Help me build a decent capsule work wardrobe

[BloominNora]

Could I ask you lovely lot to help me put together a capsule wardrobe for work? I absolutely hate shopping (online and in the shops), so end up wearing the same clothes for years.

However, I've put a little bit of weight on lately (gone from 8 stone to 10 and size 8 to 10) and none of my existing stuff is fitting very well anymore.

I mostly work from home, but do have to go into the office occasionally and tend to interact with more senior people, so I could really do with trying to look a bit more grown up.

So - I'm 45, 5 foot 6, quite slim / straight up and down (other than a bit of tummy).

My usual style is skinny or wide leg jeans and a jumper / t-shirt and trainers or boots.

For work I tend to wear either skinny black trousers (my go to is a pair of skinny stretch trousers from H&M) or wide leg wool / woven - I don't like straight cut - but could be that I just haven't found the right ones - I also hate the feel of the thinner 'suit' trousers in places like H&M.

I will wear either low cut ankle boots or my beloved red or dead knee high boots - I don't wear heels (other than a small wedge / platform)

I quite like a blazer - my favourite is a grey three quarter sleeve one in a soft, almost jersey fabric and tend to wear looser tops.

Colour wise I gravitate towards darks - black / grey / dark blue with the occassional white top thrown in.

Really looking for some help / inspiration to put together a capsule wardrobe that I can mix and match. Happy to spend a little bit of money for good quality or one or two investment pieces - but not a fortune. I don't want Shein stuff!

If anyone could be bothered to read all of that, your help would be appreciated!

Go straight to Cos! Online first so you can play around with possibilities. If you can get to a shop it’s useful but not compulsory - you just may need a little trial and error.

I would actually start by looking at their footwear as it’s obviously designed to compliment the clothes. Then look here:

https://www.cos.com/en_gbp/women/new-arrivals.html

When I worked (retired now) I had a work wardrobe that consisted of

•Black skirt, jacket and trousers

• grey skirt jacket and trousers

• 5 or 6 tops in bright colours.

I could dress in the dark for work. One top, either colour, one Jacket, either colour and any of the tops.

Professional work wear is more relaxed now - so harder to get right. You’re likely to be considered stuffy if you’re dressed more formally than the rest of the office.

(I too had a full wardrobe of black and grey suits - in the 80s / 90s, and lots of shirts from Pinks, or Turnbull & Asser. And Ferragamo / Manolo Blahnik court shoes. I miss those days … )

I love some of the clothes on there - not brave enough to wear some of them though 😂

I do like these trousers: https://www.cos.com/en_gbp/women/womenswear/trousers/product.relaxed-twill-wide-leg-trousers-grey.1248999002.html

I definitely don't want to be too formal - its not me at all. I work for a couple of different organisations - public sector so there is a real mix from jeans and t-shirts, all the way up to three piece suits with the more senior staff dressing more formally.

I need smart-casual really but also something that is a bit more grown up I think.

They are good trousers! And a great start for a new wardrobe. Easy enough to scroll down the page to see the other parts of the outfit - and then just follow the leads to mix and match to your heart’s content.

Cos is a completely mainstream shop, btw. Lots of jeans and t shirts and knitwear. No ‘bravery’ required.

Related brands:

Arket - dull but up to date. Very mainstream.

& Other Stories - muted liveliness but not always the best quality.

Massimo Dutti - cool and sleek and fashionable.

Unrelated but very worth looking at:

Community Clothing - casual clothes and impeccable ethics. Wonderful denim skirts and excellent knitwear and raincoats.

Some ideas here:

The video is about a year old so a few items listed might be out of stock - might be worth looking out for 'spring 2025 work capsule wardrobe' video.