Ladies' Essential Wardrobe Items - Tell me yours!

[pattycake118]

Hey all!

 

Part of my challenge this time around is to go through my closet, purge, and almost rebuild.

So ladies, I want to know what your essentials are. Gentlemen, what do you think looks best on the ladies? Can be for any and every occasion.

I'm getting a better idea of my personal style, but I don't want to say for now - I don't want to start this out biased.

 

Thanks for your input!

[sylph]

I have a wardrobe purge goal this challenge, too.

 

I think there's no REAL "essential" list that fits everyone. That sounds like a cop out, but it's not, really. The essential wardrobe for a bank teller is going to be very different than an essential wardrobe for a landscape architect, for some extreme examples.

 

This blog: http://into-mind.com/ has some really good mental exercises for determining what YOUR wardrobe needs are. She has a ton of info, but it was really good stuff to think about for me.

 

Pardon me if this gets extensive. I've been thinking quite a lot about this topic.

 

The most relevant things that I've taken away from my recent reading, for me, are these:

 

Does your wardrobe match your life?

Do you live in Alaska, but have 23 swim suits and no warm clothing?

Do you generally live the casual life of a student, but have a multitude of fancy evening dresses or business suits?

Work out 6 days/week but only have 2 sets of workout wear?

This is not to say that you cannot wear an evening dress to the mall, just to help realize that what you're drawn to in the store, you need to make work in real life.

 

Shopping mindlessly is a waste of time and $$

I think I have 4? 5? blue/light blue/bluish-purple camisoles. Apparently I like them and can never remember that I already own plenty. Ditto on dress pants for work.

On the flip side, I am repeatedly noticing that I need a neutral cardigan and yet never shop for one.

 

Stepping out of your comfort zone can be good

If you do it thoughtfully, you can wind up with an awesome new outfit or variation on an outfit. If not, see the point directly above this one.

 

Does it work?

By this I mean does it fit you, make you feel awesome, show off a favorite body part? Or when you wear it, do you constantly pluck at the hem, re-arrange the sleeves, try to get the collar to stop jabbing you in the neck, or feel self-conscious?

 

Wardrobes are always a work in progress

Stuff wears out, we get bigger or smaller, life changes, jobs change, etc. A periodic review of your clothes and lifestyle can help direct your shopping so you wind up with a bunch of stuff you love instead of a full closet and nothing to wear.

 

 

Slightly off topic from what you asked, sorry.

[themountainsarecalling]

My Essentials:

 

For Work

• jeans (cause I"m lucky), good ones that fit nice and flatter my backside
• black tank tops (I like to layer them under my sweaters so that I can wash the sweaters less)
• black knee length skirt (add a sweater and a smart pair of shoes = instant professional)
• close toed shoes that also look professional (lab safety requirement)
• fun socks (personal requirement, boring socks are boring )
• you need tops and stuff too, but those are more seasonal/personal taste/in-style limited

For Play

• camis with shelf bras 
• Nylon/spandex blend hiking pants (these meet my needs for almost all of my outdoor activities)
• layerable peices with wicking properties, I like things that feel soft like cotton, but cotton stays wet once it gets wet so isn't allowed at high levels in my play clothes
• wool socks

For Lounging

• jammies (actual dedicated pajamas, not just old clothes)
• t-shirts (most of my regular cotton t-shirts were free for volunteering for something or other)
• flip-flops

Also you will need at least two dress up looks if you don't dress up for work everyday, nothing sucks more than having a job interview or funeral and nothing to wear.  

[Eilyd]

^^Pro advice, up there.

 

I will share my ideas, based on my business-casual standard for work and artsy casual play style. All listed amounts are the minimum unless otherwise noted.

 

Pants:

1 Pair black dress pants

1 Pair brown dress pants

1 Pair dark/dressy jeans

1 Pair casual/light jeans

1 Pair work jeans/pants

Discard if: you can't squat in them, you can't cross your legs in them, you unbutton the top button and wear a belt instead, you're always afraid of your buttcrack showing

 

Tops:

7 button-ups/blouses/nice T's that can be worn for myriad occasions, depending on what they go with

1 cami in each of: beige, brown, black, white. Colors to suit. NO MORE THAN 20, or you have a problem (I had this problem).

5-10 sweaters: If you have enough to wear a different one every days for 2 weeks, you may have too many.

