Basic Bitch
We know ALL about basics, wardrobe essentials, staples, the fundamentals to getting dressed, classic t-shirts, simple layering, versatile pieces that you wear a lot, you can spend a little and get them in H&M, Cos or Uniqlo or you can spend a lot and go to Loewe where a plain white t-shirt will set you back £395 which makes Victoria Beckhams white t-shirt look a snip at £95.
But what about when you are basic-ed out, this is my official term for when you go to get dressed and suddenly realise you have purchased so many basics and neglected to buy anything interesting to go with them, and by interesting I mean beautiful, tasteful and with notable design details, and this is when shopping gets fun, because despite basics being well, essential, they do get rather boring after a while.
An interesting piece can be as simple as a great pair of jeans, a high waisted pair you wear with a belt, a balloon or barrel shape you wear cropped to the ankle or even jeans with a turn up as favoured by minimalist influencer Monikh, who favours the Ayla jeans by Citizens of Humanity.
When it comes to jackets, we are all accustomed to wearing a blazer but even they can get tiresome, I have come to dislike the word blazer because it conjures up images of blazers man-made fabrics hanging 50 deep in fast fashion stores. A great blazer has a bit more depth so for the purpose of this paragraph I’m calling it a smart jacket. A jacket with good design content is worth 20 lesser versions, a collarless jacket is super of the moment but also classic, if you prefer a more traditional shape look for one with sharp lapels, for a feminine edge look for a a tie waist or A-symmetic button fastening both pack a detail punch, and for me a pinstripe never goes out of style.
Regardless of wether you are a skirt or a trouser girl (were all one or the other right?) you can always make sure the pieces you buy are just a little bit more interesting without ever having to veer into wacky territory but I prefer to look for details that don’t date. Trouser with waistband loops allows you to make a statement of the belt, pockets should sit at place where they can be used, not for storage for shape, this doesn’t apply to jeans, I don’t see the point of bum pockets on smart trousers or those teeny tiny ticket pockets, ever. For skirts, a wrap shape never fails to draw my attention, especially if its in a heavy fabric such as leather or suede, little else is needed to keep it interesting.
The thing about interesting pieces is they aren’t a trend item, they don’t need replacing each season, I won’t call them investments because its unlikely they will provide you with an income in later life, but they will pay you back dividends when getting dressed each morning. Don’t have anything that matches their description? It's time to go shopping.
