The best basic garments when you don’t have time to shop around

Once you begin to understand the value and grandeur of owning a top-notch basic wardrobe, there’s no turning back. You’ll soon realise that your life can be filled with far more style, yet often with far fewer garments and knickknacks cluttering up your closet. Put simply, the fundamental idea of the basic wardrobe is the principle that “less is more”, and the rule of thumb is to avoid making things more complicated than they need to be. In short, basic garments are clothes that both work well together and form a neutral, useful canvas for incorporating other, more distinctive garments. Below we highlight four elements of the basic wardrobe that you can easily and quickly incorporate into your life.

JACKETS

Of course, it’s impossible for us to say what type of jacket you should invest in, but what you should think about is how you actually live your life. After that, the choice of jacket or jackets becomes much easier, and your jacket will also be much more enjoyable to wear when it suits your everyday life. But here’s a tip that applies for virtually everyone: You should own at least one jacket that withstands rain, one that can withstand freezing temperatures, and one slightly thinner model.

KNITTED JUMPERS

You should own at least a few knitted jumpers in different colours that work well with everything else in your wardrobe. You should also decide on which materials are best for your jumpers. At minimum, we advise owning a cashmere jumper in any colour, a round-necked wool jumper, and a rollneck. This gives you a good starting point from which to pick and choose when putting together an outfit.

JEANS

These garments need no further introduction, other than to note that jeans are crucial components of your basic wardrobe. When it comes to which washes or colours you should choose, here again you should allow personal taste to be your guide and revisit your existing wardrobe to see which colours dominate there.

BELTS

No matter what you might think, it’s always nice to be able to pair your shoes, or other clothing, with a belt. That’s why we recommend that you own at least two - one in black and one in brown leather.

SHOES

When it comes to shoes, many basic wardrobe guides mention that you “must” own a pair of black Oxfords. These are probably the most formal shoes you can own, and unless you have a very formal wardrobe, you’re likely to have far more use for a pair of brown derbies or regular white sneakers. For most wearers, a pair of black loafers will be a much more useful choice.