Good quality capsule wardrobe

[Treezan82]

After a lifetime of fast fashion and charity shops, turning to Boohoo and Primark every time I have a new social occasion, I have a wardrobe bursting with shabby horrible clothes.

I turn 40 in just under 2 years and want to budget approx £100-£150 per month to build a good quality capsual wardrobe of around 20 items between now and then.

Not sure where to start, any ideas? What would be in yours?

Don’t decide on ‘what’ first. Choose good shops and be guided by what they offer from season to season.

I'm not sure how to link, but I'd start by reading this thread titled:

Thanks to S&B, I'm finally winning in the "pursuit of elegance."

@Edmontine

Don’t decide on ‘what’ first. Choose good shops and be guided by what they offer from season to season.

Can you give me some examples of good shops? I've got as far as French Connection...

@GreyJeans

I'm not sure how to link, but I'd start by reading this thread titled:

Thanks to S&B, I'm finally winning in the "pursuit of elegance."

Oh I will, thank you!

Not French Connection! It's ok but the clothes are overpriced for what are essentially cheaply made items. Their jeans are quite good!

I would say that shops like Hobbs, LK bennett, Gant, Tommy Hilfiger, Reiss, Jigsaw, Ted Baker are more the quality you are looking for if you want to build a basic wardrobe of staples that will last. You can then add in fashion items each season from cheaper places to keep your look up to date.

I think you need to start with a good basic wardrobe. Based on your current life, not your dream one. So, start with items your currently wear a lot and start with that. For me, it would be a good pair of jeans.

At the same time, you need to work out what suits you, so that you dress for your shape. Yes, you could buy a stylist session, but it's easy to do the legwork yourself. There are lots of resources on line to find your body body and best colours for you.

Once you know what works for you, it makes shopping a whole lot easier, as you an walk into a shop and just focus on what you are after, rather than aimlessly wandering around.

My items are
A pair of blue denim jeans (for everyday wear)
A pair of black jeans (for everyday, but also can be dressed up for a night out)
A casual day dress
A smart casual dress that can be dressed up for a night out or worn during the day.
A variety of tops and t shirts
A couple of jackets eg jeans jacket, something a bit smarter, cardigans.
A couple of skirts (I'm an inverted triangle, so I go for a line skirts).

I'm not a 'slave' to my colours, but I broadly wear my season most of the time, so this means I can mix and match my clothes.

Jigsaw is very good for all round quality clothes. I would also recommend Arket (esp for coats) and Uniqlo (for t-shirts and basic knitwear). Me+Em is also good for quality clothes that go together (but more expensive). It might be easier to pick one shop, as clothes will tend to go together and so easier to build a capsule wardrobe.

I must preface this by saying that I’m not a regular S&B poster, I just saw this pop up in active threads and was interested as I’ve been building a capsule wardrobe.

I’ve no advice about specific shops but I noticed that you said you’ve done charity shops and it’s left you with a wardrobe full of horrible clothes. I came on to say I think charity shops are actually an important part of building a capsule wardrobe! They a) let you try out specific brands at a fraction of the price and b) have some rotational pieces that aren’t too expensive. So in my wardrobe I’d say about 60% of it is basics that stay all year round and then I also have some seasonal items. Of these, around half are basics/versatile pieces like a chunky knitted jumper. But the other half are more statement things that I’ve got mega cheap from charity shops because they might only last a few years or go out of fashion. It means you can still have a nod to the current trends whilst still maintaining the feel of a capsule wardrobe.

Eg. A few weeks ago I got a jaeger summer dress for £5. It’s quite “on trend” and I wouldn’t have been brave enough to try it for full price but for £5 it doesn’t matter if it only gets worn a few times

Once you figure out your preferred brands, you can keep an eye out on eBay for used items. I've bought some nice classic items on there for a fraction of the new price.

Hobbs, LK bennett, Gant, Tommy Hilfiger, Reiss, Jigsaw, Ted Baker

These would work for some people/lifestyles but may not suit OP. For example, I know these are very popular among people in the city I live in who work in offices. We'd need to know more about OPs lifestyle and preferences to advise.

I'm a newbie to Toast and whilst not all the styles have suited me, the quality is excellent.

*Hobbs, LK bennett, Gant, Tommy Hilfiger, Reiss, Jigsaw, Ted Baker

These would work for some people/lifestyles but may not suit OP. For example, I know these are very popular among people in the city I live in who work in offices. We'd need to know more about OPs lifestyle and preferences to advise*

Well, seeing as she hasn't given us much to go on those were at least a start! All of those brands sell casual clothes as well as workwear and occasion wear. If the OP didn't want to look fairly smart she wouldn't have asked the question! And French Connection is not too dissimilar in style to these brands.

Sorry, that was meant to be in reply to @thedevilinablackdress

Apologies @FreekStar2 , I didn't intend to sound critical of your post.

I second the list above, that’s where I buy my clothes, plus the White Company

Before you spend any money, it would be worth tracking what you actually wear so that you can then buy higher quality versions of your essentials. You could take a daily photo of your outfits for a month or track using an app like Stylebook. Makes sense to figure out what you actually use, rather than the bog standard capsule wardrobe shown by shops / magazines.

I'm trying to do this too and found it helpful to do a Pinterest page of great outfits on other women - I found I was picking consistent looks so it really gave me a sense of the look I'd like to achieve for myself (I'm nowhere near yet!). The best things I've bought in terms of go-anywhere, lasting quality this summer were a Reiss light-coloured jacket, a bias-cut animal print skirt from Whistles, a white linen Ralph Lauren shirt and a khaki utility dress from Jaeger at M&S - all in the sales so not too expensive.

I do really think the key to all of it is finding what really suits you, style of jacket, skirt, dress etc and also what you really like to wear. Secondly, if it's capsule you need versatility from every item. More than where you buy from, look at fabrics, I find it doesn't matter how much I've paid for clothes, the fabric, how it wears and washes dictates how long it lasts and how good it continues to look.

I don't suit cropped jackets, as I have longer legs and a shorter body, so a longer jacket suits me better and I'll wear it more because of that. Zara and Mango are my faves.

Skirts with a proper waistband don't suit me either, they never sit right, so I buy skirts with no waist band, a semi elasticated waistband or draw string. Baukjen, Silk Fred and M & S.

I buy shirt dresses as I can belt them where suits me or wear them open over jeans and trousers with a cami. Cos, Warehouse & Reserved.

Crop trousers are better on me, either flared or straight, but they balance out my legs to my body.

I suppose what I'm saying and what other posters have said, is really think about you, your body shape, the life you lead and your budget. Then plan to spend accordingly, never discount any shop and don't get too bogged down in it.