Discard if: unremediable stains/holes, straps/arm holes cut in uncomfortably, buttons pull/pop, you can only wear it with that one thing or it looks terrible, the collar pokes/chokes/suffocates (or why I don't wear turtlenecks), the color doesn't look good on you/with anything you own OR you have a similar top in nearly the same color.

 

Other Separates:

1 tailored or professional-looking jacket, if necessary. I find that lifting tends to make these difficult, but sometimes you need one.

1 brown, 1 black, 1 white/cream/beige cardigan or knit-fabric jacket. These are more accommodating for changing shoulder shapes, and commonly can cover for a tailored jacket. Add additional colors as you like, but more than 10-15 can be a problem.
(Sidenote: there's these things that they're calling flywaway cardigans, which are a cross between a drape/cardigan/jacket, and they are FANTASTIC. Short sleeve, long sleeve, heavy weight, light weight--I want them all. They dress up or down very nicely.)

1 black and 1 brown skirt. Pencil, A-line, depends on your shape and all, but they're great to have for when pants don't fit (or for me, all the time, because I think skirts are best)

3 Leggings: grey, brown, cream/beige. Only necessary if you live in a place that gets cool/cold, but great for under skirts and dresses in winter.

 

Dresses:

1 black dress of moderate dressiness, suitable for all weather and most occasions

1 dress of "I feel tired/sore/bloated and this is comfy" I think grey knit dresses are best for this

 

Shoes:

1 pair black heels, 1 pair brown heels

1 pair black flats, 1 pair brown flats

1 pair black or brown On Your Feet All Day shoes

1 pair sandals with heels, one pair flat sandals

1 pair of boots (boots boots, not fashion boots) if you live in a cold, wet, or muddy place

1 pair of walking/hiking/project shoes

1 pair of exercise shoes

 

Other exercise gear I'm not getting into, because that's so varied based on what you do and what is comfy for you. But if you don't wear most of the pieces in 2 weeks of regular exercise, you probably have too much.

[pattycake118]

I agree with the posting about no set essentials for everyone. I'm just curious about everyone else's and looking to take the opportunity to branch out. I've actually subscribed to the Into Mind blog about a month or two ago!

 

Mostly I need to purge the wardrobe because the items it contains are starting to get pretty old, and there are indeed many similar. There's also the issue of fit.

I have decreased the mindless shopping for sure. First by not shopping (gasp!) and second by taking the time to think about what I really want and then working to track it down. But again, looking more for ideas here.

 

How funny that the first essentials listed were that of a lab tech! I've worked in an oil lab for years now, but have recently gone back to school. So there's a bit of both. I also need to fancy it up once in a while for formal events. And then there's "me time".

 

I really love all the detail provided above - this is going to be super helpful. Thank you!

[Oramac]

Gentlemen, what do you think looks best on the ladies? Can be for any and every occasion.

 

I can't comment on what's been said already.  But I'll say that, for me, any woman wearing a nice pair of very high heels automatically gets +10 hotness in my book.  

 

Something along the lines of these:

[sylph]

I agree with the posting about no set essentials for everyone. I'm just curious about everyone else's and looking to take the opportunity to branch out. I've actually subscribed to the Into Mind blog about a month or two ago!

I love her stuff. She's just so... methodical and logical about it. Which is totally opposite of my past clothing strategy (or lack thereof).

 

Mostly I need to purge the wardrobe because the items it contains are starting to get pretty old, and there are indeed many similar. There's also the issue of fit.

I have decreased the mindless shopping for sure. First by not shopping (gasp!) and second by taking the time to think about what I really want and then working to track it down. But again, looking more for ideas here.

 

One of the things I've done is to simplify by color.

 

One example: I'd always kept a pair of brown pants, brown shoes, and a brown belt because I thought I "should." They stayed in my closet 99.99% of the time. Brown/tan tends to just wash me out to become all one color so I stopped wearing it. Got rid of the oatmeal sweater, the brown pants, the brown belt, the brown shoes. My neutrals now are white, cream, black and grey. They seem to flatter my skin tone much better.

 

Also, lots of my clothes (aside from neutral) are blue or green. This was mostly by accident, because they are colors I like and often help to pop my eye color, but a side benefit is that it also helps with the mixing and matching.

