To spend a small fortune On new clothes

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To spend a small fortune on a new ‘capsule wardrobe’??

I have random clothes that are old and don’t go together at all. I have some nice quality pieces but they are sporadic and not a whole ‘outfit’

an someone please help me with a list of what items to buy ? Or any tips please ??

thank you

I don’t think you need to scrap your entire existing wardrobe - go through it and see what you like best/wear a lot /fits well. Then think about what few items you can buy to go with those things. Look on Vinted for good quality brands, so much stuff for sale with tags on

If you have the money, go for it. But it might not happen immediately - you might want to spend a bit of time to find eg the perfect pair of trousers. Have you thought of a colour palette for it?

I would chuck out the stuff you don’t like anymore or doesn’t fit. Then look at what you to see what you are missing and buy that.

Get everything you own out.

Sort into summer, winter and in between.

Chuck anything tatty.

Charity shop anything that doesn’t fit or you don’t like /wear.

Make a list of the things you’re repeatedly drawn to, starting with spring and summer.

What needs replacing or upgrading? What gaps are there? Make a list.

Start with:
jeans
trainers or spring/summer shoes
couple of nice lightweight jackets/coats
t shirts or thin jumpers
couple of dresses or skirts

Try and imagine a colour scheme for your capsule wardrobe and see what you have already that fits within that.

You need clothes that work for your lifestyle - work, home life, leisure.

Whether or not you're being reasonable/unreasonable to spend 'a small fortune' depends on what money you have and what type of clothes you need (rather than want).

Can you expand on that a bit more- I never quite get it. Why would that be beneficial? It is often suggested

I just have clothes. I don't have different clothes for work, home, leisure, holiday etc . The only exception is probably that I have a coat that I only wear for dog walking

Get rid of the scruffy stuff, charity shop anything that you don't like or doesn't fit
Keep the quality clothes if they fit well, suit you and you love them. Google different outfits for the quality clothes that you are keeping and see what looks/styles/outfits you fancy trying. When you go shopping find the items that complete the outfits. Never buy anything you aren't sure about or don't feel right or won't fit into your lifestyle and be worn right now.
Everyone's list is different but you can ask yourself things like What do I wear? What do I want to wear? When will I wear it? Does it fit my style/life? Do I want to experiment and try things on out of my comfort zone? What will it go with? Etc.

How exciting! Have fun OP!

Well if you need to look smart for work, you're unlikely to wear your work clothes at home, you would want something more comfortable that doesn't matter if it gets stained/damaged when cooking, cleaning or being around pets or DC.

Then if you go hiking at the weekend, neither your work nor your home clothes are likely to be suitable. So you need clothes that work in different environments. There could be some overlap, but most people would likely need different clothes.

I was also suggesting to the OP to think about her lifestyle. No point people suggesting smart work clothes if she wears a uniform at work for example.

I'm not @BarbaraofSeville , but I work for a centuries old, deeply traditional institution, so what I wear to work I wouldn't wear outside work. Clothes I wear out in the evening, I wouldn't wear to work or at home. So I do have different categories.

Chuck the really scruffy stuff, charity shop/sell what you don't wear. Keep the bits that you actually like and feel good in. I wouldn't rush into buying an entire new wardrobe though, you'll likely end up buying stuff that's "good enough" rather than just right and you'll end up with the same problem.

Maybe pick up some cheap basics or allocate some of your existing stuff as temporary while you find better replacements. Just remember to get rid of the temporary stuff!

I guess it depends what you wear for work. I can’t wear jeans or leggings to work, for example, but I wear them a lot outside work. Same for trainers.

Is it always expensive when you have to buy a fair few bits of clothing at once. - A common scenario is when you get a new job with a different kind of dress code/requirements and have to have 3-5 reasonable new outfits more or less straight away. Or when your size has changed and now nothing fits.
If your problem is just that all your clothes currently look tired, then I’d start with just one new outfit for each zone of your life - could be work + casual, or work + home + church, or work + going out with friends or work + dating or whatever. Some cross over is good. A basic coat that is suitable for work but hardy enough for everyday, or a pair of dark jeans you could wear as a fairly casual workplace or out on the town with a nice top.
Then maybe look to add one new outfit per life zone per season. - This will spread the cost and also make sure the same problem doesn’t happen in 2-3 years time when everything is once again worn up at the same time.
Of course if you have loads of spare money then it doesn’t matter so much.

