Wardrobe Staples Part I

I recently shared my thoughts on Investment Dressing here and now want to share my thoughts on wardrobe staples. I consider the items I listed on my Investment Dressing post as wardrobe staples, but they are also quite expensive, so those are things you would accumulate over time...these wardrobe staples are less expensive and need to be replaced as they wear out.

 

Here are the first five of my wardrobe staples:

 

A White Shirt

This is the J Crew Stretch Perfect Shirt and I like it because it has a slightly tapered fit and it has STRETCH! I actually have three of these because one is always dirty and one is always at the cleaners.

 

Black Pants

I would select a fabric that is seasonless, such as wool gabardine. I get most of my pants at Talbots, as they have classic styles, many different fabrics, and several different fits. Here is a pair of black pants from Talbots that are similar to the ones shown. I suggest getting a pair in taupe as well and navy blue (I wear navy almost more than black).

 

Cardigan Sweater

I have a million cardigan sweaters because I am cold all of the time. I prefer cashmere, but also like the cotton ones with some stretch. I love this J Crew Featherweight Cardigan in this beautiful shade of blue. I would select a bright shade that is flattering to your coloring. Camel is also a good choice.

 

Pencil Skirt

Again, I would suggest purchasing this in a seasonless wool so you can wear it year round. This is a J Crew Pencil Skirt and it comes in many colors. It has stretch and sits just below the waist, which I prefer. These skirts are timeless and never go out of style...they just happen to be IN style right now so you can find them everywhere.

 

Cable Knit Sweater

Ralph Lauren makes cable knit sweaters in a million colors and several different fabrics. You can get these in a crew neck style or a V-neck style, and there are different sizes of cable stitch as well.  Other great places to find cable knit sweaters are Brooks Brothers Women and Lilly Pulitzer (especially if you are looking for bright colors). If you are not a fan of cable knits, then a fine gauge knit sweater is a good alternative.

 

I would call these five pieces the bare bones of a wardrobe. Once you have the bare bones, you can start to add fun or trendy pieces to your wardrobe and you will already have something to make it an outfit!

 

What are your wardrobe essentials?