issue #60: a wardrobe for real life.
my clothes are structured around my days, and my days around my daughter.
Sunday:
6:00 am: wake up, mostly because I am incapable of sleeping in, but also because I have grocery delivery scheduled and they are always, always annoyingly early. first world problem! wait for them while perusing Substack, writing a little, and sipping my coffee, which always brews too slowly.
7:00 am: baby wakes, and then in her words it’s “go go go”. breakfast, followed by playing with every toy she owns.
9:00 am: we manage to make it out of the house, stopping for fresh bread, sticky buns, and coffee at our local haunt, otway. it’s not freezing, so we swing by the park for some running around. wearing: gap barrel jeans, nike dunks, cos sweater, zara overcoat, uniqlo beanie
12:00 pm: sometimes it’s hard to know where the time goes, but we end up an hour late to couch shopping in dumbo. it’s a task I am not thrilled about because furniture shopping is exhausting, but it’s past time to upgrade our current couch. I switch out my dunk’s for my sambas for reasons unknown, and toss on my uniqlo long sleeve tee under my sweater with the anticipation of needing to baby wear, which I refuse to do in my nice cashmere turtleneck, mostly due to the drool, pilling, and heat. we stay in the area for lunch, then I baby wear all the way home despite knowing my back will be in bad shape for the next few days. as heavy as she’s getting, it’s still nice to have her strapped to my chest on occasion. (we use this carrier, and it’s worth every penny)
3:00 pm: the moment we get home I change into my beloved washable knit pants from uniqlo and an old college sweatshirt, because I know we’re not going outside the rest of the day. the rest of the afternoon is dedicated to reading and playtime.
6:00 pm: dinner/bath/bed for the baby, followed by dinner/tv for us. we watch wolfs, which is really just mediocre.
9:00 pm: bedtime. I am who I am.
Monday:
5:30 am: wake, because I’m incapable of sleeping in. journal and peruse the internet, coffee brewing too slowly.
7:00 am: baby wakes. demands a banana and eggs, which I dutifully prepare for her without complaint. it’s a holiday, so we move slower, and I stay in pjs longer than I should. I love a bonus day.
10:00 am: get dressed. throw on my barrel jeans, chelsea boots, uniqlo baselayer, and almina concept crew sweater. it’s frigid and I don’t really plan to see anyone, so it’s not the best look I’ve ever had but it gets the job done as we take a stroll to otway, again, then back home because I have an unreasonable fear of the baby getting face frostbite. spend the rest of the day playing, napping, reading, meal prepping, doing laundry, and cleaning.
2:00 pm: call with
, a lovely fellow Substacker who I was thrilled to be able to connect with. if you aren’t following her yet, go do so now. I realize halfway through the call that I look questionable at best, but nothing to do but roll with it.6:00 pm: change into pjs (uniqlo ribbed pants, gap tank one should just buy in bulk because they’re the best for sleeping, aclu sweatshirt because it just feels right), feed the baby, bathe the baby, put the baby to sleep. feed ourselves, bed by 9.
Tuesday:
5:30 am: wake up, because I have to teach yoga. I love the studio I teach at, I love my students, and I’m a morning person, but getting up today is extra hard. it’s 10 degrees out when I leave, and there is no direct subway nor bus route that takes me to the studio. normally this is great! it gets me out of the house, and I actually love the early morning hours in the city. the streets are quiet, yet there’s an underlying buzz of everything starting to wake up, to come alive. but today the cold is biting, and it makes the mile and a half trek over to park slope daunting. alas, I layer up and get out the door. I have my lululemon align leggings on under my uniqlo extra warm heattech leggings. on top, its a vuori cropped tank under a uniqlo long sleeve airism top, under a uniqlo extra warm heattech turtleneck, under a uniqlo down liner jacket. uniqlo is clearly where it’s at when it comes to warm layers. I top it off with a nike gaiter and uniqlo heattech beanie. also wearing: on running sneakers and nike crew socks. unfortunately I lost my good running gloves so I throw on my uniqlo cashmere gloves and hope they do the trick. I half jog half walk, the jogging to keep warm and the walking to avoid breaking my ankle on ice patches. I’m surprisingly warm and cozy, and it actually feels nice to get outside and move in the fresh air.
8:45 am: home from class, quick shower, then run out the door by 9:15. wearing gap barrel jeans, very old abercrombie oversized button up, cos cashmere turtleneck that I can’t stop wearing. decide to put on my everlane cowboy-esque boots because I have some market meetings I want to feel put together for, but realize while walking to the subway that heels were an objectively bad decision with ice still blanketing the sidewalks. too late to go back and change, so I shuffle along.
