Are you looking to rebuild your wardrobe? Or are you thinking of a closet clear out or upgrading your existing style essentials and want to actually shop for clothes and shoes that are timeless and you can wear year after year? This post is your wardrobe essential checklist for stylish and timeless outfit all year round with 32 items to always have in your wardrobe.
*This post is all bout the classic wardrobe essentials for women to wear all year round.
2023 is right at our door steps and most of us want to start the year with a fresh set of mind and a great wardrobe full of clothes that will bring our best foot forward. You must be thinking of doing a great closet clear out, or thinking of upgrading some of your essentials. This checklist will help you know what you are missing from your closet instead of mindless shopping.
32 Wardrobe Essentials For Women
Why are wardrobe essentials important and why should you care?
Style is just not just for looking cute or fancy. Looking presentable and dressing appropriately is key to feeling confident about tackling your day. Sometimes, when you don’t have the right clothes or you are not comfortable the way you have dressed, that could affect your mood, posture and your approach to the day.
These wardrobe essentials make it easy to get ready in the morning by not wasting time on what should you wear or what to pair something with. This is one of the biggest problems these wardrobe essentials aim to fix in your daily style.
And if you find the right style and size of these essentials for your body type, they will also make you look flattering in whatever you wear.
Wardrobe Essentials For 30 Year Old Woman
Your Go To T shirts
Crewneck T shirts look put together and sophisticated compared to V neck t shirts. Whether you have a fuller chest or you are skinny, this neckline looks great on all body type. A crew neck t shirt elevates your casual outfit.
So whether you are wearing it in summer with shorts, skirts or casual linen pants, you look chic and put together. Or if you want to wear it with jeans or layer under a cardigan for fall and winter, your outfits still look chic and put together.
This is an all year round essential that will help you look nice even when you are in a hurry and want to get ready quickly.
Checkout our round up of the best white crewneck T shirts that are comfortable and elevated.
A Classic Shirt
Button down shirts are not just for work, it looks so chic and can elevate your casual everyday outfit. This piece of clothing does not get as much love as it should. And a good tailored shirt can make you look structured even when you don’t feel that way.
Whenever I want to dress nice, its a go to piece in my clothing. A classic never fail outfit is a a classic white button down shirt and blue jeans. And it looks flattering on everyone.
If you are picking button down shirt styles, a white tailored button down and black silk shirt will be key to versatile style.
While a white button down shirt would be great for day time outfits, a good quality black silk shirt would be great for night time looks as well. But you can also wear it during the day with casual bottom to look chic and laid back.
Checkout the best white button down shirts that are classy and comfortable.
The Versatile Sweater
Crewneck sweaters are another essential that are versatile and also look good on all of us. For fall and winter these become an essential for layering or wearing it by itself if you are indoors. I like the neck stitching detail of these styles of sweaters. So, even if you are not wearing any necklace, you still look nice and put together.
If you pick a relaxed fit crewneck sweater, it will look flattering and you can also layer it on top of shirts or blouses to create more looks. Isn’t that a genius way of getting more wear out of a clothing item.
You can wear it with a pair of jeans or skirts for fall or layer it with coats and jackets as it gets chillier. Crewneck sweater is timeless and effortless to style.
If you want to only buy a few of the crewneck sweaters, pick a black crewneck sweater that looks great with black and even colored bottoms and is really easy to style. And I would also pick a neutral color like blush tone, navy or even nude color that suits your skin tone or a color that you love to wear a lot.
This will also help you get a lot of wear out of the sweater. Find out what are the best sweater styles every woman should own.
The Perfect Turtleneck
A turtleneck sweater looks so chic and sophisticated on every woman. Its the ultimate power outfit essentials and will also keep you cozy in extreme cold weather. Cashmere is also a durable material that will last for a long time, if you are taking correct care for it. And they look brand new every time. Some of my cashmeres are more than 5 years old and I still wear them.
A turtleneck also has a way of hiding all our flaws. If you are conscious of a double chin, a turtleneck will hide it. This was a genius piece of clothing invented actually.
You can layer it with other knitwear and jackets for fall and thicker coats and puffer for winter. Check out our 10 best black cashmere turtleneck sweater roundup.
7. Black Cashmere Turtleneck
Versatile Layering
Cardigans don’t have to be long all the time, short cardigans are versatile and great layering essential for any season. Whenever you have doubts of what to layer with your clothes, cardigans can help easily. But you can also wear them by themselves as a top. This gets you more wear out of them.
V neck usually feels laid back and casual, but button details of the cardigan adds more detail to your outfit and elevates it. Cardigans are also really easy to wear as well. Whether you want to wear it with jeans or you want to wear it with skirts, it looks chic and yet not too dressed up. Here is a round up 50 of the best cardigans under $100.
This is where you can also have fun. If you don’t want a basic shade, pick a color that you love wearing all year round. Choose a lightweight cardigan for spring and fall. And a thicker V neck cardigan for Winter season.
