Skip to main content

How To Build a Compact Wardrobe with Quality Separates (Without Breaking the Bank)

I remember in my twenties being terribly influenced by a mailer I received from a chain boutique that was advertising a compact wardrobe with separates. It showed me how each of the pieces would mix and match, what jewelry I could purchase to properly accessorize the outfits, and when the store's next sale would be. How handy!

I'm embarrassed to confess that I gave in to their siren call, purchasing several of the pieces advertised. And while I regret being so easily influenced by the mailer and spending so much money on the advertised clothing, it did end up being a positive lesson on the value of carefully curating a few quality separates that can mix and match well.

Chances are you don't have to start from scratch. It's now fall; if you've been following this blog, we've already discussed starting with your own wardrobe to identify some of the foundational pieces you'll be wearing for the next couple of months. But let's assume that you want to take a step back and assess.  

Use a list of "Closet Essentials" to inform your wardrobe decisions.

A print dress is usually included in "closet essentials" lists.
This Banana Republic wrap dress, purchased used, cost under $15.00.

I've reviewed many such lists over the years, finding that items on the list typically stand the test of time. A crisp white top of some sort (these days it's a plain white T-shirt) still makes these lists, as does an unstressed pair of jeans, a print dress and a neutral blazer. For your own review, check out these "closet essentials" lists from both Stitchfix and Gia Rose.

That said, these lists will never perfectly fit your situation. When I worked as a financial advisor, a black wool gabardine tailored suit was part of my closet essentials, but such a suit would not typically be included on these lists. Now that I no longer meet with clients, but I live in the desert where the weather stays over 100 degrees three months out of the year, my nice pair of white shorts is an absolute essential - but not something that would show up on anyone else's essentials list. Make sure that your essentials fit YOUR life.

White shorts never make the "closet essentials" lists,
but they are essential for me to survive hot summers in Phoenix

Keep your wardrobe small and of high quality to maximize your odds of consistently looking good.

How easy would it be if you only had ten core pieces of clothing to choose from and accessorize? (And how little money would you spend if you purchased them all used?) My personal experience has shown that ten or so carefully-chosen quality pieces should be enough to carry you through a three-month season. 

When I worked as a financial advisor, my core pieces were:

Three neutral dresses, a black suit (blazer, skirt and trousers), one light beige blazer, one green skirt and three tops that all went with the skirts and the trousers. All of the dresses, pants and tops went with one of the two blazers. With the exception of the black suit, all of the other items were purchased used.

One of my most treasured compliments over the years (and I've gotten a version of it multiple times) has been from women who didn't know me, but who saw me regularly at work and said something like, "You always look so put together." You can, too, when you reign in the number of pieces you choose to wear and stick with quality.

Don't be tempted by "convertible" clothing that promises to increase the number of outfits you can get out of your separates.

Sure, if you're bored by your own wardrobe, you can get creative about how you might wear certain items - but trust me, no one else cares. For proof, I offer Renata Briggman, a real estate agent who works in the Washington, D.C. area. She wears the exact same outfit (although not the identical clothes) every single day, looks fantastic and regularly receives compliments on her appearance. The article I've  linked to (worth the read!) is from 2017, but if you look for current images of her, she's still wearing the same classic outfit.

I was inspired by her example and, at a time when I wasn't meeting with clients, spent a year wearing only quality black-and-white patterned trousers and black tops. This made my morning routine really easy but still allowed me to look consistently polished and professional.

Search "capsule wardrobe images" for more inspiration.

If you use the search terms, "capsule wardrobe images," you'll find hundreds of images, sortable by any number of filters such as season or style, which you can then use as templates for creating your own high quality, compact wardrobe for the next few months. Once you know approximately what you're looking for, chances are you can find a high-quality version at Goodwill for a fraction of the cost of retail.

Happy wardrobe hunting!






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gift-Giving and The Problem with Stuff

 Most of us, let's be honest, are drowning in stuff. While minimalist Joshua Becker's post was written several years ago, I suspect that the statistics he cites, described below, have only gotten worse. TOO MUCH STUFF 1. The average household owns 300,000 items. Wow. 2. 32% of households only have room to park one car in a two-car garage (one in four can't park any car in their garage). 3. One out of ten of us rents offsite storage to deal with our excess stuff. As of March of 2020, there was 5.4 square feet of offsite storage space for every man, woman and child living in the U.S. 4. Even with all the stuff we have, we don't have enough money . I created this blog to encourage us all to be more conscious consumers of clothing - to consider buying quality clothing second-hand and to be more thoughtful about how much of it we really need. The goal is to keep our clothing from becoming just more stuff that's out of control. Naturally, these concepts go beyond cloth...
1 comment
Read more

Having Enough (Thanksgiving Edition)

 I culled my closet a couple of weeks ago, inspired again by Courtney Carver's Project 333  to limit my clothes only to what I intend to wear over the next (in my case) four months. Everything else got put into drawers or taken to an unused closet upstairs. While I'm sure I've gotten some things wrong (I just haven't figured out what they are yet), it feels like a revelation to walk into my closet:  Not too much, and not too little, it's exactly enough. The "Fulfillment Curve" from Your Money or Your Life (Dominguez & Robin) What does having "enough" clothing look like? When I left my job as a financial advisor, I no longer had "enough" clothes. I had plenty of clothing for meeting with clients in person; I also had workout clothing and a couple of more formal dresses. But I didn't have anywhere near enough clothing to meet my new daily circumstances of hanging around the house, meeting with a friend or running errands. I'v...
Post a Comment
Read more

Casualization of Clothing

 I'm taking a break from talking about used clothing this week to focus a bit on history. I recently saw a photograph of women from the 1920s, and it occurred to me what an amazing transformation had happened for women's clothing in just 30 years. Here's an image of what women wore in the 1890s. Note the long sleeves, high necklines and rear bustles. These outfits would also have required a corset underneath and petticoats. I found this image at ThisVictorianLife.com .  The couple who runs the site wears Victorian-era clothing in their everyday lives. Here is an image of what women wore in the 1920s. Note the (relatively) high hemlines, short sleeves and more contemporary necklines. Also note the low heel on the shoes. I found this image on a Pinterest page. While I personally prefer clothing that's a bit more figure-flattering, imagine the freedom these women from the 20s experienced compared to their 1890's sisters! Have things changed as much 100 years later? Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more