EDIT: Tops that aren't tees

Because sometimes a t-shirt just doesn't cut the mustard.

Hey guys, it’s Annie. Earlier this month I decided I would catalogue my wardrobe in the form of taking a photograph of every item of clothing I own. Just why, how and when I thought I would achieve this with a baby and a business and a Substack are questions for another day, but once I start something I can’t stop. So here we are. I’ve photographed 130 items so far. Of that number, about 30% is t-shirts. Of that 30%, 60% are white t-shirts. So, it’s safe to say…I own enough white t-shirts. More than enough. And yet, I can’t stop convincing myself that the next one I see will be The One. The ultimate t-shirt that never loses its shape or mine in it. Why is it so?! Again, a serious question that requires serious investigation — but for another day.

In all this archiving, it became clear that what I really lacked from my ideal wardrobe was tops that are not t-shirts. Tops that are easy enough to wear on the weekend. Tops that feel nice enough to wear on a night out. TOPS!

And when we did our latest #heyhomeroom Q&A on Instagram, it seemed like a lot of you guys were in the same boat. So, Sophie has gone and sourced a variety of tops to suit eight (EIGHT!!) different life moments. She has really outdone herself on this edit. I don’t think there’s an Australian label she didn’t look at to compile this one. So you heard it here first: this is it. The ultimate tops-that-aren’t-tees edit, from the mind of Sophie Barker Stylist herself.

Jeans-and-a-nice-top combo 2.0

Elder millennials will never forget the chokehold that ‘Jeans And A Nice Top’ had on the fashion culture in the early 2000s. Special thanks to Marisa Cooper. But it feels like we never really lost our collective desire for this failsafe Friday night outfit formula. The difference is that now we’re drawn to more relaxed, wide-leg denim instead of the drainpipe and bootleg varieties of the early aughts. And even though the category is ‘jeans’, we’re talking more about ‘denim’ and a nice top. Longline denim skirts and jorts are also friends of these tops. Just add a delicate heel.

1. Cue – $155 2. Romance Was Born – $380 3. Rachel Gilbert – $395 4. Silk Laundry – $225 5. Henne – $169 6. SIR – $240 7. Zimmermann – $895 8. Viktoria & Woods – $190 9. SIR – $260 10. Christopher Esber – $790

Breastfeeding-friendly but still ~you~

Picture it: you’ve got an event; lunch; date with your new identity as a mum and you have to accommodate the fact that not only have you gone up two cup sizes, you also need easy access to the only thing that will satiate your babe’s hunger. It’s a LOT. And that’s to say nothing of the sheer lack of confidence you feel in choosing what to wear now that you have to pave over about a hundred functional and emotional potholes before you drink your morning coffee. Nevertheless, it’s not impossible to look chic while breastfeeding. BYO breast pads.

1. Lee Mathews — $499; 2. Anna Quan — $650; 3. Bec + Bridge — $180; 4. Anna Quan — $220; 5. Shona Joy — $260; 6. Incu Collection — $270; 7. Lee Mathews — $599; 8. Incu Collection — $220