How to Get a Woman's Basic Wardrobe

Get a woman's basic wardrobe before you begin adding other pieces. A basic wardrobe consists of essential pieces that are appropriate for work and a night on the town. After you have the basics, add other pieces to reflect your personal style and personality.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Black dress
• Jeans
• Neutral dress pants, blazer, shirt and skirt
• Trenchcoat
• Simple sweaters

1. Choose neutral colors. You can add a little flair with accent colors and accessories to your pieces later. Choose blacks, shades of brown, tan, gray or charcoal.

2. Buy one suit in the neutral shade of your choice. This includes a pair of dress pants, blazer or jacket and shirt.

3. Add a black dress to your basic wardrobe. Simple black dresses are versatile because they can be paired with just about anything in your wardrobe such as a blazer, jacket or cardigan sweater.

4. Splurge on a pair of jeans. The versatility jeans is vast, even in a basic wardrobe. To stick with the basics, stay away from trends such as pocket embellishments and flared bottoms when choosing jeans. Instead, go with simple straight- or boot-cut, five-pocket jeans.

5. Get a few skirts. Choose from the neutral shades provided in Step 1. Note that a simple skirt is flexible. A-line skirts are perfect for a woman's basic wardrobe because the cut is flattering on any figure.

6. Add a classic trench coat in either black or tan. Over the decades, classic trench coats have never gone out of style and they are a wise choice when summer is transitioning to fall and during the spring season.

7. Select a few simple sweaters. Get your hands on sweaters with a simple classic knit without patterns.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose quality over quantity. Quality clothing will last longer. Choose cashmere or Merino wool for sweaters and 100 percent wool for dress pants.

• Shoes in a basic wardrobe should consist of the following: a pair of black heels, a pair of brown heels, a pair of heeled black boots and a pair of heeled brown boots.

• Stay away from trends. You are building a basic wardrobe that is designed to last for years and never go out of style.