Tuesday 11 March 2014

My 10 wardrobe essentials

Could you survive with just ten items in your wardrobe?  Or manage on holiday with only ten things in your suitcase?  When I sat down to think about my clothing essentials, I realised that actually, I probably could.

I have a very clearly defined personal style, variously described by friends as 'indie chic', 'dress, fringe & eyeliner', and 'that cute indie thing you have going on' (I worry slightly that perhaps the adjective 'cute' should not be applicable to a nearly-36 year old, but hey).  But the benefit of having a clearly defined look is that it makes choosing my fashion essentials super easy: the entire contents of my wardrobe are essentially just variations on these ten items.  And it also makes packing a breeze too (not least because, as these pictures will show, I'm pretty slavish in my devotion to black and navy blue, whichs means everything matches).


1. Skinny jeans
The skinnier the better, and preferably in black. I used to love New Look's supersoft skinnies, but they seem to have changed their 'recipe', so now it's all about Topshop's Baxters.

2. A striped Breton top
This is a wardrobe classic for a reason: I always feel stylish without feeling too fashion-y when I wear one.

3. A slouchy tee
This new H&M one is perfect - sleeves that aren't too short, there's a scoop neck that's neither too low nor too high, and I like the breast pocket detail.  At only £6.99, it was my weekend bargain.

4. A pair of ballet pumps
Dorothy Perkins seem to have discontinued my favourite leather ballet pumps, and I'm devastated. They were perfect: totally flat, completely plain, with no bling or bows or faff (the only issue was that they did tend to let in rain).


5. A plain cardigan
A black cardigan is a classic (this one is H&M - again!) and I also find a neutral, beige colour very wearable.

6. A skater dress
Preferably with a Peter Pan collar, with extra points awarded if said collar is crochet, like on this dress from Topshop.

6. An LBD
My favourite black dress is the most wonderful item of clothing I own: kinda baggy and relaxed but fitted at the waist, with pockets (!), it's perfect in winter with tights & brogues and also looks good in summer with sandals.  Casual enough for the pub, smart enough for dinner.  I kick myself that I didn't buy multiple copies when it was still available at H&M.


8. A patterned dress
Generally either polka dots or floral print, with a recent foray into stripes. This pretty tea dress is a very, very old Primark number.

9. Brown leather brogues (winter) or brown leather sandals (summer)
After 34 years of wearing the most inappropriate and rubbish shoes (cheap ballet pumps in autumn rain, flimsy Primark sandals for walking ten miles on holiday), last year something clicked for me. Realising that spending a bit more money + buying from somewhere other than Primark or Dotty P's = dry, cosy and non-blistered feet is not exactly rocket science, but it took me a while to work out. These Clarks brogues are my single most favourite thing when it rains because keeping my feet nice is such a novelty to me.

10. A pair of thick black tights
A wardrobe staple year-round: I wasn't quite sure if these counted as an item of clothing, but they're such a central part of my look that I had to include them.

So, I would love to know what your wardrobe essentials are.  Could you pack just ten items and have enough to see you through a week away?  Or are you a maximalist?

16 comments:

  1. Mine would be very similar to these :-) I also agree that spending more money on shoes is so worthwhile. Today my outfit is pretty much all navy.. x

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    1. I didn't realise until I started cherry-picking clothes for this post that pretty much my entire wardrobe is either blue or black. Oh well, it makes it easy to get dressed in the morning!

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  2. Totally with you on the black jeans, black cardi and thick black tights (black is my go to colour haha!) I did the same thing with shoes, and clothes really, by buying cheap and then wishing I hadn't. I'm trying to spend less time in Primark these days!

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    1. If it were even possible, I think the quality of Primark clothes has gone down recently. The dress in the photo above is at least 5 years old and still in great condition and made of decent quality fabric; any dress I've bought in the last couple of years has been made of awful material and become misshapen so quickly. It definitely pays to spend a bit more (even if, for me, that's just next door in H&M!)

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  3. My wardrobe is pretty much the same except in turquoise instead of navy (and no super-flat pumps because I mucked my calves up wearing too-flat shoes; I need a little heel now). Holidays of up to a week in length are hand luggage only. Honestly, our built in wardrobes look pretty big but they're full - I don't understand where people store anything over and above the basics.

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    1. Turquoise is my go-to colour for workwear but I never wear it when I'm Janet instead of Ms Brown. I think it reminds me too much of school!

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  4. I don't have a huge wardrobe but if I had to pick my ten most used items it would look very similar to yours, you are obviously a very stylish lady!

    I like to have a bit of variety so could never have a proper capsule wardrobe. I can pack for holidays well though and never come home with unworn things. I don't run out of clothes either.

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  5. Argh, its so annoying when you find a style/item you like, and the store discontinues it or changes the 'recipe'!

    I love how your wardrobe is quite streamlined colour-wise; my colour choices are a bit random which isn't always a good thing. My top 10 would have the skinny jeans, plain cardigan, patterned dress and tights, but probably also baseball boots, biker boots, graphic print tee (preferably dinosaur print...), long tees for layering, mini skirts and beanie hats.

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    1. Good choices. My denim mini skirt is a summer essentail, but I couldn't quite fit it onto the list (maybe I could have pretended tights didn't count...)

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  6. This has got me thinking now! My most common winter outfit is patterned dress + grey cardi/jumper + black tights + brown boots

    Apart from the tights, I really don't like wearing black - I feel it washes my blonde hair and pale skin out too much. But I definitely stick to certain colours, without meaning too - I'm pretty much all grey, burgundy, navy and cream. And always, always some form of brown footwear (I absolutely agree in investing in shoes - Aldo and Clarks are my go-to)

    B x

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    1. I'm naturally blonde and I definitely used to feel like black washed me out because I'm SO pale. I can get away with it more now my hair is bright red.

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  7. I'm with Sarah on the 'no super flat shoes' thing too, hurts my feet! My wardrobe is mostly navy and black, which is great until I realised they don't go with each other...so there's some grey, white and red mixed in too! I've been looking for a nice casual black dress for ages, the search will intensify on pay day! :)

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  8. This is really interesting as I don't think I have such a defined "look" though I am getting there. Mine would be so different to yours though as it would be full of colour (mostly blue) and print which is what makes putting together a capsule wardrobe so hard!

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  9. We have the same brogues!! :D They are so effing comfortable! I have worn them out so much that I might have to buy a new pair. Most of my wardrobe is a variation on a few main types of clothing so yeah, I think i could probably manage it too. I might just have to do a blog post on this too. :)

    Jen | gingerellaj.blogspot.co.uk

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  10. I tried living with just sixteen items for four weeks and it was so much easier than I thought it would be. In fact there were a few items I didn't wear. I'm hoping to streamline my wardrobe radically this year because of this and you've hit the nail on the head here - it's all about identifying a style.

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