You’ve been given £3k to buy a new wardrobe

[PersonaNonGarter]

A lightening strike hit your wardrobe destroying all of it. Fortunately, all your gym kit and every item of underwear was in the washing machine. Your wet weather coat and wellies were also safe. You don’t need a handbag.

Your insurance company has paid out: £3k. Where do you start and how do you allocate your budget?

Oops meant the say everlane :) hope you like them, they are a great quality jeans

Brilliant question.

First off work would replace uniform but I’d need some black jeans as they don’t provide them. Primark for 3 pairs is enough.

I would then go to John Lewis personal shopper for a few good items for a capsule wardrobe. Mainly good tops or blouses, may be a dress or 2. Some knitwear as well. I’d pick up some slippers and boots here too.

Then next as I like their lift and slim jeans. I’d get 2 or 3 blue pairs and a white pair.

Then some t shirts and hoodies for causal days. Then JD sports for some converse high tops and Nike air force 1 trainers.

Bravissimo for some new bras.

I could spend £3k quite easily I think. I would order some knitwear from Celtic and Co.

Oh I need a little bit of everything but someone to pick it all out for me. Funnily enough everyone always comments how stlylish my baby is, and it’s not even all sets, just prices I put together myself. But I can not for the life of me dress myself!!! I think it’s part confidence as I am overweight now etc. But yeh a couple nice casual outfits, something nicer for evening date with DH, coupel outfits for work…

I'd be gutted
Then to start me off, I would buy
Belstaff belted wax Jacket
Leather biker jacket and basic tshirts All Saints
Biker style chunky ankle boots
360° Cashmere jumpers x 3
Faux leather jeggings Next or M&S
Jeans, fitted fancy shirt, utility denim dress, velvet long coat, posh dress from local boutique
Karen Millen wool kilt mini
Leather midi skirt Mint velvet or similar
Sweatshirt, lounge pants and sliders CK
Doc marten sandals
UGG tall boots and slippers

All in Taupe, navy, greys, metallics, khaki and neutrals

That would be amazing because I have way too many clothes but i do wear them, at least sometimes, and I hate waste, so won't just throw them out. I'd secretly love a fresh start to then have a only a small amount afterwards.

This Happened to my cousins (fled their home from wildfire) & they didn't enjoy that, not at all, but thankfully they had renters' insurance for contents.

Reckon I could do the lot for << £500 mostly in charity shops and send £2.5k to charity. You could say I'm not into clothes.

If really was just "wardrobe" then I am presuming gloves/wooly hat/pants/socks/nice coat downstairs & all shoes still there. else I could spend £150 on 12 pr socks+2 bras+12pants alone, and £600+ on shoes alone (1 pr trainers, around town slob shoes, 2 types of office shoes, crocs, standing-in-cold furry boots, walking nicer boots, hiking boots, 2 types of cycling shoes, at least 2 types of sandals for warm weather).

I'd want...
From charity shops if possible
3 full sets of PJs (I wear 2 at once typically, I feel the cold)
3 summer outfits (tank top + shorts)
2 additional t-shirts/nicer summer tops
3 jeans/jeggings
2 long sleeve shirts
4 jumper things, ie hoodies
2 pr office trousers
3 polyester type office tops (short sleeve)
2 nicer looking jumpers can wear in office
2 dresses i can cycle in & wear to office
1 nicer coat type thing for work events (but it lives downstairs, anyway)

Probably buy new, or maybe eBay BNwoTags :
2 black leggings (I would go for quality), so most expensive item

Hold back £50 for special occasion clothes (wedding or job interview). Hold back £150 for other stuff I don't know if I need it yet.

Id start with what kind of clothes you need for your lifestyle. Nowadays, there is really no difference between my work and casual wardrobe. I operate a capsule wardrobe idea, so wear the same shapes, in similar but different colour ways.

Having lost a good lot of weight recently, I have pretty much replaced all the things I wear regularly quite recently. I bought the same items in smaller sizes to minimise anyone noticing the dramatic change in my shape

Id buy one pair each in green and brown of leather look high waisted leggings and three each in brown, green and bronze of double layered v neck. Practical and casual worn with trainers but dressed up with heels (sandals or boots) they take me out for drinks or dinner

Then I'd 'invest' in two jackets, a very practical biker style leather jacket and something spectacular for the evening.

That's my wardrobe maintenance this year. The leather jacket is old and knackered but who cares and the evening jacket is a spectacular 'old friend' which I love.

Throw in a few scarves and necklaces and I'm all good. I've thrown out almost all the larger sized items so, for the first time in years, I can actually fit into everything in my wardrobe

I also have two pairs Next bootcut magic jeans (for when the leather look leggings get too hot in the summer) one in a dark teal and the other olive green. They will be fine with the tops though I may need cooler tops if it's a warm summer, in which case I'll bulk buy slub cotton t-shirts which I'll dye a pale, medium and dark olive green.

Dying clothes really helps me to have a limited colour palette where everything works with everything.

I'd go a bit mad in Un jour ailleurs and it probably wouldn't go very far.

I'd love the opportunity to start from scratch. My dream new wardrobe would be made up of minimal, high-quality staples from places like LK Bennett, Jigsaw, Jaeger and Hobbs. I don't know if the £3K would cover all these so might need to scout for sale bargains!

Wool camel coat
Couple of smart blazers
Black cigarette trousers
Black leather pencil skirt
Couple of silk blouses
Couple of wool or cashmere jumpers
Couple of cotton or linen t-shirts
Great jeans
Leopard ballet flats
Tan loafers
Black leathers flats for work
Smart canvas trainers

This is my worst nightmare. My wardrobe has been built up over thirty five years and a lot of my favourite stuff is from charity shops.

3 pairs slim fit jeans (black, blue, grey) from M&S which helps the budget.
Hobbs Tilda wool coat
John Lewis trench coat
2 wool midi skirts for work in winter (charity shop if poss otherwise Hobbs/Jigsaw)
4 slim fit jumpers for work in winter
2 jackets for work in winter (charity shop if poss - otherwise Hobbs/Jigsaw)
5 work dresses for summer
3 casual summer dresses
2 casual skirts 1 winter/1 summer
1 smarter skirt winter
1 smarter dress summer
5 casual T shirts
3 large casual jumpers
1 hoody
2 shirts
1 linen jacket
1 velvet jacket
1 glam dress
1 glam skirt
1 glam top
4 pairs pyjamas (2 winter 2 summer)
At c 60 quid per item that's doable, if you offset the cheaper T shirts against the more expensive coats and jackets.

But that's not even close to the headcount of what I'd be replacing, and I'd really regret the loss of choice.