What would you HAVE to have in a capsule wardrobe?

[whereismywine]

Ive had enough of opening the wardrobe and having nothing to wear, even though I own a stupid amount of clothes. Most of them I feel a bit meh about and I want to open my wardrobe and be spoilt for choice! I've decided the problem lies in having too many things that don't go together and holding onto clothes I never wear, 'just in case'. So, I'm aiming for a capsule wardrobe where all things mix and match. So far I've;

Fllled a bag for charity with cheap mistakes and things I just don't wear or like anymore.
Made a pile of more expensive things to sell
Vacuum packed things I'm not ready to part with.
Vacuum packed winter clothes (might regret this)

I'm now trying to put together classic simple things that can be mixed and matched. What would you HAVE to include?

Is this for work/ leisure or both?

I would also love a capsule wardrobe.

My work one would consist of:
2 pairs of long black trousers, impossibly beautifully cut
1 pair of 3/4 length trousers, also impossibly beautifully cut. Probably dark grey or black.

1 knee length black skirt

5 tops/ shirts in neutral colours, beautiful fabrics

Good quality tights/ stockings which never ladder/ go bobbly/ get holes in

Understated but beautiful jewellery

2 beautiful handbags - Mulberry or similar

5 pairs of elegant yet sexy shoes, variety of heel heights, inc a pair of very sexy loafers (can loafers be sexy?)

As it is, most days I look as though I stumbled into a wardrobe and a load of clothes destined for a jumble sale fell on to me.

I SWEAR that in the night some mysterious being comes and removes all of my LOVELY clothes and replaces them with tat

navy long sleeved jumpers
various short sleeved crew neck in ivory through beige to dark chocolate brown + cardigan twinsets

(And Old Fogey that I am- I love the jeans+black jacket+white shirt+ black heeled boots look)

Yes, me too! It is for work and leisure. I'm trying to pull together things I already own and then need to figure out what I need to add. I think you are spot on that the things need to be impossibly beautifully cut (I'm going to carry this phrase round with me!). Ideally I'd like to splash out on cashmere knitwear and chloe handbags but....how to pull it off without remortgaging?! Where does the most beautiful things for the least spending? I like your list. I would add dresses as I like the easiness of them. I have a nice French connection black shift and a good grey jigsaw work dress. I also have my trusty breton top in there. Also, I have been RUTHLESS with tights. Chucked out any with bobbling. I got some in the whistles sale last year and they've been ace but they don't seem to do them anymore. Bad knickers have also been purged.

70, long sleeve navy jumper is already on the list

M&S or Sainsburys T shirts in all colours.
But banished to the Recycle bin as soon as they look stretched or stained. (Usually on special offer so I don't spend ££ on them)

Really good jeans
Boots frye type and knee boots and ankle
Dresses
Cropped black/navy gap style trousers
Loafers
Decent t shirts

How often do. You do laundry? I have found that less than 5 pairs of trousers just isn't practical, and I need winter and summer ones here in th US.

One thing I have taught myself - don't buy something that's OK just cos it's cheap. Try things on, and sit/kneel/bend in them, whilst being critical of how you look in the mirror. Only buy them if you like them after that. If they only look good when you stand up straight then you won't be able to move.
If they look good from the front, but crap behind, don't buy them - you don't pay people to walk around behind you saying 'your arse looks big in that', so why buy clothes that do the same?

I'd love a capsule wardrobe. Not working at the moment, so for leisure stuff, but I've no idea where to start.

For a work one, impossibly beautifully cut trousers would be a must. And beautiful, comfortable shoes (if such things exist).

I have an irrational hatred of navy blue as it reminds me of my school uniform but I think it looks lovely on other people.

Your wardrobe already sounds like you are more than half way there, whereis

Agree re dresses but I am a heifer at the moment with huge borks, so can't find any that fit and look nice. I have two lovely black dresses that are in underbed storage until I lose weight. Can't bear to part with them.

For cashmere, try Tesco (in the winter, or in fact in the spring when they put it all on sale. Machine washable cashmere at good prices) or Uniqlo. For handbags try TK Maxx? You won't get Chloe but you will get Osprey.

If I purged my knicker draw today I would have to go commando or wear slutty knix for work tomorrow.

70 I agree entirely re your jeans/ jacket/ shirt/ boots look.

kickass - I do laundry twice a week. Most of my clothes are black or dark so can all go in together. I hand wash dry clean only skirts .

I have some good purchases from the US - Banana Republic is stupid money in the UK, but much more affordable in the US. I also have a few bits n bobs from Ann Taylor which I suspect is a bit of a middle aged woman shop, but I love their t-shirts and vest tops. Also Calvin Klein stuff in the sale at Bloomingdales.

Your advice is spot on re not buying cheap. I loathe trying stuff on though. I tend to buy stuff from the same stores so I can take them back easily if they don't work - House of Fraser in the UK is my absolute favourite. I like the t-shirts from Linea, the own-brand line at HoF.

Looking back at that, why the feckity feck don't I have an amazing wardrobe?!

Actually, I have some nice stuff I am just too damn fat for it right now
@ self

Whereismywine I actually have pretty much a capsule wardrobe (I have posted it on here many times before, it is v boring now probably! But I have something like 70 items in it in total including underwear, shoes and accessories). I constructed mine by thinking really carefully about every possible event I might have to dress for (playing with DCs, lunch with ILs, black tie do, wedding, evening out with friends, dinner date with DH etc etc etc) and how often I needed to do them (i.e. I need about four clear outfits for being at home with DCs, as I don't do laundry reliably enough to get away with less than that, but I only need one black tie dress), then worked out sufficient outfits for them, mixing and matching as much as possible - same blazer works for job interview over sensible dress with nude heels as with party top and jeans and massive party heels for night out.

