Clothing Essentials: The Building Blocks To Your Wardrobe

This post is long overdue, but better late than never. Before we continue on with trying to shop for all the latest trends, we need to take a pause and talk about clothing essentials. Clothing essentials are the clothing items you need in your closets, knowing them and bring you one step closer to having your dream wardrobe.

If you know me, you know I absolutely love shopping! It’s gotten a little ridiculous over the years, but I didn’t choose the fashion life, the fashion life chose me! When I first started shopping for myself, I didn’t know anything about closet essentials. To prevent you guys from making the same mistakes I did, and to make shopping a lot easier you need to know what your essentials are!

Closet essential really are the building blocks to your wardrobe, they make styling outfits so much easier. You ever stand in front of you closet struggling to find something to wear? Your closet could be overflowing with clothes like mine is, but you still find yourself saying, “I have nothing to wear.” We’ve all been there! Sometimes when you have too many clothes, of all different varieties, it can get a little overwhelming, especially if you’re like me and can’t stick to just one aesthetic. This is where your essentials come into play. You can build tons of different outfit combinations centered around just one article of clothing.

Essential pieces focus mainly on simplicity, and comfort. Your wardrobe essentials should be in tune with how you structure your outfits, along with your body shape, color palette, and lifestyle. Knowing your personal style is the first step to finding your essentials, you may need to refer back to my first blog post about how to find your personal style! https://simpsonstyles.fashion.blog/2020/04/12/finding-your-own-style-aesthetic/

For those of you whose brows furrowed when I said color palette, let me quickly explain what that is before we get into anything else. A color palette is a group of colors you look best in. The method I used for learning my color palette was by looking at my veins, which determines your skins undertone. There are 2 main undertones, warm and cool. There’s also a neutral undertone, which means both color palettes work equally for you. By looking at the veins on your wrist or palm you will see what your skin’s undertone is. If you have green looking veins then you have a warm undertone, while people with a cool undertone have blue or purple veins. My veins are like a greenish blue, and sometimes they even look purple. I would say I have a neutral undertone.

Jewelry and natural sunlight is another method you can use to find your undertone. Under the light wear a silver and gold bracelet on each wrist, whichever one enhances your complexion will help you find out your undertone. If it’s gold, you have a warm undertone, and if it’s silver, it’s obviously cool. Warm colors have a yellow tint, while cool colors have a blue one.

Once you’ve figured out your undertone, you can start picking out neutrals that you’ll look best in. The basic neutral colors are black, white, grey, navy, brown, and khaki. There are many variations of these colors, also knows as tints and hues. Some different tints that come from our basic neutral colors are charcoal, light grey, sand, ivory, cream, mocha, olive, nude, taupe, beige and tan. Keep it mind that it’s best to avoid colors that make you look washed out or dull, instead go for the colors that enhance your complexion.

Now is the time to pick the neutrals that go best with your skin tone. Colors, such as, olive, taupe, camel, and cream look best if you have a warm undertone. If you have a cool undertone, grey, navy, black and white are your colors. For neutral tones taupe, grey, or cream. Of course you can still pick whatever colored essentials you want, but these are the ones that will suit your undertone better.

Essential clothing should be durable as well as stylish and versatile. When building my essential wardrobe I asked myself what did I absolutely need in my closet? Then I asked myself how many outfit combinations could I come up with centered around that one piece.

I’m going to share my list with you, hoping it will give you some sort of guide to finding your own clothing essentials!

1. Tees– Whether they’re cropped or full length, neutral colors, or graphics, they’re definitely an essential item for me! They go great with jeans, biker shorts, leggings, you name it!

2. Little Black Dress (LBD)– A little black dress is a perfect staple. I can dress it down with a pair of sneakers, like Air Force 1’s, and a denim jacket. I could also dress it up with some scrappy heels, with some gold accessories, and a cute bag!

3. Denim Jacket– I actually own three denim jackets. One cropped, one black and cropped, and then an oversized one! Denim jackets have been my go-to for a long time! If it’s a little windy, or chilly I’m grabbing my denim jacket and going about my day, they’re always in style, and you can do so much with a denim jacket!

