With good basics you’ll have endless options. This adage offers such promise and potential — a panacea for our fashion woes! — it’s no wonder lists of wardrobe essentials for women are constantly defined and redefined. The French, apparently, are masters of the basics; it’s often said that French women have just five wardrobe essentials from which they can summon a panoply of looks.
This seemingly inherent talent of French women is debatable if not impossible, but the fact remains that having a few essential wardrobe pieces certainly makes life easier when it comes to pulling together a look in which you feel comfortable…and stylish. A little black dress, a pair of heels, a blazer — these are some commonly cited wardrobe must-haves. And we’ve found a few more items you might want to consider, or reconsider.
A little black dress
Henry Ford famously said of his Model T car that it was available in any colour, so long as that was black. The stylish ubiquity of black also had a keen admirer in Coco Chanel. When in 1926 she designed the little black dress it was lauded as the Ford Model T of fashion. In an age of ostentation and decadence, the little black dress came as a refreshing change, offering women a chic yet simple alternative and thus becoming one of the essential wardrobe pieces for decades.
The day-to-evening potential of the little black dress makes it a perennial favourite. Roksanda dresses, with their drop waists and androgynous silhouettes, reference Chanel and the flapper era. The LBD from Alexander Wang branches off in the other direction, incorporating button details and designs from shirt dresses, showing us why the little black dress will always be one of the wardrobe essentials for women: No matter how it’s recast, it always makes sense.
A pair of pumps
Long scorned for their perceived impracticality and consigned firmly to the evening wear department, heels are now very much a wear-anytime, go-anywhere wardrobe must-have. Dues for this upgraded status should go in part to Carrie Bradshaw, who skittered around New York for six seasons in a revolving gallery of heels. Pairing heels with everything from ripped jeans to cocktail dresses, Carrie demonstrated the true versatility of the pump.
It’s hard to go past Jimmy Choo for a classic heel that will always be in style. Renowned for streamlined, simple designs stripped of extraneous detail, Choo heels are a worthy complement to any outfit. Treading another path entirely are Charlotte Olympia pumps showcasing odd and wonderful detailing, from smiling cats faces to lassos and cowboy-inspired designs. A favourite of French photographer Garance Doré, Olympia pumps are the ideal way to add character to an outfit.
Heeled boots
It’s their seamless ability to enhance or alter an outfit that make heeled boots one of the wardrobe essentials for women, whether it’s to finish a buttoned-down winter ensemble with some elegant but nevertheless weather-appropriate footwear, or to add a boho element to a light, summery look.
Boots from Stuart Weitzman offer options on the sleek and elegant side of the spectrum. They are rendered in suede or glossy leather designs free of any adornment, which equals versatility which equals, you guessed it, another one of the must-have wardrobe fashion staples. At the other end, Dsquared2 heeled boots revel in playful and urbane details. Some boots carry stark, utilitarian buckles, while others are adorned in imaginative and otherworldly jungle prints.
A blazer
Slip on a smart blazer and a sense of confidence and power ensues. It’s the super hero wardrobe must-have. Ever since Chanel decided to tailor men’s tweed blazers for women and Christian Dior boldly made them a womenswear essential in his New Look range, the blazer has seldom disappeared from style, going through Audrey Hepburn-style collarless designs to shoulder-pad laden 80s looks.
Able to seamlessly transition from office to evening, the blazer has you covered for most style eventualities. As any Saville Row expert will tell you, the key to a great blazer is tailoring. Subtly resplendent in exquisite cuts and tapered, feminine silhouettes, the Rick Owens line of classic blazers carries the designer’s pedigree from his time designing suits for men.
The white shirt
Another look borrowed from the boys — this time almost literally! Long-time favourite of fashion bloggers and editors Giovanna Battaglia and Anna Dello Russo, to name just two, the white shirt is one of the true women's wardrobe essentials.
Go for the boyfriend look by choosing a size or two above your usual and enjoy the way it billows and flows in the wind or bring it under control by tying it at the front or cinching with a belt. The long-line designs and flared sleeves from Alyx are a feminine update on the boyfriend look. Italian tailoring house Brunello Cucinelli offers something a little more understated, applying its skills from menswear to produce a line of exquisitely tailored shirts for women.