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?

Hopefully I've read on here about your own capsule wardrobe and proof it can be done! In the last 12 months, I have lost some weight and dropped a dress size. This has led to binning and ebaying and buying
I have stuck to colours that work for me - navy, cream, beige and mid grey tones with an accent colour of jade green. I feel that everything can sort of be mixed and matched that way
These are my current wardrobe staples:
work capsule:
Next dark rinse skinny jeans
M&S black jersey pencil skirt
M&S white shirt
Topshop spotty tea dress
M&S black cigarette trousers
Boden long sleeve Ts on white, grey, navy
Zara breton
Monsoon Grey cardigan
Clarks tan heels
M&S trench
M&S beige cashmere crewneck
M&S black kitten heel shoe boots
Kew159 tan leather satchel
Kew159 black leather bag
weekend capsule:
Next skinny slouch jeans
Topshop chinos
Lands End breton
Ash wedge trainers
Clarks wedge sandals (if the rain stops)
Clarks heeled ankle boots
Topshop vests in white, charcoal, navy and moss
Monsoon jade green short sleeve cardigan
M&S navy cashmere crewneck
Kew159 jade green linen scarf
White Stuff wool dog print scarf
Zara Jade green leather shopper bag
cath kidston pale grey spot oilcloth shopper
Topshop crop denim jacket
Joules navy spot tunic
Dune cowboy boots
Dorothy Perkins stripe maxi dress
M&S black cotton maxi dress

I have some statement jewellery pieces that I use to add interest.

Hi Remus - I did order that Hobbs top - arrived today and it's great so thanks for the link .

Fantastic - it arrived quickly too! Did you get the red one as well?

Lurking on this thread which is great and very useful!
Thanks for starting OP!!

Remus and OP can i ask about the Hobbs top - i love it and am generally a 12 with a 32E Bra size - do i need to size up do you think??
TIA for your help

I'm also a 12 and a 32E. The medium was really clingy across my chest, so I bought the large and wear it quite slouchy, or tucked in.

Thank you! Will give it a go.

Remus - i didn't get the red one - am really hoping Phase 8 will have a sale soon (but worrying it will sell out in the meantime!)

OhCobblers - I am not the OP but yes size up. I got the large - am a size 12 on top (34C) and the medium would have been too small - its a great length too and fits nicely on my size 14 hips.

This thread is really great because I'm currently having a massive clear out of all my clothes, shoes and accessories. I've been really ruthless and thrown out anything that's old, tatty, doesn't fit, doesn't suit me or I haven't worn in six months and as a consequence I now have hardly anything left to wear . Unfortunately I don't have much spare money so can't go on a big shopping spree, or afford designer/high end stuff, so need to be savvy with my shopping.

So my plan of action is - in the style of the great capsule wardrobers on this thread - from now on to try and buy items that are classic and well thought out as opposed to impulse purchases. I'm going to decide on two or three neutral colours to base my wardrobe around (the first one being navy, as I hate black), with one or two accent colours. I'm also aiming to buy one decent item of clothing, plus a few cheaper staples, per month - I know it's not a lot but it's the best I can do until I win the lottery earn more money. I've started off with two short sleeved tops from Dotty P's in white and navy, for the grand total of £9 . My next challenge is to find a lovely, decent quality navy blazer, preferably under £40. The search is on!

SoftKitty what about this navy blazer. It is a little over your budget but the quality looks good. Or this one within budget? Limited sizes unfortunately....

I agree with kickassangel about all the additional extras.

I truly believe I could not make a capsule wardrobe work,what with:

Low heels - boots,shoes and sandals
high heels - ditto
Sports gear - running,swimming,walking etc
trainers,walking boots
handbags of differing sizes and colours
rucksack and big shopping/beach bags
work clothes
dirty job clothes
comfy poorly day clothes
wedding and funeral outfits
hats,gloves,scarves etc
non-winter hats and scarves
functional jackets and coats
aesthetically pleasing jackets and coats....

But I am very admiring of others who can do it!

Thanks LibertyChick, I'm not keen on the collar on the first one but like the second one, and I'm a size 8 so the small size left should fit. Might have to order it.