Top 10 Wardrobe Essentials

Appearances always form the first impression. How we present ourselves to other people is important. It’s not necessary to look and dress up like a celebrity. But, we do need to put in a little effort and pay some attention to what we wear. Especially when we work in a corporate environment, it is extremely important to wear neat, formal and decent clothes. Your attire could say a lot about you and don’t want to be sending the wrong signals. Speaking of clothes, how often do we find ourselves in this situation? – You open your closet door and there are piles of clothes. But you still feel as though you don’t have proper clothes or don’t like the ones that you have. You complain about this to your hubby and he gives you weirdest look ever! Men can never understand women’s cribbing, which is why we have places like these where we can complain and have other girls do so too 😉 Anyway, in this post I want write about some wardrobes essentials that everybody should invest in. You can use these basic essentials to mix and match and create different looks. Also for those that are looking to build their collection, I hope this post will give some pointers. I am only concentrating on western wear coz Indian attires are completely different and lets not limit our collection on that ;-). We all have and need loads of them anyway! Now, I am not saying that is “THE” list or anything. I feel that if you have one from each variety you could pull of so many looks with mixing and matching. OK then, Lets dive right into the post…

1) The perfect Jean Jeans Every body has a favorite pair of jean. But you must make sure that you have one pair of nice dark wash jean that is flattering to your figure. I say Dark wash, because it can hold well to casual as well as when you want to make it work for a party with a dressy blouse. A perfect pair of jean should look and feel great. You should be able to either dress it up or down depending on the occasions. Source

So, take your time to find that kind of jean that flatters your figure. We have a lot of cuts ranging from boot cuts, skinny, straight, trouser fit etc. Good jeans can be little expensive especially if they are good brands. But, save up and try to get a good jean because you’ll wear them so much that you will get the bang out of the buck quite easily.

2) The Black dress Little Black Dress We all have heard about the little black dress. It’s quite true that all of us must have at least one black dress. It should fit you like a dream. That way should any sudden parties or events come your way, you would be ready for it. Black dresses look neutral and goes with every occasion. You can make it fun by adding some nice accessories like statement necklaces, chunky bangles etc.

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3) The perfect jacket Take your time to find a jacket that hits you at the right places. It should fit snug on you and also accentuate your curves. Semi-casual jackets have the ability to go with a lot of outfits. Tailored jackets can take a causal jean and top look to a much dressier and sophisticated look. You could also balance a girly skirt with a jacket to give you an edgier look. With a jacket on we all look a lot put together. And let’s face it; it also hides our ugly love handles .:) Perfect Jacket These days the concept of boyfriend blazers is marking the trend. It’s nothing but a normal blazer but with a boxier finish. You’ll need to cuff up the sleeves and wear skinny jean to pull off the look together.

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4) The cardigan Cardigan Source

Preferably black. Cardigan is a must have. It’s nothing but a knitted jacket that’s mostly fastened up in the front with buttons. Not only does it take your outfit to another level, it also keeps you warm during colder months. You could wear a jean and tank top for a casual occasion. And when you feel the need you could throw a cardigan over it and the look becomes neat. For starters go for a black/brown. You can then expand to other colors.

5) The formal suit Formal Suit Source

All of us need to a formal suit. Especially for women who are the in the job hunting process, be prepared with a nice suit. You don’t want to be caught off guard with a sudden interview. (*cough* ME *cough*). You could go for a pant suit or a skirt suit. I personally prefer a skirt suit as they look a lot more feminine. But if you have LONG killer legs, then I’d say go for the formal pants and blazer look. Make sure not to look too hot for the interview though 😉 6) The formal shirt White Formal Shirt Source

We *need* to have formal shirts. White shirts look particularly classy. But look for shirts that are cut to a women’s body with stitches along the sides. This can accentuate you curves. You don’t need to go for the boring ones. There are a lot of varieties and cuts these days that make shirts look very appealing. You can even pull of a nice shirt with a jean for a semi-casual look.

7) The dressy pant It’s one of the most versatile pieces of clothing. You could team it up with a formal shirt and you are all set for the office. Change into a dressy top, you are ready to party. White Pants Pants work great for winter months when you want to feel warm. Black works well. I particularly love light colored ones paired with a dark top!

8) Cotton pants Cotton Pants Source

When we live in countries like India, we definitely need some kind of cotton pants that let us and our skin breathe during the blazing hot summers. Jeans get super hot and uncomfortable in the summer. Invest in a good cotton pants like khakis/chinos. They look casual and are super comfortable. You could even pair them with a nice shirt for a semi casual office look. I would suggest that you get earthy muted colors first and then build on.