4. Leather Jacket- I bought my first leather jacket last January, I’ve always wanted one, but could never find one with gold detailing until recently. Leather jackets are a layering piece, they can make a basic white tee and jeans look cool, or make a black slip dress look more casual, or sexy! They just make any outfit look cool, and you feel cool in it too!

5. Biker Shorts- I know a lot of people have opinions on these. You either love them, or hate them, I, on the other hand, absolutely love biker shorts. They’re super soft, and comfortable and come in so many colors. I own a couple grey pairs, a black pair, and a leopard print pair. They’re definitely a staple for the spring and summer!

6. Shoulder/ Baguette Bags- An outfit doesn’t just mean clothes, you need accessories to tie the whole look together! Baguette bags have been making a huge comeback recently, and I am here for it! I like to buy mine from Prettylittlething, but they’re way more affordable on shein!

7. Gold Jewelry- If you know me you know I love gold. Jewelry is essential because by accessorizing can make your simple outfit look more put together.

8. Bralettes/Bra Tops- If I could wear a piece of clothing everyday, it would definitely be these! I get mine from either PLT or Aritzia, they’re really flattering and look good with anything. I wear them with jeans and oversized flannels, or sweatpants and a denim jacket for a more comfy/casual look.

9. A Great Pair of Quality Jeans- When I say jeans I don’t mean the stretchy jegging material, although they are comfy, it’s 2021! Put on some real jeans sis! Urban outfitters and American apparel have really great jeans! Baggy jeans and little cute crop tops have been my vibe lately, and I honesty prefer baggy jeans over skinny jeans!

10. Joggers/Sweatpants- I have been living in sweats even before quarantine, they’re so comfy and if you know how to dress it up you’ll manage to look cute without much effort. Pretty Little Thing has the best sweats, I own at least ten pairs from them, and I dress them up in so many different ways.

11. Solid color bodysuits- Long sleeve, short sleeve, spaghetti strapped, strapless, scooped neck, v-neck or a mock neck, having a few bodysuits in my closet is a MUST. They look especially good with jeans, and even though they’re simple they’re just super flattering.

12. White & Black Tanks- Tank tops come in many styles, and are perfect for the spring and summer. I love racerback tanks especially! There are really cheap ones at Target, Zara, and PLT. I wear them with skirts, shorts, jeans or sweats.

Your list may be very similar to mine, or very different. Your clothing essentials are what work best for you, and for your style.

Lastly, I am going to share some of the stores I believe are some of the best places to buy your essential wardrobe.

Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo– These two stores are fast fashion brands, which are more on the cheaper side, these stores are also always having sales. If you type “Basics” into the search bar, you’ll find everything you need without having to search the entire site.

Urban Outfitters- Urban has some of the best jeans, along with graphic tees, and other wardrobe essentials. A lot of their prices range from affordable to expensive depending on the item or brand.

Naked Wardrobe- Started by three sisters, NW is a brand that focuses on being trendy, fashionable, and making every woman feel confident. I personally love their crop tops and biker shorts. Their fabric is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, it’s stretchy and the quality is amazing. I also love how most of their clothes are black, white, and grey. I love neutral colors, so if you’re like me be sure to check them out. They also have lots of sales, like $25 Tuesday, or $15 Friday.

Aritzia– Aritzia is more on the expensive side, they are kind of like Urban Outfitters in the sense that they sale other retail brands at their stores and on their website. They have the most gorgeous tops, and I specifically love their bra tops.

Joah Brown– I discovered this brand on Instagram last year, and instantly fell in love with their pieces. Their clothing is so unique, and stylish. They are pretty expensive, but the quality makes it worth the price. This is honestly one of my favorite brands, and one of the brands I shop from the most.

In order to get the most wear out of your clothes, and successfully put together outfits, it’s important to build an essential wardrobe that works for you. Your essential wardrobe is just as important, and just as unique as your personal style. They should reflect not only your personality, but also your day to day activities. They will be your go to pieces when you’re in a rush, or when you just want that effortless on the go look. Never underestimate the power of your essentials, once you find them, you’ll feel happier with your closet.