"Must-have Basic Pieces to Keep You Covered from Season to Season"

Wardrobe Essentials

Wardrobe essentials are the building blocks to a solid and functional fashion style. Examples of wardrobe staples are the basic v-neck tee, little black dress and dark bluejeans. These garments can be worn with almost anything!

This page will give you a detailed checklist of the wardrobe basics any woman should own -- giving you an overview of what you need to buy to solidify your closet.

But before we start; how do you know if your wardrobe lack the essentials?

Here are the common tell-tale signs:

• You feel like you have nothing to wear despite your stuffed wardrobe 
• You tend to buy a lot of new clothes and accessories to keep your style going 
• When putting together outfits, it never seem to look good and you feel that there's something missing 

If you found one or more of those points familiar, then your wardrobe really needs to be tightened up with some trend-proofing!

So What Exactly Are "Wardrobe Essentials"?

They are:

• Trendproof - you can wear them on all occasions without sacrificing style. 
• Flexible - you can change the whole look of it by adding a couple of accessories. 
• Your wardrobe foundation - without them you'll end up feeling like you never have anything to wear. 
• Style savers - use it to tone down a dressy or an overly trendy outfit. 

Tops

Sweaters

Jackets

Coats

Dresses

Jeans

Pants

Skirts

Hosiery

Shoes

Bags

Belts

Scarves

Jewelry

How Wardrobe Essentials Work

Think of your wardrobe staples as blank canvas which you can build your outfits around on. If you wear a plain simple black dress, you can make it interesting from there with trendy jewelry and a pair of flashy shoes.

They're also your outfit fixers. You can use them to tone down a too trendy or flashy outfit! Like say, if you wore a ruffled striped shirt and would like to make it less flashy, you will need to pair it with a plain, essential cardigan or V-neck sweater.

You can never go wrong with plain staple pieces. They're classic pieces that never go out of style and go with absolutely everything.

All of the pieces I'm going to mention cover all occasions and weather situations. These are your basic, most essential wardrobe clothing and accessories. You just can't be without them.
The Wardrobe Essential-Checklist

Whether you're new to fashion or have a passion for fashion, throw the typical "10 essentials" to the curb and see what chic fashionistas see as the ultimate wardrobe and drawer essentials!

Tops:

• White button-down office shirt -- for work, interviews, looking sophisticated. Also works as layering over casual dresses. 
• Black V-neck t-shirt-- can be worn alone for casual wear or with accessories to create simple party looks. 
• Casual camis, tank tops and tees in solid neutral colors -- can be worn alone for summer or layering with other tops and sweaters. 
• Black dressy top -- if you need something dressy to wear, a black top will never fail you. It's flexible to accessorize and pair with just about everything. I recommend a black top with dressy details like ruffles, beutiful buttons, special fabric etc. 

Sweaters:

• Black high quality V-neck sweater -- the best ones are made of cashmere or high quality fine wool. Can be worn for work, school, family gatherings, leisure time, everything really! 
• Black cardigan -- your essential layering piece. The color goes with everything. 
• Black turtleneck -- same as V-neck sweater. Awesome to wear as a fall outfit. 
• Casual loose hoodie sweater -- for leisure time or when you're taking out the dog for a walk. 

Jackets:

• Leather -- many might disagree with me on this, but I recommend it. It gives that little edge to sugar-sweet outfits. A very casual jacket that goes with everything during fall and winter. 
• Denim -- a perfect companion to your sun dresses and summer months generally. 
• Windbreaker -- for leisure time. 
• Lightweight jacket -- for warmer months, like spring, summer and early fall. 
• Dress blazer -- excellent for office work and even casual outfits. I would buy one in black (or atleast in dark color) and one in a lighter color like white, cream or khaki 

Coats:

• Trenchcoat -- a classic must-own for spring and fall. 
• Parkas -- for leisure time during really cold winters 
• Wool coat -- great on all occasions during winter. Wear it to work, school, dates, everything! 
• Evening coat -- one in black is highly recommended as it goes with all kinds of party and dressy outfits. 
• Raincoat -- when it's rainy. Can't get our clothes wet, right? 

Pants:

• All-season dress pants in earthy colors -- great for office work and even shchool. 
• Wool dress pants -- classic pants for fall and winter outfits. 
• Dress pants in light colors -- fab as a part of an office work outfit during spring and summer. 
• Black evening dress pants -- for semi-formal occasions. An alterntive if you're not comfortable in a dress or skirt. I recommend pants in satin. 
• Lightweight linen pants -- for warmer months and for tropical or European summer vacations. 
• Sweatpants -- for work-out, taking out the trash, leisure time, etc. 