10:00 am: work, boring.
11:30 am: head to my first showroom appointment of the FW25 season where I walk through the menswear collections from les deux and peregrine, and take a quick peek at merz b schwanen (of chef carmy fame) because I’m a personal fan and would love to bring it in to the shop for very selfish reasons. take advantage of being out of the office and head home to finish the work day there.
2:00 pm: check off a bucket list item and record a podcast with the one and only
for an industry org we are both apart of. I love when my substack world collides with the real world, and now that’s twice for me this week. I’m a lucky gal.5:30 pm: baby’s home so it’s time for dinner, bath, and books. I change into home clothes lest I wish to be covered in her dinner and bathwater. husband goes to band practice, I eat leftovers in front of the TV. bed by 9.
Wednesday:
5:30 am: wake up, peruse internet, wait for coffee to brew. hop in the shower because it’s my day to do baby drop off. if I don’t shower before she wakes, I don’t shower. get dressed, which is a mistake, because I know I’ll end up covered in whatever slop she has caked on her hands after eating. I’m taking a pilates class between drop off and work, so I put on lululemon align shorts under my selvedge 501’s, an old everlane cotton sports-ish bra under my favorite uniqlo long sleeve I love to layer. I toss a navy zara turtleneck (currently on deep discount, but I do always wish this was the cos one) on top, and pack a future classics button up to layer under after class. I learned from my footwear mistake of yesterday and wear my everlane chelsea lugs.
2:00 pm: head to another showroom appointment, this time all the way west on canal st which is extremely brutal (iykyk). it’s bitterly cold today again, so I’m grateful for layers. this time I see sandqvist and tiger of sweden. I head home after to get some work done before I pick the baby up and start the evening routine all over again.
7:00 pm: baby in bed. once again covered in snot and food. decide not to care. husband is at a dinner tonight, so I eat a giant bowl of pasta and curl up on the couch. remember what silence is like, remember how much I enjoy being alone. cry over old episodes of the west wing.
8:30 pm: bedtime. don’t @ me.
Thursday:
5:30: wake up, coffee. peruse internet instead of journaling. one day I’ll remember which one makes me feel good and which one doesn’t.
6:00 am: hop on the soulcycle bike for a much needed work out. it’s a quick one this morning because I spent to much time dilly-dallying, but it felt good anyways. sometimes I forget the power of moving to music, movement taking your breath away, and a good head bang. wearing: lululemon align leggings (literally the only leggings I wear, think what you will about lulu, their align program is the best), old gifted vuori sports bra, extra old plain grey sweatshirt that I love but feel guilt over every time I wear it because it was obtained during a lapse of moral judgement in college when I stole it from my sorority headquarters (similar here). I worked there running our online store, most items emblazoned with our turtle logo and/or greek letters. this was blank, tossed in a corner, and I didn’t think anyone would miss it. I’m sure they don’t, but I still feel bad.
7:00 am: baby wakes. actually, she’s been up since 5:30, but just laying around talking to her dolls, so I have chosen to ignore her until now, which is when she’s supposed to get up. haven’t changed out of gym clothes with the expectation I’ll be covered in food at some point in the next 45 minutes. feed the baby, change the baby, draw squiggles with the baby. her and my husband leave, and I hop in the shower.
9:00 am: leave for work. no meetings today so I’m extra casual in my cos tide jeans and clean cut t shirt, both of which I love, chuck taylors, and a great old fisherman sweater I found while cleaning out our storage area recently. it’s from suno (of cutout dress fame, RIP), and is one of the only pieces I kept from my time working there (not available, but similar vibe here).
2:30 pm: going stir crazy at the office so I head out for a stroll. still frigid, but the air feels good, as does a little sunshine. swing by sephora because I ran out of toner and honestly that place just always gives me anxiety. pick up this one, which was recommended a couple of times.
6:00 pm: head home, and when I arrive the baby has already been bathed and fed, which is a nice surprise. change from jeans to my favorite comfy pants, finish the baby’s bedtime routine, and put her to bed.
7:45 pm: we finally get dinner on the table for ourselves, and rewatch the first episode of season two of severance because we stumbled upon a fan theory that needed closer examination. the moment I hit the couch every night my brain shuts off. I am fully depleted. Between taking care of myself, taking care of the baby, working, Susbtacking, managing the house I have nothing left to give. A brick wall is hit, my brain goes dead, and I have until exactly 9 pm to get myself into bed before I fully crash.
