A mama on Pinterest wrote this under one of my pins: “I bought a bunch of nursing clothes and I hate all of them. They look like maternity wear.” I have a drawer of those too. What finally worked was the opposite of a nursing wardrobe: ten ordinary pieces that happen to open or lift, in colours that all agree. A cream slip skirt, beige tailored trousers, a beige linen tank, a camel ribbed knit tank, a black clip-down nursing tank, a black knit half-zip, a beige short-sleeved shirt-jacket, a long black trench, black heeled ankle boots and white sneakers.

Those ten make the ten outfits pictured below. Four of them are the slip skirt with different tops; that is on purpose, because a slip skirt with an elastic waist is the most forgiving dressed-up piece a postpartum body can own, and nobody notices the repeat when the top changes.

1. The linen tank over the clip tank with the slip skirt and boots

A beige linen tank layered over the black clip tank, the cream slip skirt, black heeled ankle boots. The linen lifts; the black tank clips. Two tanks is the whole trick for a sleeveless top that opens. The dinner outfit for a warm evening.

2. The same, with sneakers

The linen tank over the black tank, the slip skirt, white sneakers. Swapping the boots for sneakers turns dinner into a Saturday, and it is the version I would actually walk a pram in.

3. The camel knit tank with the slip skirt and boots

A camel ribbed knit tank over the black tank, the slip skirt, black heeled boots. Warmer than linen, and camel near the face is kind to a tired one. The first cool evening of autumn.

4. The trench over the camel tank and the slip skirt

The long black belted trench over the camel knit tank and the slip skirt, black heeled boots. A trench opens to the hem, which is what makes it the only coat for a feed in a cold car park. The belt is a tie, and a tie fits whatever your middle is doing.

5. The black half-zip over the tank with the slip skirt

A black ribbed knit half-zip over the black clip-down tank, the slip skirt, black heeled boots. Pull the zip, clip the tank, feed; the knit never comes off. All black with a cream skirt is the cold-month dressed-up outfit.

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6. The beige shirt-jacket over the tank with beige trousers

A beige short-sleeved shirt-jacket worn open over the black tank, beige tailored trousers, white sneakers. The jacket buttons open; the tank clips. The school-run outfit that looks like you are going somewhere afterwards.

7. The trench, half-zip, tank and beige trousers

The black trench over the black half-zip and the black tank, beige trousers, black heeled boots. The warmest look here and the one for the long cold walk with the pram. Zip down, coat open, feed, and nothing has come off.

8. The camel knit tank over the black tank with beige trousers

The camel ribbed tank over the black tank, beige trousers, black heeled boots. Head-to-toe warm neutrals with black at the feet. The coffee-with-a-friend outfit.

9. The linen tank with beige trousers and sneakers

The beige linen tank over the black tank, beige trousers, white sneakers. The easiest outfit of the ten for a warm day with places to be. Lift, clip, feed.

10. The trench over the linen tank with beige trousers

The black trench over the linen tank and the black tank, beige trousers, black heeled boots. The autumn evening version of outfit nine. A trench over a tank is a feeding system that looks like a coat.

Ten pieces, none of them nursing wear, every one of them opening because the black tank is under all of them. The drawer of maternity-looking tops can stay closed. The slip skirt was the piece that surprised me most: elastic waist, no digging, and it made four of the ten outfits look like I had tried.

This is a slice of the idea in the Year Round Capsule: fifty-six pieces and two hundred outfits across all four seasons, laid out and then worn, with three pictures of you in them on the house. If you want to know whether camel or cool grey is yours before you buy a single tank, First Look reads your colouring from one photo, free. And if you would rather someone picked from your closet each morning, that is Anah inside the Atelier.

A slip skirt, two tanks, a trench that opens. The focus is on you, mama.