Oversized Sweater
If you wear leather leggings or you are a general leggings fan, a tunic sweater will become your go to top to wear with them. You can simply throw a tunic oversized sweater with leggings and add some boots and you are ready to tackle the whole day.
Leggings are comfortable but some of us feel hesitant to show our midriff then the long length of the sweater will help hide that area and make you feel confident in wearing leggings. The oversized fit is a great contrast to the fitted style of the leggings, and by creating this proportion contrast, your outfits look chic and effortless.
You can easily layer something underneath the oversized sweater for more warmth in extreme winter.
10. Oversized Tunic Sweater
Your Everyday Jeans
If you have been on Pink April Diary before, you know how much of a fan I am of these jeans. They are so flattering on my straight body type without actually making me look straight. Its all about finding the right denim that could elevate your outfits. And these are an essential in every modern woman’s wardrobe.
Do you have a little belly pouch that looks way bigger when you wear skinny jeans, then try straight leg jeans. My favorites are Levis Ribcage straight leg jeans, but I have listed 10 of the best fit straight leg jeans that will look great on your medium size figure without making you conscious of that belly pouch.
I would recommend owning a pair of blue and black straight leg jeans and you will be literally wearing them all year round.
Elevated Pants
Leather pants are the best special occasion bottoms that will give you comfort and style without any effort. Just swap your favorite denim with leather pants and see how your outfit transforms from looking basic to elevated. This becomes my go to bottom for impromptu date nights and brunches where I want to look nice but dont know what to wear.
No matter whether you wear t shirt or shirts or sweaters, these bottoms look chic and stylish. While leather pants can be rigid and uncomfortable, faux leather and vegan leather pants look chic and are comfortable too. They are also easy to care for.
But when you are choosing a good quality faux leather, picking a non shiny one, will make them look like real leather and your outfit will look much more expensive.
13. Black Faux Leather Pants
The Skinny Jeans Alternative
These are not skinny jeans. Yes you heard it right. Skinny jeans no matter how popular used to always feel like a hard work to put on and get out of. They almost looked like leggings with zippers. But these narrow leg jeans are more comfortable and have a narrow leg style. So they still give you the appearance of skinny jeans without being skin tight.
These jeans are usually not so flexible, so they don’t loose their shape when you regularly wear them. They also give you a structured shape and you can wear them with ankle boots as well tall boots in winter.
So, if you are wondering what to do now that skinny jeans are out of style, wear these instead and you would not have to rethink your entire wardrobe now.
In terms of colors, instead of picking a black narrow leg jeans, pick a white one. You can wear them all year round to create chic and casual outfits. In winter you can pair them with tall boots to create stylish winter everyday looks that are so easy to put together.
Most Versatile Midi Skirt
Pleated midi skirts looks so chic and are great for creating the hour glass figure without a lot of structure. Here is a trick I use to make a pleated skirt fuller, I always go a size up. You can always get the waist altered to fit your style, but you cannot make a tighter waist loose.
You can wear a pleated midi skirt for work, everyday wear, special occasions like parties and also for travel. But why am I stressing midi length?
Skirt below the knee is really comfortable to wear, you don’t have to worry about it riding up when you are sitting down, so you are always comfortable. Midi skirt length also ads more waist definition because of the way it falls and looks flattering on all of us.
The two essential pleated midi skirts to have in your closet are a black faux leather one and a printed one.
the black faux leather one is a versatile basic that you can use to create different outfits for different occasions. And a printed one can brighten up and change you skirt outfit.
Elevated Denim Essential
Whether you are skinny, straight figure or have an hour glass body type, wide leg jeans look great on every one. They instantly dress up your outfit. For me black wide leg jeans are an essential because they look so stylish and create an hour glass shape because of the wider leg style.
They are also really easy to style with. You can pair them with casual t shirts or structured button down shirts, they look good with everything. You can wear all your favorite shoes from summer to winter. because of the wide leg style you can also wear tall boots with them.
A black wide leg jeans will never go out of style, so you can swap out tops every year to create new looks.
18. Black Wide Leg Jeans
A Go To Trouser
Trousers have made a huge come back this year and for all the good reasons. They look structured and fantastic with everything. Whether you are headed to the airport or just getting coffee, you can count on these really comfortable yet stylish clothing item to elevate your outfits.
You can wear them with sneakers, or you can create a chic date night look by adding cute heels. And since the style is so timeless, you can count on them never getting out of style.
19. Black Trousers
Must Have Leggings
These are no brainer essentials for all year round. Whether you are lounging at home or headed somewhere you can always count on them. Pair them with a long shirt or add a trench coat to create a chic street style look. If you are legging person, then these are the perfect upgrades that will add an extra put together touch to your everyday looks.
You can find tones of outfit inspiration to help you figure out what to wear with faux leather leggings in this blog. You can also dress it up and create party outfits, date night looks.