9) Casual camis, tank tops and tees Tank Tops Source

We all *need* to have at least one black and one white cami. They are so versatile. You could wear them as top in summer months. You could also wear them underneath to give some dimension to a simple tee. You could also wear them under with low cut dresses if you are not comfortable with cleavage show: P. Camis are very affordable and colored camis give a pop of color to any outfit. 🙂 And , It goes without saying that we all need casual tees in all sorts of color. On casual days tee and jean is all that is required! 10) Leggings and scarves Leggings Source

These are must have for everybody. Leggings and tunics make for the best summer outfits. And scarves, what can I say about them! They are so much fun and come in so many pretty colors. Go for a knitted one to keep you warm in winter and for the summer months go for a thin colorful crushed variety. They look so girly! Source

Oh god! The choices the we women have to make! Sometimes I feel that the sheer variety of clothes we women have is overwhelming. I never seem to be satisfied:P. If you live in places where you see all 4 seasons, the trends keep changing by the season. When you are all set with heavy sweaters and boots, its time for nice colorful skirts for the spring. Before you know it summer comes and we all aim for shorts and summer dresses. With fall, you need fall jackets and what not! My god , I need to win a lottery if my list keeps expanding like this! Some things to notice/ avoid while shopping for clothes.

  • Avoid trousers with pleats. They do not look good on anybody. And especially for people with a broad hip, the pleats stretch out and look pathetic. Opt for a flat front. Trousers with thick bands in the waist camouflage the lower belly at times.
  • Figure out your best part of your body and try to accentuate that more. For me my thinnest area is right below my chest. So, I try to wear tops/dresses that hug me tight around my rib cage and flows done below. This gives a much pleasing appearance and makes you look much thinner. Have long/lean legs? Show them off with some nice shorts.
  • Ever find clothes that you love, but it’s not exactly the perfect fit? No do not fret. Almost always your tailor could make the piece work for you with just a little alteration. It won’t cost you much. So next time you find something that you are crazy about and that’s just a tad longer/loose etc , go ahead and get it. You can make it work.
  • I know some of the runway models have been seen wearing the 80’s shoulder pads stuff. Me thinks that it works only on those size zero models and petite body types. On most other people it looks hideous! Of course if you can pull it off, go ahead and indulge!
  • Try to avoid tops with horizontal stripes. They elongate your body sideways and make you look fatter than you actually are. Again for really well maintained bodies or petite structures it may work. But most of the times, it doesn’t work.

So, I hope that these points help you guys in one way or the other. For people starting to build their western collection, this could serve as a guide. And as for others, we just need another reason to shop, right 😉

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25 thoughts on “Top 10 Wardrobe Essentials

  1. let’s see, because of my transient figure, i no longer have a pair of jeans that fit me well. i am yet to find a black dress that suits my chubby legs without showing them off and a tank top would like atrocious on me. thankfully, the other items find a comfortable place in my wardrobe.

    1. Rima – There’s always a black dress that suits each of one us. I am sure you’ll find one. Maybe you can go for a dress with a empire waist with long flowy material below. You could go for a full length if you want to hide you chubby legs 🙂

  2. I love cardigans and the one that I see in the picture looks nice.Though I don’t wear western clothes everyday yet I would say that I prefer a good pair of jeans more than cotton pants any day.

  3. Hey,
    lovely article. I was wondering if you could give some suggestions of where to find these summer cardigans. I’ve been looking for them for a while. Thanks. 🙂

  4. Apart from jeans, rest of the stuff looks to me very new 😉 I think from IMBB I will learn more on fashion arena too

    Well…the reason for not chooing formal pants/skirits is – Im petitie. I always feel that these type of dresses makes me to look very short. Even with jean, I pair it with knee length kurta only….

    After seeing the black dress….Im impressed..

    any inputs friends….on my thought…

    1. I’m quite short too but I love wearing wide legged pants with heels – I believe it makes you look taller! :))

      Jane – Missed you around here! Nice post!!! :))
      .-= ki´s last blog ..Wedding worries =-.

    2. Vidya ,

      As for casual pants , you could try narrow legged ankle length cropped ones and pair it with some heels. This gives an illusion of longer lengs. Also like Ki mentioned you cold do Long wode leg pants , but make sure to wear nice high heels..those look lovely too.

      As for skirts , it all about the length and cut. It should hit right about at the knee. Any longer or shorter will make it look bad. Try for a A-line skirt if pencil skirts are not your thing. A-line works with every body type 🙂 Hope that helped.

      Ki- Aww thanks Sweets 🙂 I am back and hopefully should write more !

  5. Gr8 article Jane!!!!

    These really are must-haves!!!

    I don’t have the little black dress and haven’t found the right cardigan… Should start hunting………

  6. TANK TOP…………………now, I would like to know how many of us wear tank tops….the rest are fine……….I can only wear the tank top to bed…………………………..Jane, we wanna see you with the tank top….geee 🙂

    1. Hahaha..Jomol..I personally don’t wear tank tops alone when I am going outside..but I pair ’em with cardigans. But , believe me there are SOOO many people who wear just a tank and jean and it does look good on them. And for summer they are soo casual 🙂

      Just to make we are no the right page about tank top , here is one

      http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_041S1046000P?vName=Workwear%20&%20Uniforms&cName=Women%27sWorkwear&sName=Shirts&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

      That’s not too bad , jomol 🙂

  7. Hey no Jane………i was just imagining myself going public in a tank top……was thinking how many people would die of shock……???? 😯 😯 😯 😯 . Hey Jane, I love white shirt and cotton pant and I know they look so classy, isnt it? :-))

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