How much for a completely new wardrobe of clothes?

[PumpkinWitch]

I haven’t got many clothes as I had to leave everything behind when I left my ex last year. Almost everything I have got is second hand an not what I would have chosen. I have got away with this as I basically haven’t been anywhere.

How much would it cost to buy a completely new wardrobe of clothes. Where would I start? Are there any items that are with buying first. I have bought a nice pair of black jeans and that has made a big difference. What else would you get?

Depends whether primark/supermarket or high end designer.

I follow a style coach on insta and she had a capsule wardrobe of more expensive pieces but they all “go” and suit her, she just rotates them. So a nice pair of black jeans, a pair of trousers, a white shirt, a couple of decent t shirts a nice jumper and a dress. I’m the opposite, have 3 wardrobes full of absolute rubbish, 70% of which I never wear, the cost of which is probably a lot more than classic staple pieces that suit me that aren’t high fashion.

Sorry. Not helpful:

Zara have a lot of their basics reduced right down in the sale atm, if that's any help. Merino cardigans, some nice jeans, tshirts and tops for layering

I haven’t got a hope of affording designer but that is the idea getting a few key things that go together like a capsule wardrobe. It is very easy to just buy a few things and that wouldn’t make a difference.

I do like Zara so that is a good place to start. I will have a look.

How long is a piece of string?

You could get a small wardrobe of cheaper high street outfits for £200 or a more extensive wardrobe for £2000. Alternatively you could spend that on one coat.

Start by setting a budget. How much would you be prepared to spend this month?

Then think about what you need clothes for? Are you out in an office all day or staying at home with small children.

I’d buy things you really love and build up slowly as you experience gaps and not buying stuff to “make do”.

The best dressed women I know in RL actually have very small wardrobes and wear the same thing again and again but in different combinations - I always think one really nice jumper is better than 5 basic ones and

I'd start with a list, and ask yourself questions about your lifestyle. How often do you ideally do laundry? Are you willing to iron? Do you have young kids or a dog that means you are often in muddy playgrounds/parks or get food etc on you all the time so you need hardwearing stuff that can stand lots of washing? Do you work a job where you are expected to dress a certain way? What's the climate like where you are, and how much time do you spend out of doors? How do you see yourself, eg do you love dresses or prefer jeans? Spend some real time thinking about it, write it all down, then decide what you'd spend on each bit.

There is a lot of truth in what people say about a "capsule" wardrobe - eg solid basics that fit properly, all go with each other and are made decently, not go out of fashion and will last. So I wouldn't rush out and buy lots of stuff from primark that will look tatty after 3 washes - will be more expensive in the long run. Better to buy a few things at a time as you can afford to. That said, you can probably pick some great bargains in the sales now. Retailers are in huge trouble and discounting a lot.

How much would this cost? Honestly, I'm not sure how cheaply you can do it. You can spend pretty much limitless amounts on clothes. I'd figure out how much you can afford and match it up against your list.

I am probably more at the £200 end but even that would be a lot so ideally less. If I had a lot to spend it would be easier.

I have a toddler and I do work so need clothes that would work for both. I am also going to start dating again so that is my motivation.

I'd start with a couple of nice T-shirt's , a blouse, a blazer, cardigan and either another pair of jeans, trousers or a midi skirt to add to what you've got.

A pair of daps (like converse but a non brand make) , pair of ankle flat boots and a pair of slip on brogue shoes.

All of these can be mixed with each other. Add in a couple of scarves and you should be ok for a bit.

Sounds like you've had a tough time if you're left with no clothes but fantastic you're out of it.

Also have a look at Gap and Uniglo for basics at reasonable prices.

I haven't read all the previous replies but it depends what you need and where you shop

I would get some basics or capsule items depending on what you wear on a daily basis. For me that would be a couple of pairs of jeans, a few plain t shirts, a couple of jumpers, some casual clothes for around the house. Do you need shoes too? In the sales you could probably get a good amount of things for under £200.

If you want clothes for every day / work and dating then a couple of pairs of jeans and some nice tops would probably be a good start.

Gap have some good discounts so you might get a lot for a little or if you could get to a discount outlet you could get some bargains at next, M&S, gap etc.

Does anyone have a link to thread where a woman did this by making a spreadsheet of everything she needed for a capsule wordrobe from scratch and then rather than buying all at the same time she bought just a couple of core essentials to start with and then bought a piece every other month till it was built up? Must be at least a year ago but it was a great start I g point

I'd get black jeans, blue jeans, charcoal or black smart trousers, three tees in neutral colours (white or cream, black or navy, grey or khaki - depending on your colouring) a fine merino sweater and a cardigan - both neutral colours (Uniqlo is cheap for these) a good white or cream shirt or blouse, and then add a dress from the sales that can work as day or evening wear, a skirt that works with the tees and white shirt, and a top for evening wear that works with the skirt, jeans and smart trousers. Add a blazer too and maybe a sales or second hand biker jacket and long woollen coat or trench coat.

