Quality capsule that doesn’t cost the earth

[Dunnocantthinkofone]

I’ve spent years buying cheap ‘bargains’ and supermarket clothes. All mismatched, many don’t fit and none are in the ‘I love that’ category even remotely. Most capsule advice comes in two camps -one. buy high quality - fine in principle but when I need literally everything that’s not realistic
and two - any examples of even a casual capsule focus on blazers,white shirts etc - and my job is outdoors with animals and my hobbies are sporty. So completely unsuited to my lifestyle
Any advise or shop recommendations greatly appreciated

Mmm … Still not enough definition of roles for your clothes!

Surely there are things you do that don’t involve dogs as the priority?

Have you tried Sweaty Betty? I have a lot of gym wear from there but also some really nice walking trousers and pull overs that I wear shopping or pottering around in

Of course. I see family,shop,meal out etc etc like everyone else.
But within each day I also walk, work and train my dogs (for competitive purposes, not that they don’t behave😂) as well as work some days - on and off through the day
And I don’t particularly want to keep changing my clothes several times a day
so jeans and tees etc = perfectly ok (unless it’s raining)
but flowy, delicate or dressy? Doesn’t work

it’s interesting though that this being the core problem hasn’t until now occurred to me …..maybe you are on to something 🤔

Well, it does seem a difficulty. Your thread title asks for quality clothes. You then add professional dog walking - which obviously isn’t compatible with ‘fine’ clothing. You then reference casual dress, but with other, messy dogs.

It’s hard to … parse. I like beautiful clothes. I like dogs. I might wear my lovely clothes for a pub lunch where I’m accompanied by one well behaved dog, but I’d keep a separate wardrobe if I spent my working life outdoors amongst a crowd of animals.

It’s entirely possible that an outdoor utility wardrobe might cost more than everyday smart casual wear - but one doesn’t work for the other.

When I say quality I mean fabric that doesn’t misshape, fade, bobble or generally wear out after a few washes. That looks reasonable and is in a fabric that isn’t polyester
so high street stuff that is decent (eg Uniqlo always get recommended for tees) and makes me feel a bit more put together

Not stuff I’d be worried about ruining (so very high price point would put me off)
sorry, I’m probably not making this very clear!

@Dunnocantthinkofone I think I get it

You want the majority of your wardrobe to be durable, and to survive frequent washing easily and without fading

I would start work from there

Sometimes it's a bit shocking how the majority of our clothes can actually be functional, particularly when we're trying to look nice

But actually, I think that's what you're looking for. You spend most of your time in very practical clothing so you want to find styles within that that suit you

If you don't need smart much, the rest of it is almost by the by - but the problem with the odd bit of occasion wear is that you don't want to be seen as the person who always wears the same thing to a special occasion.

Is that a reasonable assessment?

if yes then about 70% of your wardrobe will be functional that can still look nice

Then the rest is made up of smarter pieces - like nice jeans that you wouldn't want to wear around your dogs - maybe 25%

Your remaining 5% is special occasion stuff, I suppose

it's the 70% that's the issue.

Do you actually need traditional outdoor brands? Or just solid reliable basics. I don't know much about traditional outdoor stuff.

Right - others can help with your working wardrobe. For non-work periods - what’s your clothing size, height, budget? Would you prefer relatively conservative clothes or …?

I mean - if you were invited to a birthday lunch and had to wear a dress (say) which, if any, of these brands might appeal to you:

https://colenimo.com/

https://www.cos.com/en-gb/women

https://justinetabak.co.uk/

https://kemitelford.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqZilLCEAhjtPt9597arwGyQu2ZfxBogYNPtIncmz6b3zzZW

https://www.meandem.com/

https://www.plumo.com/

https://www.toa.st/

https://www.youmustcreate.com/collections/womens-clothing

(All chosen as being relatively hard wearing, stylish and not ephemeral. So you might keep them in your wardrobe for another ten years.)

Thank you so much. You’ve nailed it pretty much I think. I probably need a couple of ‘proper’ hiking items but mostly I can do functional basics from regular shops. As you say, I’m just a bit sick of permanently going everywhere in my hiking kit when there’s no real need. Function is needed but not necessarily official technical kit
off to look at all the dress options now!
im a size 10. Big bust,short torso though which can look lumpy very easily. 5’5”

generally like quite a classic but casual look. Prefer a jumpsuit to a dress. Jeans,silk shirt and leather or suede jacket for a meal out - that sort of vibe

Thank you

I like the Me and Em vibe very much. Also drawn to stuff from places like Reiss historically
Anything classic and unfussy that doesn’t look like I’m trying too hard ideally

some really great suggestions here - my problem has been buying for the life I think I should lead rather than my actual life... so analysing what you actually wear is a good start.

Get out of thinking I shouldn't spend £30 on a t shirt I love that I will wear every week but then spend £50 on a going out top I might wear once every couple of months.

I have also had my colours done so even when buying basics I know which palette to stick to and things go together much more easily.

For day-to-day, I'd look for something like:
a parka waterproof coat (no big logos or shiny details or fur trim. Neutral darkish colour. A classic Barbour would be my option)
Jeans - straight leg, darkish indigo with a little bit of stretch for comfort. These could be cheapish or pricy. Check M&S and Sainsbury's for value.
Blundstones (or approach shoes).
Hoodie or fleece. (practical colour pref neutral). You need one that suits your shape.
Jumpers are great but don't generally take too kindly to being washed.
T-shirts - uniqlo, primark etc. If the rest of your clothes are drab wear fun colours.

Occasion wear. - whatever you like. I'd go to JL and get a personal shopper consultation to establish what suits you.
Going out clothes - pull-on dress, jeans and nice top, wide-leg trousers and top. etc.
Nice coat & Smart boots - probably bargains now - sales and ebay/vinted.

Hiking clothes and gym wear- already made suggestions.

I pretty much wear a uniform. It makes life easier. I can wear fun things when I want to.

You sound like me! Id have a look at All saints too - I really rate their jeans

Oh and Didriksons for coats

I would seriously consider second hand if you want reasonably priced high quality. Some of my favourite classic pieces are 30+ years old and they look new and are extremely hardwearing.

For outdoor/hiking my favourite brand is Fjällräven, I have had their hiking trousers and the classic Övik jumper for nearly 15 years; they are functional and look great.

@Dunnocantthinkofone glad that was helpful

I'm always tempted by silk shirts for going out - but the steaming and then whether or not they will look okay at the end of the night puts me off. And I always love the brilliant array of colours that you can get with silk shirt. Especially if you look at the men's ranges - they always get better colours than we do

I actually had this discussion with some colleagues about why so many people seem to habitually wear hiking stuff

They were saying it's a style choice

I genuinely wonder if it's the case that it's so expensive, if you're gonna buy some it ends up being better to just incorporated into your normal wardrobe

My lifestyle isn't like yours but I have bought proper hiking stuff for holidays and then ended up thinking huh I need to actually use this because it was expensive.

But the first thing that struck me about your lifestyle is that clothes need to be easy to wash and wear, it doesn't sound like you need waterproofs every day for example

I'm not stylish but I do work from home and have horses, so need clothes that are smart enough for teams calls but wash well and are hard wearing. For work I go for a rydale shirt under a seasalt wool jumper with either a denim or cord skirt, tights and dealer boots, or slim flared jeans or wide leg navy trousers from m and s with trainers or boots under and wear muck boots or wellies as required to feed etc. In summer I swap the tophalf for a Breton or blouse. It's not trendy but it is hard wearing and smarter than the fleeces, leggings and hoodies I was wearing. I have no idea about a going out capsule though as I desperately need that too!