I’m going to do this - losing weight so at the moment I have replaced cheaper bags with better bags

replaced my shoes and make up

going to wait a while to replace other clothing but I have updated underwear etc and it feels so good - I’m working extra hours to pay for it

I did this recently. I had changed my body shape after having kids.

I divided my wardrobe into seasons. My summer only items live in a case for 6 months, as do my winter only items. These go at the right of my wardrobe when they are “in season”

Then, I tried everything on, and anything that didn’t fit well got sold on vinted.

Then, I took out all my occasion wear and put it in the suitcase too.

Then, I monitored for 6 months. Every time I wore something, I hung it back up on the left of my wardrobe with the hanger the “wrong” way.

Anything I didn’t wear for 6 months got sold.

I then looked at what I had and tried to combine items to make a capsule wardrobe. Anything that didn’t fit in with multiple items was sold, unless it was something which was largely worn alone (eg summer dresses!)

Then, I filled the gaps on vinted.

It’s still a work in progress. There are outfits I don’t love, but look okay. Everything fits and matches. I’m gradually replacing those over time.

I would definately avoid going out to buy a whole new wardrobe - you may end up with things that you won't wear and lack character. Start with a big clear out as previously suggested, and definately take a fresh look at your decent pieces too - if you like them, think what you need to add to make an outfit. Take time to build outfits you love. I'm sure someone with more know how than me will be along soon.

@Portillo, I'm pretty much the same, really -- I don't have separate sets of clothes for work or leisure, apart from things like runners, sports bra and leggings for running/gym. But on Mn, a lot of people seem to differentiate the two very strongly, or to live in pyjamas at home, or to have a category of 'out of the house' vs 'in the house' clothes, which I don't really. I assume some of it is down to what you do for a living, if you wear a uniform, or there is an expectation (though that now seems rather old-fashioned) of some kind of 'heels and formal suits' workwear. I'm an academic, so anything goes really. I tend to wear wool dresses and boots, or wide-legged trousers and cashmere jumpers. They're not 'smart' in a trad way, but neither are they tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie.

OP, of course you're not unreasonable. I would repost on Style and Beauty, which has a lot of knowledgeable posters. but also read similar posts already on there -- it comes up a lot.

Thanks for the responses to my side question- that makes sense.

I own the company and so I can pretty much wear what I like. It is quite a wide ranging industry with no fixed expectations (academic/creative/government)

My husband says that I could always attend a wedding with no notice - so I do tend to be on the smart side but rarely suited. (that isn't always true but I probably could with quick dive into my car-drobe)

At home I wear the same. It is my style. My clothes are part of my personality I suppose- I wouldn't have a different personality at home. It is rare for someone not to comment on my clothes at least once a week and last week in 1 day- 5 people commented/asked me where it was from (I do live next to an arts university and art gallery)

Is it better to be more neutral or not have a style?

@Portillo do you not have, say, a dress or smart shirt in your wardrobe that you might pick out to go for dinner, but maybe today, if you're having a day at home, doing a bit of cleaning, reading a book, cooking, you might not think is the best choice? Today, I'm not planning on going out, so I'm wearing a sweatshirt I quite like from the charity shop, but it's a bit shapeless, so I only really wear it at home. Tomorrow, if we go out for lunch, I might wear a casual dress and tights, but if we just go to the park then I'll probably pick out jeans instead

OP if was going to do this I would probably book in with a personal shopper at a department store. They should be able to help you build a capsule wardrobe. I only wear 3 colours plus denim which I find helps me have multiple outfits.

At the moment, the quality of everything across the "fast fashion to upper end of high street" seems to have declined so much that unless you're buying really high-end stuff then it might not be worth getting everything new. If you shop around on Vinted and eBay you can replace your wardrobe at a tiny fraction of the price of buying new, and once you've worn and washed things a couple of times it won't make any difference.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/3797652-thanks-to-s-b-i-m-finally-winning-in-the-pursuit-of-elegance?latest=1

Check out this thread

If you need inspiration look on Instagram. There are lots of capsule wardrobe posters (try the closet journal and the algorithm will bombard you with more). You’ll get good ideas there.

Black trousers! In a fabric you like and find comfortable. If you find ones you love, buy two pairs.

Also consider a black cardigan or jacket, depending on how smart your workplace is. Then you can put anything underneath.