My Wardrobe Essentials – Clothes

Going through my wardrobe inventory challenge has really got me thinking about what my wardrobe essentials are.  With a small amount of space for clothes, I find it really important to consider what I love wear and wear frequently, as these items get the most priority.  I want items that are versatile and can be used in multiple ways.  I want my closet to be well-edited enough that everything isn’t crammed in and difficult to get at.

Here’s some of the items I’ve identified:

My little black dress:

American Rag Cie Dress, bought used at Revolve

This beautiful black jersey dress is probably one of my absolute favorite items.   It’s amazing versatile.  The cut of the neckline is too deep to be worn on its on, so it makes for some amazing layering opportunities.  In the Winter, I wore it with tights and sweaters layered over it, or wore long sleeves under it.  In Spring, I wore it with belted cardigans and sandals.  Now in the summer, I’ve tried layering both jersey knit blouses and button-downs underneath it, and felt lovely and comfortable all day.  Since it’s a layerable neutral, it lends itself to accessorizing with just about anything I own.

My off-white bolero:

Ann Taylor LOFT Bolero

When I first bought this piece, I had planned to wear it as a bolero over dresses.  Soon after buying it though, I realized that it looks amazing as a draped cardigan.  This piece is so much more versatile than I thought it would be, and the thin cotton jersey fabric is perfect for Florida.

The Perfect Jeans:

Express Stella Jeans

I own multiple pairs of Express jeans, but the Stella cut is probably my favorite.  They’re the only jeans I’ve found that I consistently like the fit of.  Express just recently introduced a new variation of them, the Barely Boot cut, that I’m eager to try.

My Black Capris:

Erik Stewart Capris

I can’t remember if these were gifted or thrifted, but either way they’re second hand.  Many style essentials lists contain long black pants as a wardrobe staple, but I find that I rarely wear mine.  However, I’m constantly wearing my black capris.  These fit wonderfully, have a nice balance between elegant and casual, and have a somewhat European feel to them.

Colorful Cotton Camis

While my camis don’t get their own Flickr set, they are absolutely a wardrobe essential for me.  I love them for layering, I love them for adding an extra pop of color or texture.  These are something I could not live without.  I do want to invest in some better quality ones though.

My favorite skirt?

You may have noticed that none of my skirts are in my wardrobe essentials.  That’s because, even though I love the ones I have, I don’t feel that I’ve found that perfect essential yet.  Some of my skirts have fit issues, some are too casual for work, while others are too dressy for play.  I have a feeling that when I find that perfectly fitting, dark wash denim pencil skirt, it will fast become an essential.

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