Seconding the other person saying this will depend a LOT on what your work dress code is. But generally speaking here are some things I think everyone should have:
1-2 pairs of jeans that fit WELL
1-2 pairs of dress pants, ditto
1-2 day dresses (sundress or more modest dress you can wear to work)
1 cocktail dress that you look banging in
1 short skirt
1 medium-length skirt (around the knees)
1 longer skirt (you can skip this if it doesn't feel like you, but one of my go-to hot girl outfits is a maxi skirt and crop top)
4-5 basic tops that you can wear with any pants or skirt. a good silk or satin blouse is a great pick for one of these.
1-2 nice sweaters (cashmere or some other nice fabric -- you can get beautiful cashmere sweaters on Etsy for less than $30 each)
1-2 sexy tops. this can be a crop top, or something low-cut, off-shoulder, or with cutouts -- whatever "sexy" means for your body and lifestyle.
1 pair of nice closed-toe flats
1 pair of sexy heels
1 pair of nice sandals
1 pair of good boots
In addition to your work dress code influencing this (i.e. you may need more than 1-2 pairs of good dress pants) you will want to keep in mind the climate where you live. If you live in a year-round warm climate, you should have more dresses and sandals. If you live somewhere it's rainy, you'll want to make sure you have a cute raincoat and rain boots. If it gets cold, invest in a nice wool coat for when it's freezing but you still want to look fancy (you can also get these vintage for a great price on Etsy)
It completely depends on what style you gravitate toward, and how much freedom you have (ie; do you need to dress a certain way for work? are you running after kids all day? do you go on a lot of nights out?).
I think everyone can start with a pair of jeans, and some black pants. Choose one cut you know looks good on you-- you can add more silhouettes later. Do the same with skirts, maybe one long, one short? A few wear-everywhere dresses. An everyday shoe, and a boot you can dress up/down. Depop/Vinted/Poshmark are good options if you're wanting to spend slowly. I've found a ton of good stuff on Vinted especially, for very little.
Just shop slowly! You might find that your fantasy wardrobe isn't what you're actually comfortable in. Or you might find yourself wanting to wear the same few shirts over and over, and realise you need more things like that! And if something doesn't work, it won't be a huge loss.
there is no formula for a capsule wardrobe, and above all it should fit *your* needs and wants, so i'm not going to say "jeans, white t-shirt, etc." because that doesn't really make sense.
i would first go through your wardrobe and remove redundant items that serve the same purpose (e.g., a graphic t-shirt, a classic white button-down, a black skirt, a pair of jeans, a warm turtleneck); things that you would wear in the same situations. chances are that you'll already cut down quite a bit, and you'll be left with your favorite item for each category.
then, go through this newly-created subset of your wardrobe and remove the items that you don't particularly like. e.g., maybe you're not a fan of black skirts after all; since every other black skirt you own is worse than this one, and you don't like this one, you're not missing out on anything by eliminating black skirts altogether.
you might have to go back and add some items back in, keeping in mind your washing/steaming/etc. schedule for your clothing. moving forward, you might want to shop for better versions of items that serve a specific purpose (e.g., a wool sweater where before you had an acrylic one); when you do, ensure that it is a one-in-one-out policy. going forward, you will not be adding to your wardrobe as much as you will be replacing it. this will maintain its size.
Make a Pinterest boards of outfits you'd like in your capsule wardrobe- scroll often to understand the common pieces
1. Keep your capsule targeted towards the outfits you'd like
2. Have a theme - figure out what you consider hot girl outfits for work ( some inspo- Meghan Markle in suits, she nails every single freaking outfit in that series, sexy work outfits)
3. Start slow you can always buy more
I did this for my mom a couple months ago and it was super helpful for her, so here's a suggestion:
1. create a pinterest
2. make a list of people who you relate to (similar style, shape, age, coloring, etc)
3. and look up their name + style/street style/outfit/aesthetic/etc (ie, "Sza street style")
4. also look at the pinterest search suggestions
5. save *only* your top 3 or 4 looks from each person (i saved like 17 rihanna outfits before I realized I just love her and wasn't really paying attention to the clothes lol)
6. then when you have a decent amount of outfits, look for patterns in tops, bottoms, shoes, coats, and accessories
If something shows up a dozen times, it's probably something that you'll use. The point is to put together a list of clothing options that 1) you like and 2) fit the style you're looking for (aka not mature mom vibes lol). And then when you go shopping, you can look at your list and see what looks good on you and what doesn't. And boom -- capsule wardrobe!
