Wardrobe Staples for Business Woman

Ladies, assume that 1) you work in an industry that requires business attire or business casual, 2) every morning you have only two minutes to pull out something from your closet and get dressed, and 3) you want to look professional and neat. How are you going to build an efficient wardrobe from scratch to minimize your daily morning headache? By "efficient", I mean hustle-free, budget-friendly, and space-economic. The last element is especially important for those who live in tiny Manhattan apartments. We need the ability to mix & match and create as many outfits from limited pieces as possible. How can we achieve this and avoid the common always-one-piece-short syndrome?

The lesson I learned from my experience is: stay with basics and play with colors. I find that simple classic streamlined styles usually go a long way and tend to mix easily with each other. The combination has no limit. On the other hand, I'd like to use colors to break the routine and add some personality to the outfit. Neutral hues are classic and nice. I simply cannot live in a colorless world every day.

Today I'm going to use JCrew's website to show how I would start a closet for my business life from scratch. The reason I picked JCrew is that they offer a lot of classic pieces in all colors that may last for many years. Also their sales prices could be incredible for that cut and material. I'm not affiliated with JCrew and I believe there are many other brands that fall into your budget range, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Club Monaco, Zara, Theory, DVF, to name a few. I receive JCrew catalog every month and personally own quite a few pieces (sometimes several colors in the same/similar style). This is the brand I'm familiar with. So I will use it for illustration purpose.

Shirts. Honestly I do not own any JCrew shirts due to the fit. I find 00 too tight in the chest and 0 too loose in the waist. So I cannot give any personal recommendations on their shirts. That said, I'd suggest to stay with simple styles like this one. Get a couple of crisp cotton ones in different colors. The brand doesn't matter; what matters is the fit. You want neither a peek-a-boo in the chest nor hanging extra fabric in the waist. Meanwhile you may want to get a couple in silk and/or in patterns (like stripes, dots, or small floral prints). JCrew silk shirts are a little on the flimsy side, but the patterned ones could be interesting, especially if you plan to layer it under solid color sweaters, cardigans, or jackets. Fancy tops like this one should be introduced only after you have a decent collection of basics. They are nice, but not in urgent need.

Tees. As I said in my previous post, perfect-fit ballet button tee is my favorite. I simply love its material. I also have perfect-fit in tanks and long sleeves. They make nice layering pieces under almost everything: no bulging, no see-through, and curve-friendly. I will stay away from the "vintage cotton" series. The material is flimsy and semi see-through. I don't think it will stand many washes. Honestly even without a single wash, I'm afraid that it may rip any time any where.    

Sweaters and cardigans. I own several Tippi sweaters. It's semi fitted. I can either wear it alone or over a collared shirt. I like its preppy style, wide color selection, and of course, nice sales price. For cardigans, both Jackie cardigan and Tippie cardigan can do the job. They go nicely with both pants and dresses. Get them in multiple colors if you tend to wear a lot of cardigans at work. If you prefer longer styles, this long cardigan is also very versatile. In summer, long cardigan + hot shorts makes a nice effortless yet sexy weekend look.

Skirts. A well-fitted pencil skirt is the killer in office, IMHO. Polished, feminine and sharp. For me, No. 2 pencil skirt is a must-have. I have multiple in double serge wool and all colors. -- I will avoid any pencil skirts in cotton or linen. They wrinkle easily and look miserable by lunch time. -- After that, get it in prints. I can't tell you how much I'm in love with this one. When is the next JCrew sales? Anyone?

Dresses. Emmaleigh dress, Gwen dress or Bridget dress is the first dress I would add to my closet. In fact, I already have three Emmaleigh, one Gwen and one Bridget. Those styles are so simple that people won't notice that you are wearing the same style in different colors! That makes mix-match effortless. This short sleeved number is not bad either. I have it in grey. You may gradually add scallops, laces, pipes, color blocks, or fancy sleeves into your collection after you've done with the basics, but don't go overboard. These fancy styles go in and out of fashion pretty quickly. And the even sadder truth is, you may change your heart even faster.

Blazers. Start with solid conservative color and quality materials, like this Schoolboy jacket. Build a decent collection with different colors, length and material. I have four (in wool & velvet, short & long, and different colors). Don't splurge on fancy ones like this until you're done with your basics. They may be stylish, but could appear too loud in some occasions. You may have one or two fancy pieces for fun, but they are not wardrobe staples we are discussing here.

Pants. Oh, I don't have any pants from JCrew either. Black, grey, beige. Wide leg, straight leg, slim leg. There is really not much to write about. A pair of nice fitted pant goes a long way, and it may come from any brand.

OK. That's all I have. "That's really boring!" You may scream. No one says no. But that's just a starting point. Over time you will add more interesting items to it. Meanwhile, use accessories to spice up!

The picture was taken in 2012 when I got this new pencil skirt. Both the top and the pencil skirt are from JCrew. And, yes! This is the same pencil skirt I used in my previous post. See how much relief you may get from a nice pencil skirt? Just in case you are interested, the top is called Painter Boatneck Tee. Nice fit and material. But I won't buy more since the buttons on the shoulder won't stay closed.

Finally, it may be a good idea to find a professional tailor in your neighborhood. I always go to the tailor to have waist taken in and sleeve shortened if needed. See how I pulled the pencil skirt from behind in the picture? I took it to the tailor and fixed the waist the next day. I think at least 50% of my professional look comes from the tailor, not the manufacturer. :)