 

My newest excursion has been jackets. Not just blazers, (though I have a couple of those) but interesting, lightweight structured jackets. I'm finding that I really like them. It helps "finish" an outfit. Like "Instant Put-together Look" without extra work.

 

So, often during the week my outfits (business casual) are some variation on the following:

Jacket or cardigan

Camisole/shell/nice T

Dress pants (nice jeans on Fridays) or skirt

Flats, wedges or moderate heeled boots

 

Jackets and cardigans are great over dresses as well and can really change the tone of an outfit.

Sometimes I'll wear a pullover sweater with pants or a skirt, but that often feels unfinished unless the skirt has some interest itself (like yesterday I wore a black skirt with small white polka dots)

 

Being in a color family makes it pretty easy to put things together: my flats are silver, my wedges are black, my boots are black. Dress pants are black. Jackets are black, grey, cream. Camisoles, shells or Ts are a splash of color (sometimes) or another neutral. It sounds pretty boring when I list it all out like this, but as I've started paying attention, it's surprising how many different combinations you can make with just a few well-thought out pieces. I'm also getting compliments on my outfits on a regular basis for the first time ever.

 

I've just started experimenting with scarves this winter. Now that it's warmed up, most of them will probably go away for a few months, but they can be fun as well. (again, I have a blue one, a green one and one with a blue/green/white/purple design)

 

My current purge project will hopefully help me take a look at what I have vs. what I need (8 pairs of black dress pants, probably excessive, depending on how often I want to go to the dry cleaner)

[sylph]

I can't comment on what's been said already.  But I'll say that, for me, any woman wearing a nice pair of very high heels automatically gets +10 hotness in my book.  

 

Something along the lines of these:

 

I would injure myself wearing those.

[A banana]

Socks.

[Silo]

For work, my basics are: black pants, brown pants, gray pants, black skirt, tweed-look brown skirt, black shirt-dress, twinset-style sweaters (black, tan, purple and/or green), solid color tees (black, gray, orange, green, purple), black heels, ankle boots, and flats, brown heels and flats.

 

For home, black and gray yoga pants, two pairs of jeans, black and gray hoodies, more solid color tees, a couple of long sleeve tees, Toms-style flats, tennis shoes, black lace-ups, black and brown boots. Oh, and a couple of pairs of capris (what color? oh yeah, more gray and black.)

[Ophelia Swims]

A lot of the above advice is great. Taking inventory of my various clothing needs (work, casual, formal) really helped. I'd also recommend starting a Pinterest board to get an idea of the colors and shapes you really like. A quick glance at mine reveals that I love a 50's silhouette, jewel tones, stripes, and polka dots. Um, and also that I really want some new bags. And no, I'm not a millionaire--I'm not going to buy all the Fluevog shoes I have pinned!

 

Neutral colors are your friend! They go with almost anything. Black, white, navy, and various shades of gray/brown are SUPER versatile. Knowing your measurements is invaluable! Buy for your largest measurement (e.g. my bust) and get the rest tailored, if possible. If you are a petite or a tall, buy in your size whenever possible.

 

Here is my list of essentials. Because I love color, it's pretty long! There's also a lot of overlap between my work and casual attire because I'm a teacher and my clothes have to survive run-ins with art supplies, dirt, and mucus.

 

General Essentials, All Seasons

• A-line dresses: Black, gray, tan, jewel tone
• Sweater dresses (can be dressed up or down): Navy, cranberry red
• Long-sleeve tees: Black, white, striped, polka dot
• Short-sleeve tees: Black, white, striped, polka dot
• Camis: Black, white, nude, brown, jewel tones as needed (but don't overdo your collection!)
• Sweaters: WARM and reasonably fitted (I live in Boston, I'm not picky except on warmth)
• Long-sleeve crop cardigans: Black, white, jewel tone
• Long-sleeve cardigans: Black, white or gray, jewel tone
• Short-sleeve crop cardigans: Black, white, jewel tone
• Jackets: light (early fall/late spring), medium (late fall/early spring), heavy (winter). Ideally, 1 of these is a trench coat.
• Leggings: Black, brown, gray
• Skinny pants: Black, jewel tone
• A-line skirts: Black, brown, jewel tone, floral print
• Heels: Black, nude, red
• Booties: Black, brown
• Boots: Black, gray, brown
• Flats: Black, brown
• Sandals: Flip-flops, wedges, "city walkable" sandals (slight heel)
• Belts: Black, brown, jewel tone (bright yellow is fun!)
• Scarves: lightweight for fall/spring, heavy for winter. If most of your clothes are jewel tone, get some fun patterns. The opposite also holds true.
• Classic watch in your preferred metal

