What Mums Wear: Shelly Sarkar, Fashion Consultant.
"My mum was my first fashion influence. I could tell she had a certain aesthetic in mind when she chose her saris and I found it really inspiring to watch her dress-up."
What Mums Wear is a new series that takes a deep dive into what we wear, our relationship with fashion and how it evolves throughout motherhood, just as we do. We ask our most stylish mum friends what they wear on repeat, tips on what to buy and what they consider when getting dressed each day.
Meet Shelly Sarkar, the impeccably dressed Melbourne mother of two who I first came across on Instagram and have been DMing ever since. Asking for advice on a good quality white tee, whether I should size up in those pants or simply to just tell her she looks divine. If you take one look at her grid you see the appeal. For one, she is gorgeous but more than that, her style is artfully simple yet not boring. Her outfits look well-thought-out and often include an unexpected detail. A pop of colour here, a Loewe scarf there – it is clear that she understands style and knows how to pull an outfit together with just a few key pieces.
Read on as Shelly shares her wardrobe essentials, why she doesn’t buy event wear, how to add colour to any outfit, and a case for stealing your husband’s wardrobe, especially during pregnancy.
My day starts at 6am. I workout for half an hour while the kids are sleeping. I do the Tracy Anderson Method and have done so for 3 years. She is brilliant!
I sometimes workout in my pyjamas if I am running late and just want to get the workout done but usually I wear my favourite workout set from Free People Movement. If I need to get out the door quickly, I switch my workout shoes with this chic pair of Loewe Flow sneakers I have and it instantly uplifts my basic activewear outfit.
LOOK 01. WORKOUT/COFFEE RUN.
Drop-offs are handled by my husband and I do pick up. I love spending time with the kids in the evening. Cooking while they are in the kitchen, listening to music while we eat and talking about how our day is a stress buster for me. I work full time. Life is crazy busy but life is good.
My mum was my first fashion influence. I could tell she had a certain aesthetic in mind when she chose her saris and I found it really inspiring to watch her dress-up. Street style is a real source of inspiration for me too. I get most of my outfit ideas from people I see on the streets every day. I also love referencing 90s runway show images for daily outfit inspiration (think; Hermes, DKNY and Calvin Klein).
I would describe my style as masculine with a touch of elegance. I love a good blazer. At the moment I am really into wearing a white tee (COS has this perfect white tee. It’s affordable and great in quality), an open shirt worn with a blazer and denim. The shirt and blazer make the look put together and the white tee and jeans add an off-duty vibe to the overall outfit.
LOOK 02. WORK MODE.
My wardrobe has definitely shrunk after having kids. I don’t like too many choices when getting dressed in the morning. Fewer options push me to get creative with my clothes. I also love stealing pieces from my husband’s closet to style in new ways! His wardrobe was my go-to when pregnant. I didn’t buy any maternity wear. I wore my husband’s jeans until they didn’t fit me. Oversized shirt dresses and knitted dresses were worn on repeat. I bought these bike shorts that were a few sizes larger than my normal size and lived in those throughout my third trimester.
LOOK 03. PICK-UP/DAY OFF.
My signature is adding a hint of colour to my neutral-toned outfits. Ved, my son, loves to see colour on me and always points it out at pick-up. My favourite piece to add through the cooler months is my Loewe multi-coloured scarf. It’s usually wrapped around a brown trench. Another little tip to add some colour to an otherwise beige outfit is socks. A pair of red socks peeking through boots or loafers is the perfect way to add a little intrigue to my outfit.
LOOK 04. NIGHT OUT.
I don’t like to buy occasion wear but a slip dress is timeless. I always end up wearing what I mostly wear during the day and glam it up with makeup and accessories. I have a couple of beautiful dresses from Silk Laundry that are my go-to for evening wear. I do have a silk slip dress stitched from my home town in India which I sometimes wear as a top. I just fold it a few times, tuck under my shape-wear to transform it into a strappy top.
For more of Shelly’s style follow @shelly_sarkar.