I hope everyone is well and settling into the new season! After a busy summer, I’m looking forward to getting back into routine now and have lots of A/W fashion posts to share. But first, I’m taking it back to basics!
As I mentioned in my last post, a capsule wardrobe and its size is very much personal to the owner – it is essentially a curated selection of items you love and want to wear all the time. Your wardrobe should fill you with joy not dread and the best way of achieving this is to build a strong foundation of reliable basics that will carry over from season-to-season and lay the groundwork for most of your outfits. From there, you can build out with more seasonal pieces that will mix and match with your core items.
I’m sharing my year-round core essentials below but bear in mind that these may differ to yours depending on your personal preferences, body type and skin tone. My aim for these posts is simply to offer inspiration that you can adapt to suit your own wardrobe, lifestyle and tastes.
Now unless you have done your cull and thrown out everything you own (!), you won’t be starting from scratch and lots of these items will be hanging in your wardrobe anyway. Check the quality of the items you’ve kept and assess whether they might need an upgrade (ill fitting jeans that do nothing for your confidence) or a refresh (white t-shirts that have seen brighter days).
STYLE BY LAURA – CORE ESSENTIALS
- The Plain White T-Shirt
This is a universal piece that every single wardrobe should have – and when you find a good one, buy multiples! I have been on the hunt for the perfect white tee for a number of years and have finally found a few I like. I buy these in bulk, as I wear them so often. Personal preferences will dictate whether you go for a v, round or crew neck but each style offers a world of styling opportunities – I wear them with jeans, joggers, skirts and under blazers. I also love the simplicity of a plain white t-shirt with gold jewellery and a great belt. Some great Irish brands to check out are Sinead Keary and Arlo Blue. I also love Sweaty Betty for their gorgeous organic cotton styles and Arket for nice, thicker styles.
2. The Trench Coat
I only bought my first trench coat in Spring of this year and now I have two! They work all year round, especially with the unreliable Irish weather and again, they have the power to instantly add polish to a very plain outfit. You can’t go wrong with a classic sand tone and I also love my POCO by Pippa khaki shade. I have been styling it over white jeans in summer and it will be a very hardworking piece in my Autumn wardrobe too.
3. Jeans
Like the plain white tee, I feel every woman is always on the hunt for the ultimate pair of Jeans. This is something that it worth spending time on, especially if like me, you wear jeans a lot. You really don’t have to spend a fortune on them either, it is all about shopping around and finding the right fit – two of my favourite styles are from H&M and Penneys, which you can read more about in this post.
4. Blazer
Like the trench, the blazer has transformative powers! My blazer collection has been neglected since WFH / lockdown commenced but I have recently been transitioning them back into my casual wardrobe for social outings and into workwear too, now that office life has resumed. For the purpose of a core collection, I would suggest staring with a strong neutral – black, beige or cream. Over the years, I have added to my collection seasonally with pastel tones and different fabrics like linen, boucle etc.
5. Button Down Shirt
A white shirt can be very difficult to get right and can sometimes feel too formal if your lifestyle and wardrobe tends to be more casual. I always had white shirts down as ‘office’ attire but I have recently been playing with ways to incorporate them into my more smart casual, everyday style. I particularly loved linen shirts over the summer and again, they look so crisp with denim. They also add a lovely layer worn open over fitted dresses. If white is not your preference, I think a blue button down also makes a great wardrobe staple and works equally well for work or weekend wear.
6. Longline Cardigan
Another essential for me, regardless of the season! A warm layer is always welcome and I think longline cardigans can look so chic when dressed up over jeans and heels. I have a couple of favourites from Pretty Lavish which get lots of wear all year round. I love that they can be worn as a dress too for added versatility!
7. Sweater
If I had to pick one piece of knitwear as a year round essential, I’d go with a classic cream v neck, longline style. In the summer, I like to pair my light coloured knits with white jeans for a tonal look and come winter, those long sweaters and spanx have basically been my uniform for the past 10 years! In previous seasons, I’ve bought several variations of the same style at lower price points and while I did get good wear out of most, the quality matched the price and they generally didn’t last more than a year. So, as we come into Autumn I’m going to be more mindful of fabrics and invest a little more if necessary for a longer lasting piece. I really rate the quality of & Other Stories, so they will be my first port of call.
8. Tank Top
I have recently found a few styles of tank tops that I absolutely love and they really make a solid base layer! Whether paired with shorts or layered under an open shirt, no wardrobe is complete without one. Like the white tee, you can play with necklines to find the most suitable style for you. Asymmetric cuts and think straps are also a great way of making a real style statement with a very basic piece.
9. Knit Dress
And as a follow on from the above, if I had to pick one dress to work across the entire year, a long sleeve knitted dress is a winner. My personal preference is cream and I loved to style it alone with light tan accessories in summer and then layer up with black boots and a coat in the winter!
10. Trousers
I’m going to finish with tailored trousers, as jeans might not be for everyone. A relaxed fitting pair are a great addition to any wardrobe and work equally well with a blazer for work as they do with a hoody at the weekend. For optimum comfort, look for light fabrics that fit like a trouser but feel like loungewear!
You can shop my favourite picks below and I’ll be back soon with some more seasonal additions for Autumn!