I'd buy the tees at Primark (their quality is as good as many at five times the price) Their jeans and smart trousers are also worth a look, or look in Zara sales. Merino cardigan and sweater from Uniqlo. Blouse/short in sales from wherever you like - maybe Stories, Cos, Zara.

Tell us a bit more about your work - do you need super smart eg suits, or is it smart-casual?

Think about what you like to wear - I hate white shirts and blazers, they just feel too formal and uncomfortable, but you may like them. What sort of things do you like?

For me, I like long-sleeved jersey tops with midi skirts and a smart necklace for work, with flat ankle boots or smart flats. Comfy, pretty and relatively practical. I also had a fair few midi dresses. Bonus points for skirts and dresses with pockets! I also have a black cord mini, a pair of tweed cropped trousers and a lot of thin jerseys. I get overheated in the office so can’t wear anything too chunky.

For smart casual eg nice meals out/going to friends, I have some cute dungarees, long-sleeved tops (see above!), a couple of miniskirts, cropped jeans, pretty blouses, and I like jersey dresses with pockets.

For casual weekend wear, I like long-sleeved cotton tops, jeans and big jumpers (in winter! Vests/T-shirts in summer, plus floaty skirts).

Long-sleeved tops are therefore my most worn item, and right now my whole wardrobe has been turned on its head by lockdown, meaning that I’m wearing jeans almost every day. I have 2 pairs of comfy jeans, 2 pairs of dungarees and some joggers right now and I need more jeans because they get worn so much. Either that or I need to lose weight to fit into my other ones!

What do you wear a lot?

Are you saying you want to get an entire new wardrobe for under £200?? Surely even in primark you couldn't do that. £200 got me a couple of new jumpers, a pair of jeans and some loungewear in the zara sale. Surely nobody couldn't actually overhaul their entire wardrobe for £200?

Redtartan, do you mind sharing who you follow on Instagram? Just fancy some style tips from someone "professional".

Virtually everything I own came off eBay and I find I can get better brands for the same price as Primark or the supermarkets.

My best buys have been things like coats / bags / boots where sizing and fit is less of an issue and you really can save ££££.

I got a black leather biker jacket for a tenner and a down filled padded coat for £35 that would have been nearly £200 new, and I wear them all the time. Both were hardly worn.

Worth a thought anyway.

I probably wear jeans and tops the most. I don’t have many tops. My work is smart casual so I usually wear either a dress or jeans and a top. I only have one jumper so it might be good to get another one.

If I got the following would this work as a capsule wardrobe.
Blue jeans
3 or 4 smart casual tops.
A dress
A jumper
A blouse
Flat shoes

Would this work??

With such a limited budget I wouldn’t bother in investing in “basics”.

Sure 3 x jeans; 3 x T-shirt’s and neutral coloured jumpers mean you’ll always look neat and clean but you’ll also look dull.

Start with an outfit that you really like. This will be dependent on your style, but for example I have textured wide leg trousers and a lightweight v neck knit which has an interesting sleeve details that I wear a lot.

The same trousers and knit can be worn with veja’s and a leather jacket to the pub (when that was a thing) or smartened up with brogues/loafers and a blazer for work.

For a night out the blazer and trousers can be combined with a cami top and heeled boots and if a more formal look is required at work a shirt can be swapped for the knit. If you choose one that can be layered under the knit that’s another outfit.

The advantage with this approach is that you need very few items (and therefore expenditure) to start off and always have at least one outfit that works in a variety of settings.

I’m on a budget and bought some plain t-shirts, 2 pairs trousers, 2 jumpers and cardigan from Uniqlo. Average of £20 per item but I basically live in these clothes for work and at home and I always feel good in them. The thermals and bra tops are also fab.

They wash well and v good quality compared to other items you can get elsewhere for same price.

Only you can know whther that list would work OP depending on how often you wear each item and wash etc. You should have an idea of what you actually wear on a daily basis and how long you can rotate for.

If you wear jeans most days then you may need two pairs

Also interested in the thread from a year ago re spreadsheet of what was bought. Please can anyone link?

@bicyclesand beyond thanks for this beauty/3797652-thanks-to-s-b-i-m-finally-winning-in-the-pursuit-of-elegance

Take a look at Putting me Together. I think she is based in the USA, and its been a couple of years since I looked at the site, but there are some good ideas here for building wardrobes from scratch.

www.puttingmetogether.com/build-your-wardrobe/

I would look at supermarkets for basics - I like Sainsbury's Tu range (great cotton T-shirts, but possibly wrong time of year) and George at Asda. Also H&M.

I have bought a fair bit off vinted. People often do bundle deals and Loads of stuff is brand new.

I'm a SAHM and have a drawer of currently redundant workwear (still fits and is relatively classic so is just on standby) and nice outfits/ dresses with a lack of occasions to wear them for.

Day to day I wear tops and jeans from Sainsbury's/ Morrisons. The plain tops were fine to wear with black work trousers. In recent years, I haven't needed to buy much else or shop for anything specific from fancier stores.

Another jumper sounds like a priority for you.