£2.5k for the bones of a new wardrobe

[DucklingDaisy]

If you had this sort of budget, how would you approach it? I’ve been a SAHM on a pretty tight budget, wearing a lot of H&M and so on. I’ve managed to secure some pretty lucrative part time freelance work, that’s flexible enough it should come with zero additional childcare costs, and I’ve agreed with my husband £2.5k to step up my wardrobe.

I want to buy things of a decent enough quality that they’ll last. No more acrylic knitwear and so on. Good coats. Tops that won’t get ruined in the wash. I’m thinking slightly higher end high street. & Other Stories, Cos, Arket, maybe even a bit of Reiss? I’d rather buy less if it’s stuff that will last, and then add to it slowly, but I do feel like I’m almost starting from scratch as most of my stuff is pretty cheap or worn, so the budget needs to cover a decent amount.

I adore nice tailoring and always click on party dresses, but realistically I’m either looking after kids or working from home so it will need to skew casual. I’d like stuff that I can wear to the park and soft play without worrying about stains (as much as I love all cream tonal looks I see others wear, can’t see it working for me…) and then also some slightly dressier “lunch with friends” type looks, and I guess a few options that will work for parties and evenings out. I at least have ambitions to go out more as the kids get older.

My body type is 5’7” size 10, more straight up and down around hips than I’d like, flattish stomach but no tiny waist. Pretty big boobs, bigger because of breastfeeding but they weren’t small anywhere. Slightly broad shoulders.

Don't pay any attention to the age thing or the name, but I think MidLifeChic's How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe series of posts would probably be a good place to start with how to think about it logically and identify what will really work. There are several blog posts, links to further ones are at the bottom of the page.

@Whitney168 thank you! I’ll check it out

I couldn't spend that much if I tried, so I'll just concentrate on what types of clothes I think you might need, and let you decide what brands would be best for your budget.

For work, I'd get two smartish pairs of trousers, one black and one another colour of your choice (I like golden browns, you may be more of a navy or burgundy person), each with a jacket that doesn't necessarily come as a set with it but goes well with it and could be worn as a suit if needed. Then a selection of scoop-neck and/or polo-neck tops in good materials, cotton or silk or linen, maybe lightweight merino wool if you don't find it uncomfortable. If you suit collared shirts then maybe a couple of cotton or silk shirts, which could be plain or patterned, but preferably suitable for wearing with both "suits".

For winter workwear, a couple of cowl-necked cashmere jumpers would be lovely. Your main coat should be longish and warm. I got a lovely wool one by Jaeger from TKMaxx a few years ago - it is beautifully soft. As you have a bigger budget, you could maybe look at Jaeger's own site. A couple of cashmere scarves would be nice ways of dressing it up.

If you like dresses but think they are too much for your off-duty life, maybe you could incorporate some into your work wardrobe. Wrap dresses usually look classy, and faux wrap is probably more practical than the real thing. I've had nice ones in the past from Phase 8 and Joe Browns.

But knitted dresses can also look good for leisure wear, paired with opaque tights and substantial boots. Don't rule them out!

I think the most useful shoes for you to have to go with this range of clothes would be loafers and longish, low-medium-heeled boots.

If you like the idea of cream tonal looks but are afraid of marking the clothes, you could try it in a darker colour in the same sort of family - taupe, toffee or tan maybe.

I absolutely could spend £2.5k on clothes/accessories - how exciting!!

There's an instagram account I follow called capsulewardrobediary - the person who runs it shares capsule wardrobes by season of about 30 pieces of clothing that work together, then outfit suggestions based on those items. She doesn't share where the clothes are from as often she's had them quite a while but, based on the shops you listed and your lifestyle, the style might give you some good suggestions and they're all quite simple, timeless colours and shapes so easy to find.

John Lewis offer free personal styling (online or in-store), which you have to pre-book. They send you a load of questions in advance so you can let them know your body shape, what you're looking for, brands you like, colour/style preferences etc, then will show you a selection of items they've put together for you based on all that along with tips on how to style them. You can buy if you want but there's no obligation/pressure to. I did an online one and found it really helpful when I was trying to build a capsule wardrobe. Here's a link to their service: https://www.johnlewis.com/our-services/personal-styling

Kin, by John Lewis, is similar in style to Cos etc, btw.

Have fun and please share what you end up with - I'm looking for inspiration again!

I just can't like Midlife Chic. She gives me slight 'Tory wife' vibes.

