Most mornings, I figure out what I’m wearing in the shower. I’ve mentally run through my calendar, my phone has reminded me to check the weather app, and I’ve done the math on what I can and can’t compromise on. My goal during my shower planning sessions? To choose a look that doesn’t just help me survive, but thrive, during the day ahead (I work in fashion, after all!). Then I wrangle my two boys — ages four and six — out the door, get on a 45-minute train, and walk into the office ready to be the COO.

I’ve been taking mirror selfies when I arrive for about a month now. Not for vanity, but for evidence. I tend to approach getting dressed in reverse: what does the end of my day look like, and how do I need to dress for that moment? We all look great when we leave for work in the morning, but my personal goal is look as wrinkle-free and fresh when step into the elevator at the day’s end as I did when I exited in the morning. Every working woman does some version of this calculation, but I thought dissecting a real work week might be a helpful way to introduce a new outfit formula into your mix.

Here’s a look into a recent week, and how my approach played out.

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MONDAY

My shower calculation: The start of the week means a marathon meeting day. I’m usually back to back to back, moving between conference rooms and offices for the majority of the day. On days like this, my goal is simple: comfort. This was not a day for big fashion swings; it was a day to reach for one of my tried and true combinations so that I could focus on the decisions I needed to make for the week ahead.

My solution: I’ve worn this look more times than I can count, and I’m not tired of it yet. I started with the Mel cardigan in cotton silk, which I wear buttoned as a top with the bottom buttons left undone. It’s lightweight enough to layer (see: Wednesday’s look!), and still cozy enough to combat a full day of recycled conference room air. I paired it with my Bia trousers in Air Twill, which never wrinkle and constantly surprise me with how great they feel even as the day progresses. The lesson: sometimes, the best work outfit isn’t the most interesting one in your closet, it’s the one you keep reaching for consistently, and makes you feel more in tune with yourself.

TUESDAY

My shower calculation: Tonight, we were hosting a brand event with our partners at Saint James! I knew the shoes I needed to wear to make my event outfit work, so once again, I started from the ground up. As much as I love these shoes, they can be dicey with long pants: the fabric can get caught between your foot and the shoe — not ideal when you need traction for keeping up with small kids. That limited my pant options somewhat.

My Solution: I decided to make the shoes a key focal point of my look, so I went with our classic cropped Mejia pant in Washable Wool Twill paired with the Annmarie top, which drapes elegantly without overwhelming my smaller frame. Over these, I went with the Rossi Blazer in Abstract Jacquard for a Zoom interview with a prospective hire (whom we hired!). I reach for more M.M. — and more statement M.M. — when I’m interacting with people outside the company. It’s partly intentional brand ambassador logic, partly something less rational: if I know I have an event that night, wearing a fantastic outfit during the day gets me into the right mindset, even if I have an outfit change planned.

WEDNESDAY

My shower calculation: I have a bad habit of locking my knees, so while I loved yesterday’s slingbacks, being on my feet for many hours at a time while wearing them has left me pretty sore. Since I was looking at another eleven hour day ahead of me, my body made the decision before my brain did. Today, I would need to wear sneakers.

My solution: When I wear sneakers to the office, I compensate everywhere else — hence the blazer and the proper trouser silhouette. My calendar was booked with a lot of in-depth strategy work, which meant I’d spend a good portion of my time sitting cross-legged (my best deep think position). With this in mind, I reached for my beloved Darias in our Better Than Denim fabric, which look like a nice black wash jean, but the comfort level is not remotely in the same category. I paired them with my leopard Sambas, which are the only sneakers I’ll wear to the office because they add enough visual interest that the sneaker reads as intentional, not concessive. My goal with the outfit: I’m tired, but you can’t tell.

THURSDAY

My shower calculation: Once a week, I usually stay in the office until 8 or 9, and today was that day. I needed to be comfortable enough to remain computer-bound for several hours, but I still wanted to look cool. Not polished-for-a-meeting cool — actually cool.

My solution: Enter the Choe top, which looks like a white tee but packs a lot more of a punch. It’s made from our 365Knit fabric, which is stretchy and wrinkle-proof, and it has a smooth, structured hand-feel that remains really polished no matter how much I hunch. I paired the Choe with a non-M.M. splurge that I keep coming back to: wide-leg jeans that have this gorgeous pleating in the front. I choose my nude patent heels to pull the whole look together. This outfit got an unsolicited compliment from my grad student morning helper, who has never commented on an outfit I’ve worn to work once in two years. It felt like a real victory, especially on a Thursday.

FRIDAY

My shower calculation: Aside from one week of extreme heat, spring in NYC has been annoyingly cold. It’s consistently been 50 degrees outside, yet somehow the AC is already on in my office, so I’ve been freezing. Today, my goal was simple: warmth. But more than just a throw on a jacket kind of warm, I wanted to truly be warm.

My solution: Knits on knits. I layered our Merritt Jardigan over a light ribbed merino Henley. I rely on texture mixing the way other people rely on color or pattern — I don’t wear much of either, so layering different textures is how I create visual interest without introducing chaos. Despite the jardigan being an M.M. OG, I’ve recently become a new convert; the silhouette is very clean and chic, but the comfort level is almost unfair. The rest of my look came together around these top choices. I again went with the Bia trousers, this time in Everyday Crepe, and to round out my outfit with three neutrals — tan, grey, black — I needed something to pull focus, so I added a snakeskin flat for personality from Aeyde.

Five outfits, five different calculations. None of my final decisions were about fashion, exactly, though they all resulted in some pretty great looks. If this formula has taught me anything, it’s that the best outfit for your day isn’t necessarily the one you feel most excited about at 7am; it’s the one you’re still excited to wear at 6 because you feel so good in it. That’s your bar; everything else is in the details. Try it out and let me know what you think.

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