Dresses:

• Little black dress -- works with everything. Accessorize it for a more trendy and interesting outfit. 
• Evening dress -- a fancy, long dress that works for formal occasions 
• Casual dress -- for leisure time. 
• Office work dress -- for office work and semi-formal dinner parties. A plain solid colored dress (eg. shift dress), a bit on the conservative side (no cleavage) is your best bet. 
• Party dress -- for parties (duh). Try something that fancy and that flatters your best features to give you an extra confidence-boost. 
• Summer/sun dress -- you can't be without these feminine clothings during summer! For leisure time. 
• Cocktail dress -- for semi-formal occasions like birthdays, dinner with colleagues. 

Skirts:

• Black all-season office skirt -- for work, school, dates, semi-formal occasions. Works with absolute everything, even for summer. 
• White summer office skirt -- works for all summer occasions. 
• Casual summer skirts -- for leisure time. 
• Black day-to-night skirt -- for semi-formal occasions like dinner parties. 
• Denim skirt -- a summer must-own for casual events. 

Handbags:

• Casual handbag -- great for everything; work, school, leisure times etc. 
• Black work handbag -- works for office work and school 
• Cross over bag -- a small cross over purse bag is a good choice for wearing to the movies, dates, amusement parks, leisure time. 
• Travel bag -- a bigger bag than a regular casual handbag that carries your belongings for a weekend getaway. Ideal as a hand-carry when traveling. 
• Luggage -- a biiig luggage for vacations. 
• Evening purse in black and another one in a lighter color -- must-owns for special evening occasions for both fall/winter and spirng/summer. 

Belts:

• Wide belt in black and brown -- if you're an Apple shape go for solid dark colored belts. 

• Skinny belt in black and brown -- works on all shapes and goes with everything; work and casual outfits. You can wear it slung around your hips or around your waist to make a too-big shirt look like it fits. 
• Regular sized belt in black and brown -- essentials for holding up your pants. 

Scarves:

• Knit scarves -- comfy, chunky knit scarves in solid colors are must-haves for fall/winter 
• Fashion scarves -- for adding personality to your outfit, make sure you have a couple of scarves of your choice; colors, patterns, embellishments etc. Great for casual outfits. Pashmina is great option. 

Jeans:

• Dark blue or black jeans fitted jeans -- works with everything, except formal work environments 
• Casual jeans -- we all need a couple of jeans that we can wear (even "wreck") when we're hanging out with friends, relaxing or wear as a part of a cool outfit. 

Hosiery:

• Sheer pantyhose in nude and black -- must-owns for all occasions. 
• Black hold-up stockings -- again, they're for all occasions, especially sexy and fun ones. 
• Black fishnet pantyhose -- for parties and maybe Halloween? 
• Black wool tights -- for colder winter months and for adding a chic flair to a fall outfit. 
• Cozy socks -- for cozying up when you're at home. 
• Socks in white, black -- must-haves for absolutely everything. 

Shoes:

• White sneakers -- casual shoes that can be worn with everything. 
• Flats -- feminine yet casual flat shoes for everyday wear. 
• Black pumps -- when you want to swap up with diamond stud earrings. 
• Boots -- chic fall/winter essential. 
• Dress shoes -- for semi-formal to formal occasions. Eg. Weddings, huge birthday bash, etc. 
• Office shoes -- for work 
• Sandals -- in neautral colors like black, brown or white to match with your summer outfits. 

Jewelry:

• Diamond stud earrings -- a classic for special occasions. If your budget is tight, you can always go for Cubic Zirconia 
• Diamond pendant necklace -- goes hand in hand with the studded earrings. A clear crystal pendant is always recommended because of its versatility. 
• Pearl stud earrings -- when you want to swap up with diamond stud earrings 
• Pearl necklace -- matches the pearl earrings 
• Chandelier earrings -- for casual parties 
• Hoop earrings -- for everyday wear. 
• Gold or silver bracelet -- you might want to choose one that is simple in designand versatile. I personally like bangles or chain bracelet the best. 
• Cocktail ring -- for a simple personal statement. 

Now have in mind that the wardrobe essentials-checklist is just a minimum. Depending on your taste, style and location, add as many as you like! And for example, there are hundreds of different styles on "the Little Black dress". Choose the ones that appeal to you and most importantly, choose the ones that you are going to feel comfortable in. Nothing beats style with confidence ;)

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Fashion Inspiration

"Fashion Inspiration and Ideas to Ignite Your Sense of Style"

Here you'll find fashion inspiration and fashion tips that will freshen up your outfits and inspire you to express yourself even more with clothes and and accessories. You'll discover the best of differentfashion styles and chic fashion, everything from boho to vintage, french, to global street fashion (it's exciting to see what fashionistas on the other side of the world are wearing!).

