Now that we both know, what a capsule wardrobe is, let‘s get started with building one. I‘ll show you some of the mainstays every grown man needs to own, give you some input on colors, you might want to consider and round it off, with some tips on adaptability. The key pieces will mostly stay the same for everyone, but you should feel confident to tailor the whole wardrobe to your needs, depending on personal style and professional requirements.
Where to start?
Pull out every clothing item and accessories you own and search for the few pieces listed below. That‘s your baseline, don‘t worry if you are missing some pieces or even most of them. Prepare yourself that your wardrobe and your style will be evolving as you continue to add items from the lists. Work with what you have, look for sales and cheaper alternatives that you love. Fit and material is far more important than brands and labels.
Core pieces for every timeless capsule wardrobe
Shirts
- White dress Shirt
- Light blue dress shirt
- Light grey dress shirt
- 2 button down oxfords with richer color
- 2 – 3 Poloshirts in solid colors, no prints or logos (think navy, charcoal, black, white or off-white)
Trousers
- Tan chino
- Grey or blue chino
- Grey or blue slacks (pleated is slowly coming back, and is far more comfortable)
Shoes
- white simple sneakers
- Brown Derby or Oxford shoes
- Brown loafers
- Brown desert or chelsea boots
Stuff for layering
- Navy blazer
- up to 3 Solid color crew neck sweaters
- navy or charcoal light cardigan
- a shawl neck cardigan maybe in blue
Suits
- Charcoal or grey suit (travelers wool)
- Navy suit (travelers wool/ cotton&linen mix, whatever you like, different material & type as the stand alone blazer)
Outerwear
- Wool coat (go with navy or camel)
- Trenchcoat (tan, sand or grey)
- Navy or black Down-Vest (comes in handy for layering under the above, if it gets really cold)
Depending on the dresscode required at work, you might want to switch the brown dress shoes for black ones, since those are in general perceived to be more formal. But my guess would be they are overkill for most offices today and you want to land more on the smart casual than business casual side of things. Remember business casual is the standard business look, but without the tie.
Since the bar to look really dashing is quite low in our society you will already standout with wearing clean chinos, a button down and a cardigan layers above it.
Blazers, sportscoats and suits will have to be dressed down for most of the days by combining them with loafers or sneakers.
You don’t want to be the guy showing up to work in a three piece prince of wales suit with tie & matching pocket square, when leadership is running around in jeans and Birkenstocks for a maximum of comfort around the office.
In addition to the items stated above, have as many shirts/ shorts and joggers you need for lounging around at home and keeping yourself in shape. Also I did not include socks and underwear, go with what feels good and have enough to make it through a week of travel obviously. Just remember socks should always match the trousers and not the shoes.
Next time we will have a look what to add to your mainstays to make the wardrobe even more versatile and how to combine the items you already have.
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