 

Work-Specific Essentials

• Long-sleeve button-down shirts: Black, white, patterned
• Short-sleeve button-down shirts: Black, white, patterned
• Silk blouse for nice school functions
• Blazers: Black, warm neutral shade, jewel tone
• Dress pants: Black, brown, gray
• Pencil skirt: Black, jewel tone

 

Casual Essentials

• Little black dress. Wearing it should make you feel AWESOME.
• At least one top you can wear to a bar/on a date and feel like a million bucks.
• Leather jacket
• Skinny jeans: denim, jewel tone
• Boyfriend jeans
• Flare leg jeans
• Shorts: Denim, khaki, jewel tone
• Bathing suits: bikini for beach fun, 1-piece for serious swimming

 

Formal Essentials

• Formal dresses: 1 for cold weather, 1 for warm weather
• Heels that match your formal wear
• Pearl necklace
• Black clutch, unless your preferred neutral is brown

 

As you can see, you can probably save a lot of money if you decide to go with all browns or all blacks. I, on the other hand, am unable to choose. I also have jewelry in silver and gold. I have two categories of cardigan (crop and regular) because the former looks better with skirts/dresses and the latter with pants. Minimalist fashionistas would swoon in horror. Oh, and I'm also still in the process of collecting these essentials. I'm not going to drop serious money until I've reached my goal measurements.

 

I hope this helps!

[Chris-Tien Jinn]

Great idea for a thread!!!!  (runs off to take notes)

[pattycake118]

These are amazing! Thanks!

 

I don't know if you were kidding about the socks or not, but it is very true for my husband - he has to wear a suit and loves that he can have fun socks under the formal attire.

[AlyssHart]

I can't comment on what's been said already.  But I'll say that, for me, any woman wearing a nice pair of very high heels automatically gets +10 hotness in my book.  

 

Something along the lines of these:

You have to practice to wear shoes like these.  Even more fun is exercising in them.

[Eilyd]

The thing I've done to control my closet is to institute and In-and-Out policy: if I buy something new, something old has to go, unless it is *very* clearly filling a pre-existing hole (such as the brown cardigan that I FINALLY got, after years of saying I needed one. Or the first pair of jeans that fits in 2 years.)

[Ãœberleben]

My closet lives by two house rules.  If it has holes in it, it's either relegated to bedtime-wear or thrown out.

 

The other it the hanger rule.  I've done this for four years straight now.  I hang everything up in January with the hangers all hung the same direction.  When I wear something, I flip the hanger around when I put it back in the closet after it's clean.  End of the year, any items of clothing on hangers that aren't flipped get thrown out. 

 

Means I have to think less about what I consider essentials, and can actually function around the items that are my essentials.

[JessOfAllTrades]

Clearly some of you more fashion saavy people need to take me shopping. I need all the help.

[marlanwe164]

nice  job...Thank you!

[SevenofSeven]

Ummmm, this thread shows my masculine side is more dominant within my wardrobe, jeans, t-shirts and practical for wear. I now own one mourning dress, the first dress I have owned since the 80's.

Sometimes I wish I was born with the shopping gene, especially reading the above posts.

[I-Jo]

I live in dresses and skirts and stretchy pants.

 

I DO really like my work pants- but I do not think they are super flattering- my body just isn't wildly happy in pants- to much butt and thigh.

 

and work out capris. lots of work out capris. 

 

Also dresses- I love dresses- structured dresses- pin up style- old school- whatever- tea length- LOVE dresses- they make me happy. 

 

I love jeans- but they just don't fit really well either sad panda face. 

 

tank tops- lots and lots of tank tops. 

[insanity]

The other it the hanger rule.  I've done this for four years straight now.  I hang everything up in January with the hangers all hung the same direction.  When I wear something, I flip the hanger around when I put it back in the closet after it's clean.  End of the year, any items of clothing on hangers that aren't flipped get thrown out. 

Genius... pure genius...

[Ricardo8p]

nice  thread...