Friday:
5:30 am: wake up, brew coffee. always too slow. actually journal for a few minutes before perusing the internet to see what fresh hell we are waking to today. sigh.
6:00 am: hop on the soulcycle bike to try to work out some of this rage that’s been bubbling beneath my surface all week. it helps, a little. wearing: lululemon align leggings, way too old nike bra that definitely needs to be replaced, and my old beat up sorority sweatshirt. it’s covered in paint stains and the wrist is falling apart, but that’s what makes it great, you know?
7:00 am: get the baby out of bed, even though she’s been up since 5:30 laughing with her dolls. does this mean we need to start putting her to bed later? make note to self to do some research. anyways, I make her breakfast which ends up all over her, the floor, and us. my husband gets her dressed while I clean up.
8:00 am: shower, get dressed. I realized yesterday when I was dressed down that I felt significantly less productive. maybe I was just tired, a little burned out, but I decide today to actually “dress up” ie wear something other than sneakers and actually put on a little makeup. hopefully it helps draw some motivation out of me. head to work. still frigid. wearing: levi’s ribcage high rise wide leg jeans that have been sitting on my dresser for a few weeks as I decided whether or not to keep them. the return window running out ended up making that decision for me. leset margo under everlane cashmere polo. everlane cowboy-esque boots that are still not comfortable but I am trying hard to love. change out my zara coat for an old apiece apart one I found while cleaning out or storage area (unavailable, similar-ish here), and tie a cashmere bandana around my neck (similar here). note to self: get black gloves.
10:00 am: work, until I head to another market appointment at 2. look at jumper 1234 which is very, very cute, and has lots of brushed cashmere which I’m expecting to reign supreme next fall as well. head home after to call the day early (don’t tell).
4:00 pm: my parents have arrived from Chicago, so we go to pick the baby up early. husband and I actually have plans tonight, which rarely happens. dinner and a concert with a few of his dad band friends, so I switch into comfier shoes and out of my cashmere polo. throw on my dunks and a black sweater instead (similar here). we eat at chez ma tante which I haven’t been to in forever but is still very good, and I break dry january with a glass of wine. we head to brooklyn bowl for the concert and leave before the headliner of the show because we’re old and tired.
11:00 pm: bedtime. so late.
Saturday:
6:00 am: wake up, definitely not well rested, but at least it’s a saturday. spend the morning lazing around, and my daughter insists on dressing up in her new frilly, pink, sparkly dress that my mother brought her. it’s adorable, even though I have tried to vehemently reject anything too girly for her. oh well. we have breakfast, play for a while, and wait for my parents to com over.
10:30 am: we finally make it out the door to embark on a breakfast finding journey on our way to Brooklyn Museum. we stop at Tom’s Restaurant for some classic diner fare (our third attempt at finding a table, because it was prime brunch time on a Saturday morning and I failed to make a resy, rookie mistake). head to the museum after. wearing: madewell superwide jeans, the great tee, my favorite cos cashmere sweater, adidas sambas because I just can’t quit them. zara coat, big old grey scarf (similar/fancier version here).
3:00 pm: the museum was great, and if you find yourself in the area it’s worth checking out what they have going on at the moment. also, as a creature of habit that finds herself doing the same thing every weekend - bakery, playground, cleaning, groceries - while insisting that we’re home from 12-3 each day so the baby can nap, it was nice to break out of that a little. and you know what, the baby was fine even though she took a short nap early in the stroller, had snacks instead of real lunch, and was ripped from her regular schedule. she loved the museum! particularly the shiny gold fashions, which of course, makes me very happy. we head home and spend the rest of the afternoon playing in the fort we made for her of boxes and blankets.
5:00 pm: baby, expectedly, has a meltdown (the early and short nap is rearing it’s head). derails our plans for a dinner out, so I make her mac & cheese which was part selfish because I wanted some, then put her to bed. my parents and I order take out and talk endlessly about politics and our crumbling society. fun!
9 pm: we’re all early birds, so we part ways. I order groceries then go straight to bed. husband is away for the night, so I naively think I’ll get a great nights rest. baby has other plans, but at least I get some good snuggles in with her.
xx
jen
Preparing for motherhood right now and I looooved this glimpse into your days and outfits! The Uniqlo knit pants also feel like a need
Beautiful read. What a gifted life, you seem ti know it. So beautiful 🩷👏🏻