How to build a wardrobe

Simple combinations that work...

A reader wrote in to me this week asking for some advice. ‘I became a mother 5 months ago and no longer know how to dress,’ she began. ‘Nothing I own makes any sense to me.’ 

I think most women have come to this juncture at some point in their life: you open your wardrobe, look at the bubblegum pink dress you bought on a whim because someone with a completely different lifestyle looked good in it on Instagram (what? Just me?) before raging into your pants drawer: “WHO EVEN AM I ANYMORE?!’

’Practically speaking…’ she continued. ‘How does one put together a new wardrobe? Where does one find inspiration and how much should I spend?’ 

So, I am going to attempt to answer that here. I won’t say these are the absolute rules to assembling a wardrobe that will guarantee you look chic 365 days of the year, BUT it will go a some way to helping.

My own wardrobe has pretty much stayed the same for the last 30 years of my life- give or take a few bubble-gum pink dress here and there. And the women whose styles I admire - simple, carefree dressers who reside in the beige/navy colour wheels, have pretty much remained the same too. Of course ‘chic’ is a subjective term and one woman’s head-to-toe camel cashmere is another woman’s idea of tasteful hell. 

I’ve also just returned from 4 days away in Paris where my capsule wardrobe has been put through its paces- meetings, lunches, important dinners…It fitted neatly into a small carry on, and honestly, if I only had this wardrobe for the rest of my days I think it would past muster in most situations.

So here goes…