Right now, my closet looks like the wardrobe rack at an amateur theater company — bright, bedazzled, schizophrenic. As an avid thrift and vintage shopper, my dresser drawers overfloweth. Still, I seem to wear the same ten things again and again.
The clothes I buy on a whim always get the most play, and that got me wondering about other women’s wardrobe standbys. So I asked some stylish girlfriends about their basics.
Susan Wagner from The Working Closet
“My go-to item this summer has been the khaki City Mini from J. Crew.”
“It has an elastic “paperbag” waist that is perfect with a tank or tee and a skinny belt and a great A-line shape that makes my legs look thin (score!). I just bought the winter version, which is wool rather than cotton/linen, in bright dahlia, because it’s the perfect skirt and will go with everything I own and require no thought at all when I get dressed in the morning.”
Joanna Goddard from A Cup of Jo
“I’m obsessed with Emersonmade’s skinny jeans. They’re ridiculously flattering; honestly, they make me feel so sexy and shapely when I wear them.
“They’re super dark because they’re dyed with indigo. I wear them all the time, with T-shirts or blouses or sweaters.”
Katie Spence from Your New Favorite
“It is so very hot in Austin that mostly I wear skirts and dresses to keep things breezy. My favorite skirt this summer has been a chambray skirt that I got at Land’s End, but which is currently sold out.”
“However there is one on sale at Madewell that is almost identical. Lately I’ve been obsessed with natural fabrics, like cotton chambray and linen.”
Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day!
“These Gap slim crop pants in black. I can wear them with ballet flats or heels.”
“People dress up more here in Paris than in the US so these are my version of casual everyday pants.”
Rebecca Woolf from Girls’ Gone Child
Had to think about this because I don’t fit into any of my “usual” go tos (Ed note: Rebecca is currently 32 weeks pregnant with twins!), but last Fall it was this little corduroy half-jacket my friend Dani got for me at a thrift store:
(Ed note: If you want a crop jacket of your own, here are two to consider: 7 For Mankind Leather Crop, and a pattern for a simple cropped blazer.)
“My ‘go-to outfit’ is the dress + cardigan + booty + sock combo:”
Melissa Cotton from Poppy Cotton
“These are the most perfectly iconic ballet flats I have ever come across, and I have bought so many over the years looking for the perfect look and fit.”
“They are truly transformative to both my legs/feet and my outfit, quietly underscoring my entire fashion identity — classic and pulled together with a nod to the mid-century.”
Margaret Stewart from Fountly
“I have a dress I got this summer from Anthropologie that has proven to be the most versatile article of clothing I’ve ever owned. Seriously. I took it on a month long trip and wore it morning, noon, and (literally) night. Was great for sightseeing, casual or fancy meals, and (genius!) also an incredibly comfy nightgown.”
“Normally I shy from things without a waist; it’s my best feature! But in hot weather, it’s too binding to have a fitted anything! This thing was so damned comfy.”
Gabrielle Blair from Design Mom
“A scarf from J.Crew. It’s silk, but feels more like cotton, which I like.”
“It’s a warm pink and it has an almost florescent pink printed pattern. I picked it up on clearance last summer and I’ve worn it way too many days over the last year.”
(You can still find a couple of these babies on eBay, happy bidding.)
Interesting, right? Thanks, ladies!
Ok, team, now you. What’s your favorite item of clothing? If you have a link, all the better.
Mighty Girl 