I know that there are a million and one different articles about what you should have in your wardrobe. But I am yet to find one which encompasses everything I have in my wardrobe which I believe is essential. So these are the things I think every girl should have.
1. A pair of good straight-leg jeans in black and dark blue
Straight-legs are timeless, flattering and best worn in dark colours. With me, I always stick to dark blue and black as my essential. Lighter colours are nice also, but can't always be worn. Dark jeans can take you from day to night, summer or winter.
2. Light, plain (chiffon perhaps) shirts in black and white
Okay, so whenever I see a nice, plain, white or black chiffon shirt, I instantly buy it - you can never have enough. These are great, as they can be worn causally, or for a more smart look. I usually love to wear them under blazers, with a colourful scarf, layered with a jumper over them or even just on their own. Again, I'll wear a pair of my dark jeans with them usually. In winter, I'll pair a black shirt with a wooly scarf and matching boots, in summer I might pair a white shirt with light jeans and pastel accessories.
3. A boyfriend blazer in which ever colour is opposite to your general wardrobe colour palette (or just a black)
I say "A" blazer, but in actual fact I have quite a few. Also, I say a boyfriend blazer, because I find that these are much easier to wear casually and more smartly. I wear blazers on a day-to-day basis, and it looks smart, but not too formal like a fitted blazer would. You can wear anything with blazers, be it a nice chiffon shirt, a plain white top or a graphic tee. In terms of what is opposite to your 'wardrobe colour palette' I mean, look at your wardrobe, do you have lots of neutrals? dark colours? bright colours? If you have dark colours, I'd go for a bright blazer, maybe in a royal blue. If you have neutral colours or bright colours, a grey or black blazer would go nicely. Having an opposite coloured blazer just introduces something new to the outfit and makes the blazer look all the more statement without being too much.
4. A comfortable, everyday bag - THAT IS NOT BLACK
Everyone has some sort of black bag that they often use, but that just gets boring. If you're looking to buy a new bag, get something different. GET RED. This may sound a little odd. How can a bag that is everyday, be, well, red? Well, if you really think about it red actually goes with so much: grey, white, navy, nude, black, blue. Plus, it gives your outfit a kick, but can still look extremely stylish and elegant. And for everything else, get a grey bag.
5. A colourful scarf
So not necessarily a wooly scarf, just a big, patterned, colourful scarf in a light-ish material. This is perfect for wearing with any of your plain tee's, shirts or blazers. It's great for wearing in all seasons and whenever you're having a boring, wearing-all-dark-colours day, just add a nice scarf and you. Are. Done. I have a gorgeous red scarf with a chain pattern which I wear all the time. It looks great with a grey blazer and white tee.
6. Shoes
Okay this one is quite hard. But if I'm really stripping it down to the utter basics you probably need just 4 pairs of shoes - and that is MAJORLY cutting it down - (any guy will beg to differ and say you only need one, but they don't know what its really like).
So numero uno, you will need a pair of cute ballet flats. Easy for everyday, in probably either black, tan or grey (whichever one goes best with your clothes).
Next a pair of either flat or wedged shoe boots/brogues. I love brogues, casual, but still nice, and they keep your feet relatively warm when its a little nippy outside. However, if you like a little height, go for a pair of wedged shoe boots. They're comfy, easy to wear and in an easy colour like black, go with everything.
Thirdly, I do think that everyone needs some tall boots. Its up to you whether you prefer flat, heeled or wedged ones, but make sure they're quite tall to keep your legs nice and warm. Suede always looks nice, but really isn't that practical for when it rains or even snows, so go for leather in again, black, grey or tan.
Finally, you are definitely going to need a pair of high heels, or, if you have trouble walking in them, a pair of high wedge shoes. Now I love high heels, but to be perfectly honest, I've found that it is so much more practical to have just high wedges instead. There's much less chance of falling over, you walk more elegantly if you're in a rush and they still look great. My favourite pair are white leather with a cork wedge. I've worn them when shopping, at dinners and even at a wedding.