Having a colour and style analysis helped more than I can possibly describe, as it means that everything in my wardrobe matches in terms of colour palette and style, and I have the neutral trousers/LBD/sensible boots/cashmere cardigan equivalent that I need, iykwim.

And agree with others that you should buy the best best best quality you can possibly afford. Except for t-shirts, where you should either buy amazing quality or super cheap H&M - the in between price stuff (Jigsaw, Kew, Boden etc) seems to be the same quality as H&M, it's only when you get up to crazy Splendid/Vince type prices that the quality is better.

If I were to reduce my stuff to the most used/useful it would look something like -

Work
Black Vivienne Westwood drape skirt
Grey Vivienne Westwood drape skirt
2 black silk t-shirts
One pair black trousers
2 black jersey dresses - White Company
1 grey jersey dress - White Company
1 black scoop neck three quarter sleeve t-shirt
1 white scoop neck three quarter sleeve t-shirt
1 navy scoop neck three quarter sleeve t-shirt
1 grey scoop neck three quarter sleeve t-shirt
1 black cami
1 white cami
1 navy Breton style dress
1 navy jacket
2 black jackets
1 red jacket
1 pink jacket
1 grey biker style tweed jacket
1 grey Chanel style tweed jacket

weekends
Black maxi skirt
grey maxi skirt
Denim mini skirt
Denim mini dress
2 pairs black skinnies (one 7/8 length)
1 pair dark denim skinnies
One navy/pink Breton
One black/white Breton
One denim shirt
One denim jacket
One biker jacket
Plain black, white, navy, red and grey t-shirts
Black silk loose cami
Print silk loose cami

I have other stuff, but that lot would probably work as a pretty decent capsule for most occasions other than glam evening wear or beach holiday, I guess.

Forgot black Vivienne westwood dress which works for both work and play.

How did I manage to kill this? :(

No remus you have vivienne Westwood in your wardrobe, that could never be a thread killer! I was just upstairs looking at the clothes pile disaster zone that used to be my bedroom feeling that 'oh shit what have I started' feeling. I was so keen this morning. I need a £5k net a porter voucher...

Am still admiring the detailed list and hopefully you will be my proof that it can be done!

:) It's all sales stuff.

Skinny Jeans
Breton Tops

Remus - where do you get your black silk t-shirts and your scoop neck three quarter sleeve t's as they sound exactly what I need.

I am far from having the capsule wardrobe sorted but my most useful items are:

Work:
Planet navy shift dress
Hobbs Grey wool a-line dress
M&S black and white polka dot shirt style dress
Zara black blazer
Next navy blazer with three quarter length sleeves
M&S black pencil skirt
Hobbs grey, red and white stripe shirt
Banana republic fitted white shirt
Grey wide leg trousers
Patent grey ballet flats
Teal block heel courts
Patent black skinny belt

Casual
Gap straight leg trousers in black, navy and beige
Lots of Gap long sleeve t's
H&M long line fitted vests in white and black
Navy converse
Boden pewter cardi
Zara long line silk and cashmere mix grey cardi (have had for about 6 years and really couldn't cope without it!!)
Topshop cropped cerise cardi
Gap zip front A-Line knee length dress
V old distressed black denim jacket
Knee length brown boots
About 7 scarves but feel I need more

I really, really need more tops for both work and casual and more shoes. Recently had to chuck out my beloved tan mid calf length biker style boots which were over 12 years old and totally beyond repair and a pair of much cheaper Linzi black biker boots which were a great style but fell apart after only one winter. Also looking for a casual grey or black jersey blazer and the perfect breton!

My brown knee high boots are dead too - but I just can't bring myself to throw them away. :( They leak horribly.

The black silk t-shirts were from Ted Baker but they are old now. The scoop neck three quarter sleeves t-shirts are M&S Limited and they are fab - but stupid M&S no longer do them. Grrrrr. Hobbs sometimes do them but they are nowhere near as nice as the M&S ones, as the fabric is too clingy.

So I've been thinking about this and decided that what I would choose would be:

For each s/s and a/w each

2 jeans or cropped jeans in black or blue
2 jeans etc in beige brown colors

5 tops for black blue
5 tops for browns

2 black shoes
2 brown shoes

And jewelry in contrasting colors. Cheap stuff in fashionable colors and expensive stuff in neutrals

Which is pretty much what I have. But then I NEED

Snow boots
Snow coat
Rain boots
Rain coat
Walking boots
Ski jacket
Swim wear - costume, sarong, tunic etc. 2 or 3 of each.
Scruffy stuff for gardening
Scruffier stuff for DIY
Gym clothes
Slob around the house clothes
Slightly scruffy stuff for cleaning

The occasional going out clothes

Smart by v comfortable for long journeys clothes

Handbags, which I have a love hate thing going on with.

Underwear
Sleepwear.

I can easily have a small wardrobe for just daily living, and can pack quite a minimal amount for traveling, but it's all the other stuff which requires extra clothes that causes the problems

This is great but size up I'm a 12 but needed a large to avoid nork-clinging.

Thanks Remus - that looks great, I am going to get it. Also considering this I agree about sizing up in Hobbs jersey tops - have tried a few recently and they tended to be clingy - I'm a 12 too but have a wide back rather than norks. My norks are rather dismal and in need of some padding at the moment to keep me looking in porportion!

Love that red one. Think I may have to go and investigate that further. :)

It sounds like we are polar opposites re body shape, but like the same sort of tops! I'm tiny across the back (32) but with stupid norks (E cup).