Back-to-School Wardrobe Essentials for Me as a (Stylish) Preschool Teacher

In Philippines, public school teachers aren’t worried on what to wear back to school because they are provided with complete set of school uniform by the government . In our school here in Thailand, we foreign teachers are allowed to wear any decent clothes except on Fridays when we need to wear the prescribed uniform- collared shirt with the school’s name printed on the back. We can wear it with black trousers. For me as a preschool teacher , I need versatility with my ensembles as I teach, sing and dance with kids. Though it’s fine for us to just wear shirts and trousers all week long, it makes me bored to wear the same plain style over and over again. Thus, I’m resolved to update my wardrobe this school year- to look stylish but not too trendy, put-together but not stiff, and well dressed without being flashy.

Some of the must-have pieces for back-to-school wardrobe that I already have are:

1. Good Dress Pants. My old pants really looks old with its washout color so I bought 3 new Lady Plus petite double weave cotton fitted straight leg pants. These pants flaunt a slimmed down straight leg that narrows at the ankle, for clean-cut sleek and polished look. With dark wash trousers, these go really well with a button down shirt, blazer or cardigan. Then finish off the look with sleek ponytail or chic bun. 2. Comfortable Flats. Though I love heels, I prefer to wear comfortable flats (check out some of my comfortable flats here) when I’m in the classroom to survive walking around and standing for longer periods of time. I have 2 new comfortable flats that came in handy. 3. Carry-all tote. Thanks to my teacher mom, her denim tote bag given to me is my perfect accessory to bring everything I need for school- personal stuff, kikay kit, rulers, pencils, pens, markers, notebooks, books, rewards and treats for the high achievers and there are times that I could even put my laptop on it! It’s a wonder bag indeed! 4. Simple yet elegant jewelry. I don’t like wearing lots of blings. Besides, a lot of bling is not a good look for a teacher. What I keep on to add sparkle to my outfits are my Casio stainless steel watch (keep track of the time), black onyx studs and silver ring.

What I needed more in my back to school wardrobe are easy, breezy lightweight tops that flaunts relaxed silhouette yet with elegant pattern like the following pieces from Zalora:

I can just throw on this top with dress pants or skirts for an effortlessly sophisticated look in school. These stylish yet affordable pieces could be my base for my school wardrobe. All I need to do is just mix and match these with my dress pants and skirts to create an abundant wardrobe . With an updated wardrobe, I can now feel more comfortable, look more stylish and be more productive in my work.

P.S. You may ask, “Don’t you need blazer or cardigan?” I do own blazers and cardigans but they’re not essentials for me due to the fact that the weather in Thailand is uncomfortably hot everyday! I have a constant sheen of sweat over me while teaching with my short-sleeved lightweight tops on, how much more if I add layers?! Our classrooms don’t have air-conditioner units so there’s no way I gonna put myself into “greasy” situation.