7. A gorgeous watch and ring
Well I say a watch, but there are many who don't do watches, so you can just skip these next few sentences, but for those who do, a watch is a very important piece. First you have to think about the style. Do you like small discrete watches? do you like square, round, rectangle faced? Do you want a big statement watch? A traditional style? A modern look? Think about your preference. Next think about material. Do you want a leather strap, or do you prefer just metal? Finally, think about the colour. If you're going for metal, which type? Gold, silver, or the now ever-more-stylish - rose gold (which is what I have at the moment - a massive round faced, rose gold Michael Kors). So depending on how you answered those questions, you can now venture out to find your ideal watch.
In terms of other jewellery pieces, although I have a wide array of accessories that I choose from, rings are my number one. For those of us that don't have an engagement ring, its nice to always decorate your hands with any nice ring. My favourite is one that is a very small bow with little crystals. I bought it in rose gold and always wear it on the same hand as my watch to match. I do also love statement, ma-husive rings, but those aren't essential, so they won't go on this list.
8. A coat
I almost forgot this one - which is surprising since living in London - I almost always wear coats. So, choose a coat which has a nice fit, something that is a little tailored, in an easy black, navy or grey colour that goes with everything. I personally wear long-ish knee-length coats and generally wear them open as I like to wear scarves around my neck. If you usually keep your coat closed, make sure that closing the coat is not a long process, as having to do up 3 buckles on your coat every time you go out is a little tedious.
9. A maxi skirt/dress
This is a great piece which can be worn summer or winter. In summer pair with a tucked in tee and statement tribal jewellery in winter pair with a jumper or with a leather biker jacket and scarf. You can get any colour you like, I personally quite like grey or khaki maxi skirts, but buy maxi dresses in bolder, more flowery colours for the summer.
Final Random Tip for Your Wardrobe
Okay, this is just random, but - when you see a new colour that is suddenly in fashion, this is an easy way to incorporate it into your wardrobe to update it a little every season.
So for example, recently, burgundy has been a big colour for autumn and winter - so I decided that I wanted to wear more of it. All I did was simply to buy a pair of £20 heeled shoe boots in burgundy, a £7 skinny waist belt in burgundy, an £8 scarf in a burgundy leaf design and a £5 bag in burgundy. Instantly I included this colour into my wardrobe, matching it with all of the above essentials and bam, I was right on-trend in one shopping trip and having only spent £40. And this doesn't only create one on-trend outfit, it creates a whole bunch!
I hope that this has all come in useful for someone out there.
1. A pair of good straight-leg jeans in black and dark blue
Straight-legs are timeless, flattering and best worn in dark colours. With me, I always stick to dark blue and black as my essential. Lighter colours are nice also, but can't always be worn. Dark jeans can take you from day to night, summer or winter.
2. Light, plain (chiffon perhaps) shirts in black and white
Okay, so whenever I see a nice, plain, white or black chiffon shirt, I instantly buy it - you can never have enough. These are great, as they can be worn causally, or for a more smart look. I usually love to wear them under blazers, with a colourful scarf, layered with a jumper over them or even just on their own. Again, I'll wear a pair of my dark jeans with them usually. In winter, I'll pair a black shirt with a wooly scarf and matching boots, in summer I might pair a white shirt with light jeans and pastel accessories.
3. A boyfriend blazer in which ever colour is opposite to your general wardrobe colour palette (or just a black)
I say "A" blazer, but in actual fact I have quite a few. Also, I say a boyfriend blazer, because I find that these are much easier to wear casually and more smartly. I wear blazers on a day-to-day basis, and it looks smart, but not too formal like a fitted blazer would. You can wear anything with blazers, be it a nice chiffon shirt, a plain white top or a graphic tee. In terms of what is opposite to your 'wardrobe colour palette' I mean, look at your wardrobe, do you have lots of neutrals? dark colours? bright colours? If you have dark colours, I'd go for a bright blazer, maybe in a royal blue. If you have neutral colours or bright colours, a grey or black blazer would go nicely. Having an opposite coloured blazer just introduces something new to the outfit and makes the blazer look all the more statement without being too much.
4. A comfortable, everyday bag - THAT IS NOT BLACK
Everyone has some sort of black bag that they often use, but that just gets boring. If you're looking to buy a new bag, get something different. GET RED. This may sound a little odd. How can a bag that is everyday, be, well, red? Well, if you really think about it red actually goes with so much: grey, white, navy, nude, black, blue. Plus, it gives your outfit a kick, but can still look extremely stylish and elegant. And for everything else, get a grey bag.