Tip: 

Details can easily create different looks and it's affordable! Invest more in fashion jewelry andaccessories. You get the best bang for your buck.

Chic Fashion Inspiration -- Different Fashion Styles and Looks

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How to Find& Define Your Personal Style	French Fashion Style Tips for Women	Classic Style Tips - á la Chanel	How to Achieve Bohemian Fashion Style
Street Fashion: Inspiration from the Streets	Eco Friendly Clothing and Fashion	Chic 1980s Fashion and Inspiration	Stylish 1970s Fashion and Inspiration

How to Achieve a Unique Personal Style

The trick to achieving a unique style that is all you is to combine elements from different fashion styles. However, keep in mind that if you want to look chic you need to whip up a 50/50 combo of basic and trendy pieces to keep your outfit balanced (ex. avoid going all bohemian from top to toe. So make sure you've already secured the wardrobe essentials first before you start shopping for trends that are likely to fade in a couple of months. 

Timeless Fashion Styles

Ashley Olsen via InStyle

French fashion is one of the chic'est look you can achieve. Chic fashion is highly influenced by the French - the sole founders of style: Smart, timeless and sophisticated style! It's classy but a bit sassy.

It's not difficult to look like you came out from the streets of Paris -- achieving a French fashion style is to mix wardrobe staples and self-confidence!

Bohemian fashion is my personal favorite when it comes to style, so that's why I want to share some of my tricks and tips on how to achieve a modern boho-chic look. Looking chic is never stiff, it's free-flowing and effortless. I especially love howbohemian style clothing looks so casual yet pretty a bit exotic.

One of the best ways to elevate your personal style is to make it look interesting by adding a bit of vintage fashion. Somewhere in the baskets and racks of mothball-smelling grandma skirts and scarves lies a perfect jewel waiting to connect with your style persona. You'll find vintage clothingalmost everywhere. Vintage fashion ranges from the early 1900's to 1990's so you might find something that will work for you. I think my tips on adding vintage to your style and how to buy vintage clothes online and offline will help you get started.

For a fresh look try seeking fashion inspiration from the streets in metropolitan cities like Paris, Barcelona, Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong etc.

Note: "Street fashion? As in gangster..??"

Ha ha. Of course not. It's just a cool way of saying fashion from around the globe. As in fashion by people on the street.

And why not add some eco friendly clothing to your wardrobe as well? It's a great way to wear clothes without draining our earth's natural resources. Now I'm not going to dress like hippie and start chanting:"Save our earth" and preach about being one of earth's children. I'm just saying that it's the small things that counts that can make a difference in our nature's and environment's health. How about start using a reusable shopping bag when picking up groceries? It's the least we can do if you don't want to invest in a new wardrobe of organic made clothes.

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Personal Fashion Style

Your Guide to Creating Your Own Unique Personal Style

Let me begin by saying that finding your personal fashion style is really, reaallly about getting to know yourself. It's about being confident in who you are! Creating your own personal style is the art of combining your taste, lifestyle, interests, desires, inspirations, aspirations and history together as one and let it shine through.

Improving your fashion style is a part of the self-development process that helps you achieve a sense of the confidence and comfort in the person you are. Often this self-acceptance will radiate through the way you dress and attract the same admirations clothes-horses like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe are (still) getting.

Their trick? Well, they knew that they didn't need to have a certain look to look good. Instead, they accentuated their individuality.

Marilyn Monroe had the curves and personality to create that feminine, sexy image which she was known for. Imagine if we put her signature halter dress on slim-trim sporty and sophisticated Audrey Hepburn? Uh-uh, big mistake. That would emphasize her thin arms and enhance her boyish shape. Imagine how out of place she would feel! Audrey's straight, minimal tee shirt and pants on Marilyn? Don't get me started ;-)

See why some trends and clothing styles you see in magazines just don't look good on some people?

Together we're going to help you find and evolve your own personal fashion style. We're going to take a look at different clothing personalities, help you identify yours and enhance to create something unique and completely you :-)

So What Exactly Is A Clothing Personality?

It's your head-embedded tendency to instinctively choose particular type ofclothes. This natural tendency will 99.9% of the time match with your true inner self. But why do we all keep making mistakes? That's because of the influences surrounding you (it could be a parent, a group of friends, social position, career path, etc.) - this basically means that you're not quite 'in-tune' with your preferences.Together we're going to do some 'fine-tuning' between your wardrobe and self!

Topics and Fashion Advice on Personal Fashion Style

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Closet Organizing Step-by-Step Guide

"Effective Method on How to Organize Closet"

If you've never done any closet organizing before, you might feel as you don't know how or where to start. That's why having a complete, guided method is important to make the organizing successful and to stick.

