How to Build a Basic Wardrobe.

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So you’ve decided that now is the time to cull and streamline your wardrobe. That’s excellent! With this decision comes, as I’m sure for many of you, confusion. You are probably thinking, “What do I do now? What do I toss or keep? Why am I crying on the floor in the fetal position?” Don’t worry! This step-by-step tutorial will make this mess of fabric pretty much disappear. 

Step one:

Take everything out of your closet...everything...down to your last pair of underpants. Now comes the hardest part of this entire process - you must try on EVERYTHING you own (stop cringing for just a minute while reading this step, otherwise you might not see the rest). Anything that doesn’t fit properly, doesn’t look good, or you have not worn in the last year is no longer part of your wardrobe. Of course, if there are things that you find to be sentimental and therefore, you cannot part with them, keep them separate and keep very few. 

Step two:

Make three piles: Keep, sell, and donate. Hopefully, you should understand that the pile you’re keeping is the stuff that is flattering and well-made. The sell pile should be things that have been worn lightly and are in good enough condition to reap a decent resale value. A good place to sell your clothing is on ebay. Lastly, the donations pile could be everything else, within reason (throw out old underwear, ok?) You can give clothing to the Salvation Army or even drop it off at thrift shops in your neighborhood. DO NOT THROW OUT CLOTHING...if you don’t have to. It can be repurposed or reused by someone else. 

Step three:

Understand your body. What that means is look through your remaining clothing and identify what it is about your clothing that merited its keep. What you might begin to notice is that you are enticed by similar silhouettes, colors and fabrics. Perhaps, if you’re like me, you go for structured, black pieces. 

Step four:

Organize your closet in whatever way you find logical. Mine is organized first by color (which isn’t hard because everything’s black), and then by type (i.e. shirts, skirts, dresses). 

Step five:

It is imperative to have a list of basics, or staples, to always have on hand to make getting an outfit together almost too easy. It is from these basics that you create countless ensembles with which you can pair any statement piece, if you so desire. For my basics, I like to stick to neutral colors like black, grey, tan and white. Then, I add colors like turquoise and amber to add interest.

Here is my list:

Black jeans

Blue jeans

Black blazer

Black coat

Black button down

White button down

Black dress

Sunglasses

Black boots

Black belt

Tan belt

Black pencil skirt

Leather jacket

Grey t-shirt

Striped t-shirt

Step six:

Shopping should now be an easy task. You now know what looks good on you and what pieces are necessary for your closet. At this point, instead of shopping sale racks every weekend, you should be saving up for good quality pieces that you love and don’t just buy because it costs five bucks. 

Good luck!