Style tip 8: Basic Wardrobe planning!

Monday, April 22, 2013


Everything in your wardrobe should suit your body shape, style, lifestyle and personality.  Too many of us wear only a small fraction of our clothes whilst the remainder languishes in dry-cleaning bags stuffed at the back of the wardrobe.  Anyone can put together a basic wardrobe even on a limited budget. By shopping for and selecting certain classic pieces, you can have an all purpose, stylish wardrobe that will suit all your fashion needs.


Wardrobe planning is ensuring that all the garments in your wardrobe are ready to wear and are in rotation to be worn at some point this season.  Reviewing your wardrobe each season to decide what will stay and what will get replaced so that your wardrobe remains up-to-date

Box up clothing which, regardless of size, you don’t like and isn’t your style. Give away.

The first thing to consider when putting together a wardrobe is colour. Pick two basic, neutral colors that you can build you wardrobe around. The most versitile basic colours are black, brown, grey, navy and beige. Once you have decided on colors, you can start shopping.

It's usually best to spend more money on classic pieces that will stay in style, rather than trendy pieces. If you have limited funds, here is where you will probably be spending most of them.

Next is to find a few pairs of pants that can worn with a variety of tops as well as the suit jackets from your suits.  A pair of rayon or wool black pants is a great item to have in your closet. Black pants go with everything from a nice blouse to a tee shirt.  A couple of casual but fashionable pairs of pants is the next thing to focus on. You want to look for something nice enough to wear to work, but casual enough that you could wear them on the weekend. Cotton is a good fabric to look for here. 

Next is to find seperate tops that can be worn with your suits as well as with slacks, casual pants, skirts and even jeans. A nice, white button down shirt is a staple of any wardrobe. They come in many styles and in many prices depending on fabric, quality, etc. The basic white button down shirt will with pretty much everything. Other tops - here's where you can interject some colour or a little trendy style. When you buy something trendy that is not going to be in style for very long, do not invest a lot of money in it. Look for sales, lower end stores that still carry trendy items.

Tee shirts are also great. You can get tee shirts in rayon, silk, or basic cotton. They do wonders for a wardrobe. The right tee shirt can dress up an outfit or play and down and make it more casual. They are also a great way to introduce colour into an outfit. 

With some time and effort, you can make 10 - 15 pieces into 25 or more outfits. Just take your time, shop carefully and always think about how what you are looking out will fit in to your overall collection.

Being aware of current trends so you can decide if and how you wish to incorporate them into your existing wardrobe.

Remember to have fun with your looks and outfit choices. after all that is what Fashion is all about!