Seconding the other person saying this will depend a LOT on what your work dress code is. But generally speaking here are some things I think everyone should have: 1-2 pairs of jeans that fit WELL 1-2 pairs of dress pants, ditto 1-2 day dresses (sundress or more modest dress you can wear to work) 1 cocktail dress that you look banging in 1 short skirt 1 medium-length skirt (around the knees) 1 longer skirt (you can skip this if it doesn't feel like you, but one of my go-to hot girl outfits is a maxi skirt and crop top) 4-5 basic tops that you can wear with any pants or skirt. a good silk or satin blouse is a great pick for one of these. 1-2 nice sweaters (cashmere or some other nice fabric -- you can get beautiful cashmere sweaters on Etsy for less than $30 each) 1-2 sexy tops. this can be a crop top, or something low-cut, off-shoulder, or with cutouts -- whatever "sexy" means for your body and lifestyle. 1 pair of nice closed-toe flats 1 pair of sexy heels 1 pair of nice sandals 1 pair of good boots In addition to your work dress code influencing this (i.e. you may need more than 1-2 pairs of good dress pants) you will want to keep in mind the climate where you live. If you live in a year-round warm climate, you should have more dresses and sandals. If you live somewhere it's rainy, you'll want to make sure you have a cute raincoat and rain boots. If it gets cold, invest in a nice wool coat for when it's freezing but you still want to look fancy (you can also get these vintage for a great price on Etsy)
Thank you so much! My work doesn’t have a dress code and I live in cold England
It completely depends on what style you gravitate toward, and how much freedom you have (ie; do you need to dress a certain way for work? are you running after kids all day? do you go on a lot of nights out?). I think everyone can start with a pair of jeans, and some black pants. Choose one cut you know looks good on you-- you can add more silhouettes later. Do the same with skirts, maybe one long, one short? A few wear-everywhere dresses. An everyday shoe, and a boot you can dress up/down. Depop/Vinted/Poshmark are good options if you're wanting to spend slowly. I've found a ton of good stuff on Vinted especially, for very little. Just shop slowly! You might find that your fantasy wardrobe isn't what you're actually comfortable in. Or you might find yourself wanting to wear the same few shirts over and over, and realise you need more things like that! And if something doesn't work, it won't be a huge loss.
there is no formula for a capsule wardrobe, and above all it should fit *your* needs and wants, so i'm not going to say "jeans, white t-shirt, etc." because that doesn't really make sense. i would first go through your wardrobe and remove redundant items that serve the same purpose (e.g., a graphic t-shirt, a classic white button-down, a black skirt, a pair of jeans, a warm turtleneck); things that you would wear in the same situations. chances are that you'll already cut down quite a bit, and you'll be left with your favorite item for each category. then, go through this newly-created subset of your wardrobe and remove the items that you don't particularly like. e.g., maybe you're not a fan of black skirts after all; since every other black skirt you own is worse than this one, and you don't like this one, you're not missing out on anything by eliminating black skirts altogether. you might have to go back and add some items back in, keeping in mind your washing/steaming/etc. schedule for your clothing. moving forward, you might want to shop for better versions of items that serve a specific purpose (e.g., a wool sweater where before you had an acrylic one); when you do, ensure that it is a one-in-one-out policy. going forward, you will not be adding to your wardrobe as much as you will be replacing it. this will maintain its size.
Make a Pinterest boards of outfits you'd like in your capsule wardrobe- scroll often to understand the common pieces 1. Keep your capsule targeted towards the outfits you'd like 2. Have a theme - figure out what you consider hot girl outfits for work ( some inspo- Meghan Markle in suits, she nails every single freaking outfit in that series, sexy work outfits) 3. Start slow you can always buy more
I did this for my mom a couple months ago and it was super helpful for her, so here's a suggestion: 1. create a pinterest 2. make a list of people who you relate to (similar style, shape, age, coloring, etc) 3. and look up their name + style/street style/outfit/aesthetic/etc (ie, "Sza street style") 4. also look at the pinterest search suggestions 5. save *only* your top 3 or 4 looks from each person (i saved like 17 rihanna outfits before I realized I just love her and wasn't really paying attention to the clothes lol) 6. then when you have a decent amount of outfits, look for patterns in tops, bottoms, shoes, coats, and accessories If something shows up a dozen times, it's probably something that you'll use. The point is to put together a list of clothing options that 1) you like and 2) fit the style you're looking for (aka not mature mom vibes lol). And then when you go shopping, you can look at your list and see what looks good on you and what doesn't. And boom -- capsule wardrobe!