Five wardrobe staples you shouldn’t go another season without
Buying a new wardrobe every time the season changes can be exhausting and expensive. Instead of building a new closet that drains you dry every month, Vitamin F podcast host Katherine Patrick is helping us build a wardrobe that can be styled in 100 different ways with pieces that never go out of style. “Staple items are the foundation of a capsule closet. That’s why they are so important to building a forever wardrobe,” she says.
Read below for Patrick’s insights on her top five wardrobe staples and her go-to styling tips.
- A classic pair of jeans. It’s so easy to dress them up with a pair of pumps or dress them down with sneakers for a casual day. It’s OK to invest in quality when it comes to jeans because they will last you years—just like your capsule closet after you finish reading this article.
- A crisp button-up. It’s simplistic but sophisticated. And let’s face it, you can throw one on with anything and look put together in seconds.
- A tailored blazer. When it comes to versatility, nothing is more effortless than a blazer. It’s so chic and gives you an edge when styling a look. Check out the thrift stores for this one. Last year, I found my favorite Givenchy shimmery gold blazer for under $100 at an unsuspecting thrift store. It was literally like hitting a Givenchy gold mine.
- Ballet flats. This one might be controversial, but I’m a believer in the ballet flat. This style is so comfortable for women on the go, which is amazing. Usually, if you see something comfortable, it isn’t chic.
- A plain white T-shirt. Going back to the basics can be fun, and everyone knows you can’t get more basic than a plain white T-shirt. It’s essential to the closet staple edit and is the beginning of almost every stylish ensemble you put together.
Katherine Patrick modeling two items from her list of closet staples: fashionable ballet flats and a pair of jeans.
Her advice for styling these pieces?
People are often scared of basics because they feel well, pretty basic. But, the styling of them doesn’t have to be. Accessorizing basics can pull them from feeling drab to fab very quickly. Next time you throw on a simplistic outfit like a pair of jeans and a white blouse, grab a colorful handbag, maybe a vintage ball cap, and something unexpected like a vintage belt from the archives to add a special detail to your look.
For more on Patrick and her podcast, check out this story from the inRegister archives.
