My 9 wardrobe must-haves
aka What I would buy if I had to start from zero
They’re telling me this post is too long for email! FYI.
So lately I’ve been seeing people ask some version of the question “If you had to start from scratch with your wardrobe, what would be your must-haves?” over and over and over. I don’t know if this is in direct relation to the fact that many people this year have literally had to (devastatingly) start over from more or less nothing due to the LA fires, but it’s still an interesting question. Whenever I see it pop up in a chat or a note, I can’t help but to get flashes of the things I have in my own wardrobe and whether or not they would make the list. I also can’t help but to begin overthinking by factoring in things like "do I have the basics already?” and “what even are the basics?” and “should I factor in seasons?”.
Great news! This is my newsletter and I get to make the rules. So here it goes. I’ve decided to limit myself to 9 items because it sounds better than 10, I don’t need to think about the basics (eg underwear and socks), and I don’t need to think about seasonally unavoidable garments (eg a down jacket or a rain coat). I’m also not including accessories or shoes. This is will be a strictly clothing-based. So without further oversplaining:
1. A great pair of blue jeans
This, to me, is a no-brainer. If I were to guess, this is my no.1 most used item in my wardrobe year round (yeah I too wish Sweden was warmer in the summer). I know some people don’t wear jeans. I don’t get it. Jeans to me work in practically any setting (maybe except for very formal ones), weather and for every style/body. It all depends on which style you feel good in and how you style them, of course. Some will also say that the straight leg is the most classic and versatile but I honestly think you have to find what works for you and your body. The straight leg is never not trendy, but I also love a slightly looser fit and a discrete flare, no matter what’s in style.
2. A great pair of dark pants
I was about to call this “A great pair of black pants”, but again, I think navy or dark brown might work better for some wardrobes. Black will probably always be considered the most accepted for formal wear, and some might say black goes with literally everything. Personally, I think black doesn’t go great with any extremely saturated colours unless there’s other pieces of clothing in a more muted palette in the same outfit (Tibi colour ring theory), but that all depends on your style. This was a really long-winded way of saying that navy, dark green or dark brown could be great options if you have a lot of bright colours in your wardrobe that feel awkward next to jet black.
3. A great (crew neck) t-shirt
I’m not going to limit this to “a white t-shirt” because I think other colours like grey can be more versatile for some. And yes, some people will simply feel better in a v-neck and that’s fine. But if I’m going for what I would go for (because this is my list after all) I would definitely choose the crew neck and probably go for white, grey or navy. Black doesn’t look great close to my face. There is just something about the cotton t-shirt that makes it the perfect classic layering piece, that balances out more fancy items of clothing and that works as a blank canvas for many, many outfits. It works under a blazer, under a knit, under a button-up, under a sweatshirt, with jeans, skirts, linen, sparkles… you name it.
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