Emergency capsule wardrobe help!

[JoanCallamezzo]

Please help me put together an emergency capsule work wardrobe!

I'm off on a work trip to a big trade event in a European city next week, and in typical fashion have only just started panicking thinking about what to wear. I work for v small (family) company in a chilly office so am usually in standard skinny jeans and jumpers, with the occasional breton t-shirt mode. Also wear a lot of dresses but none seem smart enough for this. Also panicking about shoes - have been living in some scruffy brown ankle boots and a pair of New Balance for months but they don't exactly scream euro-chic! I was thinking of a pair of brogues but I ordered a pair which arrived today and I'm not sure about them - they make my feet look a bit long and pointy!

My requirements:

• needs to fit in a carry-on bag
• need outfits for 4 working days
• need to be comfortable as I will be doing a lot of walking
• weather likely to be similar to here so I want to look spring-like but not freeze!

I'm a (fat) size 14-16, 5' 7" ish, feeling a bit fed up about my weight and never quite manage to pull off the effortlessly groomed look. Would really like to feel confident about my clothes on this trip!

Things I already have that I think will work:

Navy gap blazer
Navy trench
Navy wrap style phase eight dress (with white bird print)
Whistles tube skirt (but this only works with heels on me so not sure I can wear it on trip unless in evening) in (can you guess?)... Navy!

I think I need a couple of tops (but what sort of thing??) and a couple of pairs of trousers (am thinking chino type trousers but most seem to be cropped at the moment), plus shoes. Can you help me please??

It sounds like you've made a good start with having a base colour to work around.
So you could have:

• wrap dress and blazer (maybe with a white/cream scarf?)
• tube skirt and blazer

Then two more outfits - depending on your colouring as to which colours to go for. I would be tempted to go for:

• a white/off white shirt/blouse to go with your skirt
• a pair of trousers (I don't do chinos but go for wide leg trousers, but it depends what suits you/what you feel comfortable in) in a beige/sand colour
• another shirt/blouse in a different colour (for me this would be a red, maybe camel-type colour) that would look ok with the trousers and the navy tube skirt

Example shirts: pale blue striped white red breton

Example trousers:
camel
mink

• if you don't want to wear the same top 2 days, you could get another top, maybe a long-sleeved knit (breton if not too casual), maybe something more casual that you could wear the blazer over to smarten it up.
• a scarf or two to tie together the colours you're wearing

In terms of footwear, how about a mid-heel boot that you could wear with both skirt/dress and trousers? Tan colour goes with navy (and other colours)

e.g.
flat boots
shoe boots
ankle boots
cut out boots

And to add - I'm not great at the "effortlessly groomed" look, but I do feel loads better if I have my eyebrows threaded and a decent haircut (or style that I know what I'm doing with) - and nails done if you have the chance.

Thanks so much for your reply Itscurtains. I really like the drapey style of those tops, especially the white ASOS one, I wonder how sheer it really is. Definitely need sleeves.

Also like the cigarette trousers - will definitely have a look for something along those lines. I'm not sure I'm brave enough for the really wide-leg ones, I think they'd make me look a bit too round. Trousers generally feel like a bit of a shock to the system after an entire winter in skinny jeans!

I think you're right that I might need a bit of a heel. Not convinced by the ones with bits cut out though!

And you're spot on about the grooming. My hair is ok at the moment but my nails are a mess, I will see if I can squeeze in a manicure.

This is definitely a good starting point, thanks!

Bumping for more ideas!

Boden Dolly top? Sorry, can't link at the moment. A friend was wearing it last night and it looked fantastic. Would work with skirt or trousers and be versatile afterwards.

Ooh I like that. Although the pattern I like best (the navy and white one) is OOS in 14. That sort of thing would be ideal though.

I'm not going to have a chance to go shopping until Friday so I'm torn between ordering stuff online today and doing a last-minute dash around town. Either might prove disastrous! But maybe if I've worked out a list of what I need I can be quite focused and get stuff that definitely fits...

Thanks babybarrister! I'm arriving late Sunday night and straight to work on Monday morning so no time to do anything there sadly. Have v curly hair so the less I do to it the better anyway although I might book in for a trim on Friday.

Could you possibly link to the M&S trousers? They sound great and I could do a click and collect.

And I hadn't really thought about a bag either - yikes! I have an ancient but still lovely small cross-body brown radley bag which might be a bit scruffy, and a red Cambridge satchel, which is too big really as I am restricted to hand luggage so would need something I can slip into my cabin luggage if they are being strict at the airport.

Really appreciate the help. I used to do this sort of thing all the time pre-kids but that is nearly a decade ago and the whole thing feels a bit daunting at the moment!

We have an East in town here (as well as most other shops) so I will add to my list for my shopping trolley dash!

Please please link to the M&S trousers because it is utterly impossible to find anything on their site.

Have gold boots (Boden boho boots bought in sale last yr) and a black dress so sorted for evening I think.

So I think the key things I need are:

1/2 pairs trousers
2/3 tops
Daytime shoes (prefer flat as I am a wuss re heels)
Possibly a bag?

Thanks. I think I want full-length rather than cropped but will go in and have a look.

I like these:

www.cosstores.com/gb/Women/Trousers/Relaxed_pleated_trousers/46887-11958950.1#c-422283

Wish we had a Cos nearby as I'm unsure about sizing.

Ok, will def look for a bag on Friday.

I'm thinking of ordering the Cos trousers and maybe the Boden dolly top although it's so expensive and I'm not totally sold on the patterns.

Has anyone seen similar blouses anywhere else?