5. A colourful scarf
So not necessarily a wooly scarf, just a big, patterned, colourful scarf in a light-ish material. This is perfect for wearing with any of your plain tee's, shirts or blazers. It's great for wearing in all seasons and whenever you're having a boring, wearing-all-dark-colours day, just add a nice scarf and you. Are. Done. I have a gorgeous red scarf with a chain pattern which I wear all the time. It looks great with a grey blazer and white tee.
6. Shoes
Okay this one is quite hard. But if I'm really stripping it down to the utter basics you probably need just 4 pairs of shoes - and that is MAJORLY cutting it down - (any guy will beg to differ and say you only need one, but they don't know what its really like).
So numero uno, you will need a pair of cute ballet flats. Easy for everyday, in probably either black, tan or grey (whichever one goes best with your clothes).
Next a pair of either flat or wedged shoe boots/brogues. I love brogues, casual, but still nice, and they keep your feet relatively warm when its a little nippy outside. However, if you like a little height, go for a pair of wedged shoe boots. They're comfy, easy to wear and in an easy colour like black, go with everything.
Thirdly, I do think that everyone needs some tall boots. Its up to you whether you prefer flat, heeled or wedged ones, but make sure they're quite tall to keep your legs nice and warm. Suede always looks nice, but really isn't that practical for when it rains or even snows, so go for leather in again, black, grey or tan.
Finally, you are definitely going to need a pair of high heels, or, if you have trouble walking in them, a pair of high wedge shoes. Now I love high heels, but to be perfectly honest, I've found that it is so much more practical to have just high wedges instead. There's much less chance of falling over, you walk more elegantly if you're in a rush and they still look great. My favourite pair are white leather with a cork wedge. I've worn them when shopping, at dinners and even at a wedding.
7. A gorgeous watch and ring
Well I say a watch, but there are many who don't do watches, so you can just skip these next few sentences, but for those who do, a watch is a very important piece. First you have to think about the style. Do you like small discrete watches? do you like square, round, rectangle faced? Do you want a big statement watch? A traditional style? A modern look? Think about your preference. Next think about material. Do you want a leather strap, or do you prefer just metal? Finally, think about the colour. If you're going for metal, which type? Gold, silver, or the now ever-more-stylish - rose gold (which is what I have at the moment - a massive round faced, rose gold Michael Kors). So depending on how you answered those questions, you can now venture out to find your ideal watch.
In terms of other jewellery pieces, although I have a wide array of accessories that I choose from, rings are my number one. For those of us that don't have an engagement ring, its nice to always decorate your hands with any nice ring. My favourite is one that is a very small bow with little crystals. I bought it in rose gold and always wear it on the same hand as my watch to match. I do also love statement, ma-husive rings, but those aren't essential, so they won't go on this list.
8. A coat
I almost forgot this one - which is surprising since living in London - I almost always wear coats. So, choose a coat which has a nice fit, something that is a little tailored, in an easy black, navy or grey colour that goes with everything. I personally wear long-ish knee-length coats and generally wear them open as I like to wear scarves around my neck. If you usually keep your coat closed, make sure that closing the coat is not a long process, as having to do up 3 buckles on your coat every time you go out is a little tedious.
9. A maxi skirt/dress
This is a great piece which can be worn summer or winter. In summer pair with a tucked in tee and statement tribal jewellery in winter pair with a jumper or with a leather biker jacket and scarf. You can get any colour you like, I personally quite like grey or khaki maxi skirts, but buy maxi dresses in bolder, more flowery colours for the summer.
Final Random Tip for Your Wardrobe
Okay, this is just random, but - when you see a new colour that is suddenly in fashion, this is an easy way to incorporate it into your wardrobe to update it a little every season.
So for example, recently, burgundy has been a big colour for autumn and winter - so I decided that I wanted to wear more of it. All I did was simply to buy a pair of £20 heeled shoe boots in burgundy, a £7 skinny waist belt in burgundy, an £8 scarf in a burgundy leaf design and a £5 bag in burgundy. Instantly I included this colour into my wardrobe, matching it with all of the above essentials and bam, I was right on-trend in one shopping trip and having only spent £40. And this doesn't only create one on-trend outfit, it creates a whole bunch!
I hope that this has all come in useful for someone out there.
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