keep:
- Anything that fits and that you feel good in now
- Shoes, bags, scarves and jewellery, which usually still work
- Blazers and coats that fit across the shoulders, even if you wear them open for now
Store, don't decide yet:
- Good pieces that don't fit today but that you genuinely love. Put them away for a few months rather than looking at them every morning.
Pass on:
- Anything that was never quite right before the baby either
- Pieces that no longer suit your new routine
If facing the wardrobe on your own feels like too much, this is exactly what a wardrobe edit is for.
COLOUR AS A CONFIDENCE LIFT
When you're tired, it's tempting to live in black. And black is fine, but it can feel heavy and make you look as tired as you feel.
Keep your base neutral (navy, charcoal, camel, cream) and bring in one colour that lifts you, close to your face: a top, a knit or a scarf. It's one of the quickest ways to look rested and like yourself again, and it costs very little.
YOUR BUDGET: HIGH STREET TO MID-RANGE
You don't need to spend a fortune on your back-to-work wardrobe. The high street and mid-range brands have everything on this list. Put the money where it works hardest:
- Spend a little more on: trousers, your blazer, shoes and your bag. You'll wear them most, and they make everything else look better.
- Save on: jersey tops and knitwear, which work just as well from the high street, and on anything for a size you may not be in for long.
Buying fewer pieces that all work together is also, quietly, the cheapest way to shop.
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT GOING BACK TO WORK AFTER MATERNITY LEAVE
Should I wait until my body has settled before buying work clothes?
No. You need clothes that fit you on your first day back. Buy a few flexible pieces for the body you have now, chosen so they keep working for months as your shape changes.
How many new pieces do I actually need?
Often fewer than you think. Start with what still fits, find the gaps, and fill only those.
What if nothing fits after the baby?
Then start with one comfortable pair of trousers and one top you feel good in, and build from there. A small capsule like the one above is enough for your first weeks back and the months after.
IF YOU'D LIKE HELP, LET'S PLAN IT TOGETHER
If you'd rather not do this alone, this is exactly what my back to work after maternity leave sessions are for. We shop together in person, in central London or Oxford, from high street to mid-range.
There are three set packages:
- Personal Shopping For Mums, £185: up to 3 hours of shopping together, including a telephone consultation, a video call and location research beforehand.
- Personal Shopping & 7 Outfit Planner, £275: the same, plus 7 outfits planned from what we buy.
- Personal Shopping & 14 Outfit Planner, £355: the same, plus 14 outfits planned from what we buy.
Not ready to shop yet? A wardrobe edit at home costs from £185, in North, West, South and Central London, Buckinghamshire, the Thames Valley and Oxford. We'll see what still works, while the baby naps.
Going back to work is a new chapter, not a step back. You deserve to walk in feeling like yourself. Find out how I can help you get ready for your return.
