Emmanuelle Alt via TheSartorialist
Inspired by a post Garance did last week, I thought I too would do a little post on wardrobe staples. Usually I have a tendency to get carried away with the type of clothes and accessories that I can fantasise about – entirely fun and frothy, but not always practical. I also have a bad habit of piling on enough accessories for four individuals at any one time. I try to stop, but then I don’t feel like me.
But regardless of personal style and frou frou accoutrements, none of this works without a set of good quality staples to anchor the whole thing. Get these right, and everything else will work almost by itself. For me, the basics include:
1. Dark skinny jeans/trousers – flattering, not too tight at the waist, tight on the legs but not so tight they’re like a corset when you sit down (surely finding the perfect jeans is one of the eternal sartorial quests).
2. Well-cut jackets – i’m particularly partial to black blazers (Balenciaga power-shoulders, sharp tuxedos, tomboy slouchy, or YSL-esque velvet smoking jackets), but am also unable to resist preppy shrunken school boy blazers, statement sequined numbers, vintage silk and lace bed jackets, or fur (faux or vintage) styles. Jackets pull any outfit together, and sharpen up even the floatiest of tops.
3. The perfect tee – crisp white business shirts (to dress up or down) also fall into this category. I prefer slouchy to second-skin tight, and have recently discovered American Apparel’s men’s deep V-neck in white, grey and black (with the sleeves rolled up so they’re less manish). I’m also incapable of resisting whatever style Sass & Bide releases each season (I have at least 20 of their white tees in various prints, cuts, and embellishments), or white vintage Chanel silk shirts. Good quality, basic tees make even my most ridiculous layers of jewels look acceptable, and work as well in the office as they do on sloth-like Sundays.
4. Classic, go-with-everything bag – mine is a black Chanel 2.55. While I accept that a Chanel is a rather extravagant staple, my wardrobe almost wouldn’t function without this. I get so much wear out of it (and intend to for decades to come), and it works with 99% of my wardrobe – either dressed up or down.
5. Good quality shoes – while I think it’s always better to invest in the best quality basics one can afford, shoes are the one thing which you should never scrimp on – it will always show, and they will fall apart in no time (the same is often true for bags, although a vintage bag can cost hardly anything but look fabulous). Essentials are good ballet flats for walking all over town, black court shoes, and a pair of boots that get better with age (I have a horrible tendency to get so attached to mine that I literally wear them until they’re falling apart). But please, please, please, no kitten heels – there is nothing more unflattering and really, what is the point? If you’re going to wear heels, you might as well do it properly! My favourites are Marc Jacobs heels and Miu Miu flats.
6. Louis Vuitton leopard scarf – while this isn’t strictly a wardrobe essential, I wear it so frequently and with almost any outfit that it counts as one of my staples. I couldn’t survive an English winter without it.
7. Good underwear – without this, everything else looks bad. It must be supportive, well-cut so it stays where it’s supposed to, and pretty enough that you feel fabulous regardless of what you’re wearing on top. I like Elle McPherson, Pleasure State, Stella McCartney, Topshop for fun knickers, and Agent Provocateur.
8. A winter coat – now that winter is over, coats are the last thing on my mind. But that said, one cannot survive a northern hemisphere winter without one, and given it is worn practically every day for several months, it might as well be one you like! Military or trench coat styles flatter all shapes and work with most outfits – but i’m still on the hunt for the perfect cape coat (any tips?). Black is predictale but it works, and it absolutely must be a good quality, thick wool (cheap wool pills and falls apart in no time), or thick cotton if in the southern hemisphere. Mine is Chloe, and although it doesn’t look wildly exciting, it still looks flawless and works every time.
9. Tights – Slightly boring, but again, my wardrobe would be unworkable without them. Black opaques mean you can wear dresses, skirts, and shorts in winter when everyone else is in a jeans rut, while patterned, slightly coloured (by this I mean muted shades such as grey – few girls, unless they’re under 17 or Blair Waldorf, can pull off bright tights), or textured tights make the same outfits more ‘done’ year round (for example, a short black dress looks much more dressed up and office appropriate when worn with lacy tights than bare legs).
10. Camouflage – for those days when you just want to hide or add an air of aloofness. I used to have an addiction to oversized sunglasses, but moving to the UK soon rendered that silly. While I am inseparable from them for the whole month of summer here, I have also developed a dependency on berets and turban-style headbands for the colder months, when bad hair is inevitable.
What are your essentials? Have you found the perfect basics that you couldn’t dress without?
Love, Miss B xx