I'd start with:
an All Saints leather jacket
a good wool coat
some jeans - maybe Levis although I do rate M&S ones
some boots and smart casual trainers
jumpers - I'm liking the M&S merino recently; otherwise I'd try Arket
Cos or Arket for plain and striped t-shirts
dresses - but where would depend on what sort of style you want: previously I'd have said Whistles but the fabrics are pretty horrible now. I did get a really nice casual skirt there recently though.

The Capsule Wardrobe insta account mentioned by @PorkPieForStarters is a really good call.

I bought a lovely silk/cotton mix polo neck from Jigsaw after seeing it recommended on here. It's definitely a candidate for a capsule wardrobe.

I recently got £1k to spend on a new wardrobe. I'd lost so much weight none of my old clothes fitted.

First I split it in 2 half for winter half for summer.

Then I looked at what I needed vs what I wanted. I had to set aside some money for underwear, swimwear and gym clothes. I literally needed everything new!

Fun times @DucklingDaisy!

I would approach this not as a song, but a symphony.

It's a decent budget that can give you an excellent start to a brilliant back-bone. But let's be honest, wardrobes evolve, as you've discovered, so don't see this as a one-note, one-time all-in, never going to be repeated, 'This is how I dress now'.

Rather a, 'This is where I am NOW'.

If I was approaching a fresh wardrobe I'd have a sit down and really think about how you wear your clothes. Do a little pie-chart, how do you spend your time? What will be the real workhorses in your wardrobe?

What do you enjoy wearing now? What makes you feel good?

And then take it from there.

You could read a million blog-posts regarding the essential capsule wardrobe, hell, they pop up on here all the time, and very rarely do I see an item I possess. It's so individual.

So a drill-down into what you actually do and who you want to be is essential.

I would invest in your professional wardrobe first. Will you be having face to face meetings and / or attending events, or will all the contact be on Zoom / Teams initially?

When I had to buy a bunch of stuff in one go, I had a style/colour consultation to try and pre-empt wasting money. It doesn't work out cheap but if you aren't confident in colours/shapes etc it might help you get the most from your budget. and target your shopping. Part of the consultation is working out what wardrobe gaps you have, best shops, what you need for your lifestyle etc.

And do look at Vinted or the Outnet for specific items.

You'll get a lot more bang for your buck!

Get a stylist session but don't spend all of
it at once.

I'm not a fan of Style consults @NotMeNoNo, or Insta accounts.

They do have a tenancy to be generic.

I would advise having an excellent conversation with yourself before you have one with anyone else.

I’d look at the items which are currently your go tos, the ones you pull out time and again, and look for a better made version in a superior fabric. I’m trying to buy less but buy better and it’s working well. Instead of the cheap Tesco pinafores I liked I bought a denim one from Toast that I have absolutely lived in. It always seems right for every casual occasion and I put t shirts, jumpers or long sleeve tops under it depending on the weather. The same with jeans. I wear them a lot but replaced my various Next/Tesco/ M&S ones with Toast Ashley jeans and again they always feel right. I think the trick is not to try and change your style but upgrade the shape and fabric.

Have fun spending!

I would advise having an excellent conversation with yourself before you have one with anyone else.

Love this.

I’d recommend the John Lewis free personal shopping service. There’s no obligation to buy at all. I used them recently to sort out some post partum clothes and found it really useful to identify some new styles that suit my lifestyle.

That's actually my advice for any problem @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie!

And I would also say @DucklingDaisy you can only ever wear one outfit at a time.

So! If you've decided to buy a black polo-neck, buy the best black polo-neck that you can find, because that's the one you'll always wear. And only have one.

(I actually have four black polo-necks, one fine merino, one large cashmere, one close-fitting cashmere and one slouchy merino, but that's because I've realised that black polo-necks have a certain spot in MY wardrobe, but that's outfit making, that comes later I think).

@EastCoker You are very wise!

Your black polo neck advice is good too - I have three because they're pretty much my Autumn/Winter uniform, but I need a soft slouchy one.

Bottom up assessment is easiest.

What do you wear on your bottom half. Split in to casual and work. Pick a favourite of each.

So buy one great work trouser/skirt and one for casual/social.

Then do three variations for each. Light, mid and heavy. So t shirt/pretty top that works on its own, a slightly thicker top, and a top layer, preferably one that will easily go above the light option. At least one of each should be white/ neutral or black.

Then two over layers, a short jacket and an outer coat.

There's a good base for a capsule wardrobe, wear it all for a month and see what gets worn most/least to see which you add to according to seasonality/taste.