Spanx faux leather leggings are one of my go to leggings and even though they have been here for a while now, they are just not going anywhere.
20. Black Faux Leather Leggings
Tailored Layer
Structured wool coats can do wonders to your outfits. And these are not just for work, you can wear them with your everyday outfit to create and effortless structured outfit. Running late to somewhere and don’t know what to wear, just add these with your casual outfits, even with joggers and see how your instantly look stylish.
Most structured wool coat have collar details and buttons that created a tailored look. the design is so timeless that you will be wearing them year after year without ever going out of style.
If you are starting out with structured coats, start with a black and while tailored wool coat. You will get a lot of wear out of them, so the money you spend is well worth it.
Leather Jacket
This is where instead of picking up a faux leather version, I want you to actually invite in a good quality real leather jacket that is not too tight and you can wear with t shirts, tank tops and even thick sweaters.
Yes, the biggest mistake most women make when buying a leather jacket is they always buy with just one Biker style look with t shirt, jeans and boots. Well if you only buy for one look, you will always end up with getting one look out of it.
Pick a size that fits you well when you layer it with knitwear so that you can actually wear them all year round. This means size up when you feel like the jacket might be really fitted.
I recently bought a black leather jacket from Reiss and cannot be more grateful for it. I still wear it with thick sweaters in winter because it is relaxed fit yet looks cool.
But if you are not a fan of leather, BlankNYC faux leather jacket is great value for money.
23. Black Leather Jacket
Your Everyday Blazer
Blazers have now replaced denim jackets. They are stylish sophisticated and they no longer need to look extremely structured. You can find oversized ones or relaxed fit yet structured button blazers that look chic and stylish.
You can wear them all year round by using them as a third layer or adding more layers to them. They just look great on anyone. If you are trying to upgrade your existing one or starting out, a black and a plaid wool blazer would be essential for you all year round.
A black blazer does not have to be fitted. You can pick a relaxed fit one, and wear it with T shirt dress or jeans and look put together instantly.
A plaid blazer is perfect for fall and winter where most of your looks become solid color. The pattern will help create variety in your looks and will also make you look sophisticated.
The Coatigan
Coatigan is the new cardigan. It has a structured hence the coat, but they are free flowing like cardigans. They are the perfect hybrid of structure and comfort. If you are looking for a layering piece that you can just through on your athleisure outfit or work from home outfit, then this is it.
They look great on everyone and are so easy to style. But because of their structured design, you don’t have to swap them every year. You can easily wear them year after year.
More and more brands have been launching their versions of coatigan this year than I have seen previously which tells you these timeless essentials are here to stay.
26. Coatigan
Your Go To Puffers
Puffers are an essential for winter weather and rain as well. They protect you from the element, but they can also elevate your outfit and comfortable.
When it comes to the styles of puffers, I prefer a good puffer jacket and a good belted puffer coat.
A puffer jacket has to fall just on your hips or can be a bit crop too. They would look great with jeans and trousers. When it comes to the style, I prefer a good black puffer jacket that does not have any logos or prints, so it looks timeless and you can pair it with your everyday clothes and not just store it for ski trip.
A belted puffer coat will give you the waist definition instead of a regular puffer coat since they are usually bulkier and will make you look bigger. The belt creates a waistline so you are not drowning in it.
You can either pick a black belted or white, but if you are looking for your first belted puffer coat, then pick a black one which you will literally wear everyday of winter.
Your Everyday Flat
Loafer mules are the best everyday pair of footwear that you can slip in and out of and will look great with every single outfit of yours.
Whether you are wearing shorts or you are wearing tailored pants and button down shirts you can always rely on these. The stitching details make this footwear stylish and sophisticated. And the open back makes it comfortable to wear and to walk around as well. So, there are no more back blisters when you are running to somewhere in them.
You can wear them on travel, work, literally everyday. They are so timeless that you can literally wear them everyday. If this is your first pair start with a black pair and then add in a white one. trust me you will never get enough of them.
29. Loafer Mules
The Perfect Sneakers
If you want a timeless sneakers that you can pair with your everyday outfits, then go for white leather sneakers, they look minimal and the leather material makes them look expensive.
Since there are no weird patterns or prints that will make them out of style next year. So you can wear them year after year worry free. There is also something really nice about white footwear, they make your outfit more expensive.
When you are picking white leather sneakers, pick a low top that you can wear not only with jeans but with dresses and skirts.
30. White Leather Sneakers
The Perfect Everyday Boots
Chelsea boots are the best walking boots that easily elevate all your everyday outfits with structure but are comfortable to walk in as well. When you are looking for everyday boots, its important that the are comfortable and versatile.
A pair of good quality black Chelsea boots would go with everything and will make your outfits sophisticated as well. The slight heels elongate your legs and are easy to walk in as well.
While black Chelsea boots would be a go to pair that will look great with everything else in your wardrobe, a pair of white Chelsea boots can do wonders. The white color will enhance your outfits and make it expensive.
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