I used to be a fervent follower of fashion trends, and in order to get the most quantity out of my wallet, I’d diligently check out all sales or factory outlets that are worth visiting. Such habits were developed when I was as young as 14! As you can imagine, my wardrobe have expanded massively over the years.
Only up to recently, have I reflected on my purchasing habits, begin to take stock of what I have, and realise how many pieces of brand new, never worn clothing are still sitting around. Also, by chance, I have stumbled upon this article about “French chic” and the minimalist style. Reading on, I came to find out how the French managed to pull off everything they wear so effortlessly.
Basically, the article first illustrates how important it is to be able to define your personal style- be it sexy, sporty or elegant. Afterall, I’ve always talked about how the way you dress personifies all that is deep under your skin, or how you feel on a particular day. When you attempt to wear something that is so totally not you, it would appear as unnatural as slipping on a huge pretentious mask.
Another important thing the article has discussed was how quality pieces can compensate for the lack of quantity. Quality pieces are made with outstanding attention to details, to ensure that they look good and last for a long time. It makes the wearer more presentable. Take a jacket suit for example. A top-quality jacket suit makes you look sharp and professional, while a poorly-made one will make you look sloppy. I’d much rather have just one power-suit than to have a couple of poor quality ones so that I look smart all the time :)
Although not all cheap items are neccessarily bad, it is quite sensible to expect that quality do come with a price tag. After all, you can’t expect that a $5.00 shirt to be made from a comfortable fabric, with lasting hand-sewn buttons (unless you get really lucky at the sales!). A lady, whose blog I’ve been following for a while, justifies the heftier price tags of quality items by using the cost per wear method. Afterall, a shirt of superior fabric not only feels great on my skin, but will also probably last me over the years. Therefore, assuming that you don’t gain so much weight that it becomes an issue with buttoning up the shirt, you can expect low yearly “depreciation rate” on the shirt! Comparing that with a poor-quality item which requires frequent replacement, you do get a great deal out of it.
Coming down to the crux of the problem- I know you’re going to say that it’s going to be really boring to wear the same shirt to work everyday! How do we inject variety into our wardrobe then?
While the LBD (Little Black Dress), or that crisp white shirt can look plain on its own, we can play with statement fashion accessories and scarf to give these pieces character. For example, a LBD matched with pearl necklace exudes elegance, fit for attending formal dinners. When matched with statement accessories, they can be fun enough for shopping and high-tea with the girls. Perhaps, when matches with the right scarf, it becomes work-appropriate. During the colder months, it can be layered with the appropriate outer-wear to keep warm.
Here, I’m going to give a list of quality wardrobe staples that I’d personally keep:
1. LBD – make sure that the length is appropriate, so that it can double up on occasions where you’re required to dress conservatively eg. for work
2. White shirt – this can be worn for work and play, given that the right accessories are used to jazz it up
3. Black pencil skirt – I personally prefer pencil-skirt, but others may find that A-line skirts suit better
4. Basic tops in basic colours – eg. tee-shirts, tank tops, long-sleeved tops, quarter-sleeved tops. Again, you will be surprised by how easy it is to wear them on all occasions if you play it right with accessories like scarves etc
5. Pant suit & shirt suit – you can wear the bottoms seperately in summer, and the jackets look as nice when they’re worn with jeans during the colder months
6. Cardigan & coats - have the cardigans in at least black and white, and try to have 2 – 3 different styles of coats eg. leather jacket, trench coat, double-breasted…
7. Jeans / denim shorts / capri pants - buy these in a cut / length that flatters you. Although skinny jeans are fashionable, don’t buy or wear them if you feel really uncomfortable in them!
8. Scarves - buy quality cashmere or silk scarves which you can use to interchange with your outifts. I buy a mixture of cheap and high-end designer scarves to cater for different occassions.
9. Accessories - a girl in her 20s must know how to wear pearls! I also tend to think that a girl should buy herself a real “bling” at some stage in her life =) Other than that, statement accessories are important, and this is the only thing I’d care to buy a variety of them at compromised quality and cheap prices.
10. Handbags - personally, I’d forget about having 20 or 30 cheap handbags bought from the street markets of Bangkok or Bali. Rather, I think a girl should just have one or two (quality) designer handbag in her wardrobe. There’re a few classics offered by Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Hermes, which can last you through many many seasons, and even generations. At the moment, I’m almost done with my collection. Once I’ve gotten the “B” bag, I’d be a contented woman, and probably wouldn’t consider buying any more handbags (or so, I say, haha).


Two of my favourite bags in a timeless and classic style.
11. Footwear – you need to have at least five pairs of shoes- ballet flats, dressy sandals, boots, high heels, sneakers or sports shoes
Once you have built on your wardrobe staples, you should really aim not to buy more than 5 pieces of clothing/ accessory every season. Well, I’m sure the money spent on filling up the wardrobe can be put to better use! Things also get messy, when you have too much of them lying around.
Having learnt the real trick of mix-and-match, I’m now trying to stick to the timeless and minimalist style. This might very well proved to be economical and sensible! In a nutshell, it is always going to be style over fashion ;) I’ll be posting more examples on how I mix-and-match my basics in the time to come.
“Fashion fades, only style remains the same” – Coco Chanel