Organizing your closet might sound like an awful lot of work, but believe me honey, it is the essential step to liberating yourself from a messywardrobe and the classic nothing-to-wear-syndrom!

I want to introduce you to theorganizing method called S-P-A-C-E which was developed by Julie Morgenstern who is a veteran in the organizing industry.

The SPACE model gives you an easy-peasy reminder for how to organize your closet in 5 systematic steps:

1. Sort 
2. Purge 
3. Assess 
4. Containerize 
5. Equalize 

You can also use this method for every room in your house.

So to make closet organizing work for you, I (and Julie Morgenstern) suggest you to follow these 5 steps:

Closet Organizing Step 1: Sort

In this step you'll be simply amazed by how much junk and treasures have been lying in the back of your wardrobe without you realizing it, and of course the items you'll be re-discovering because you completely forgot about them and have missing for quite a while. For me, this is usually one of the emotional steps in the SPACE method because you'll fall inlove again with items and reunite with lost garments, he he :-) Get absolutely everything out of your closet, drawers and racks and sort them by clothing type. For example: pants, jeans, shorts, skirts, etc.  Start sorting the contents of your drawers first and move on to your closet, racks, etc. Tip: Emptying the closets gives you a great opportunity to clean your closet, so take advantage of this moment and hit the vacuum cleaner before you put all of your clothes back in.

Closet Organizing Step 2: Purge

Now this one's a toughy because you'll have to make lots of decisions. You probably also have to try on clothes that you're not sure you need or fits you. Dedicate at least 2-3 hours of un-interrupted time for this step. Go through everything that you took out and decide if you want to toss or keep it.  With all the clothes and accessories sorted in your room, create 6 piles: Keepers pile: Items you wear daily, need and look good on you. Like wardrobe essentials such as perfectly fitted tees, sweaters, jeans, pants, jackets, etc. Charity pile: What-were-you-thinking and grown-out-of-it clothes (outdated styles, wrong sizes, etc.) that are in good condition. Stuff that you don't want anymore but would like to give to charity or others who might like the garments. Tailoring pile: Clothes you want to keep that need a little maintenance, like torn linings, hanging hems, open seams, missing buttons, broken zippers, etc. It could also be items you want to re-invent (like changing the buttons). Dry cleaning and to-be stored pile: This pile includes anything you don't need right now in this season (there really is no space for super-chunky knit sweaters when it's blazing hot outside), which I usually group in two: warmer months (Spring and Summer), colder months (Fall & Winter). To maintain the fabric and material of these items, take the time to clean everything (that's why they call itSpring cleaning! ;-) ) Trash pile: Anything that has holes in it and that you don't want the world to see on you or anyone else. It also includes items that are broken and can't be fixed, like bras that are stretched and sprung, garments that have been stained, chlorine-bleached swimsuits, etc. Time capsule pile: There are at least a couple of things you justcan't be asked to part with, which you should place in a dedicated a space for sentiments. With me, I usually cop my taekwondo outfit and Mickey D job uniform from my early teens.

Closet Organizing Step 3: Assess

In this step you'll have to evaluate and analyze what is needed to containarize the garments. You basically plan each clothing category a home where it should live permanently. Start with understanding your own space limitations and find ways to organize the garments based on this information.  Ask yourself:
• How much storage do you need and have?
• What are you planning to put in each organizer (main closet, drawer, racks, etc.)?
• What kind of storage and organizers are needed for your clothes and accessories? Open-view or closed storage? Do you have to build a closet organizer system? (walk in or closet system, type of drawer organizers, jewelry organizers,clear shoe boxes, etc.) Research the options.

Closet Organizing Step 4: Containerize

Jewelry rack from Stacksandstacks

You should now have some ideas for your garments and what kind ofstorage or containers you need. With the completed assessment in step 3, it's time to finalize a list and go shopping!  After purchasing what's on your shopping list, put the items together and keep them separated from the other groups. Remember to measure the space first before you buy the containers, organizers and furniture.  When placing everything in place, start by separating Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter clothes from each other. Tip: I would suggest that you group each season by item and then finally by color. I think it's the most effective system to build and maintain because it's the best way to keep an overview of your closet inventory. In this way you can take follow of what you wear the most and what's getting worn out.

Closet Organizing Step 5: Equalize

Bed risers from Stacksandstacks

This usually means that you should evaluate what is working and what is not working and then re-adjust the areas that aren't working. Try to find out why that area got disorganized again. Don't know what's in the containers and organizers? Label them!  Not enough space for all of your clothes, leaving the clothes outside of your designated space? Create more space by finding practical ways to compress your items (like for example, under the bed storage, extra closet in the bathroom, bed risers, etc.) You get my idea. It's important to come up with a plan to stay on track. Your closet organizing system still need maintenance throughout the year.

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