If my house burned down and I lost every article of clothing that I owned, these are the ten things I would spend my insurance money on first to make sure that my wardrobe was equipped for any situation I might find myself in. If your house has recently burned down, or you’re just looking to round out your collection, you’ve come to the right place.
1. White Leather Sneaker
Starting off strong with the entry that speaks for itself. Can’t go wrong with white leather sneakers. Classy and casual, durable and comfortable. What’s more, they work with basically any outfit—which is great because I only had room for one pair of shoes on this list.
There’s a saying about not cheaping out on a bed or shoes, because if you’re not in one then you’re in the other. I think that holds especially true here; if you only have one pair of shoes, they’d better be good. No need to sell a kidney to buy Common Projects, but an Oliver Cabell Low 1 or Koio Capri wouldn’t go amiss. If you’re not down with either of these, check out my earlier post on shoes.
2. Black Dress Pants
Contrary to popular belief, trousers don’t need a jacket and tie. A classy pair of dress pants is surprisingly versatile and elevates even the most basic and casual outfits. Wearing them casually may not have even occurred to you as an option, but take my word for it—you don’t even have to try to make dress pants look good.
When purchasing, you’ll want to pay attention to a number of factors beyond the basic fit. An unfortunate crop or taper can single-handedly ruin an outfit. Also keep an eye out for a clean center pleat to really drive home your class. Uniqlo’s AirSense line boasts great style, comfort, and price, but the likes of Abercrombie also offers strong competition.
3. Light Wash Blue Denim Jeans
Conventional wisdom suggests that dark indigo is the definitive denim colour, but conventional wisdom is also curated by poorly-dressed boomers. A light wash pair of jeans will much better round out the wardrobe given our other pair of pants are already in a dark colour, and they look much less out-of-place in warmer weather.
There’s a whole denim rabbit hole to be had, but you can skip all of that unless you like collecting photos of geometric patterns made by runoff ball sweat to post on reddit. Levi’s are the jeans brand, and you should have no trouble getting your hands on a 510 skinny fit. Zara also does nice cropped cuts off the rack, for the struggling manlets out there.
4. White T-Shirt
The torso equivalent of the white sneaker. Throw this on any outfit and it’ll work out well. It’s also an essential layering piece that you can slip under jackets and overshirts. It’s tempting to raise eyebrows at plain tees and reach for your graphic options instead, but the options offered by a blank slate are second to none, and definitely something to include in your wardrobe.
There are no shortage of options for white tees, but just take my word for it—Get the Uniqlo U Airism Oversized shirt. Nothing beats the fabric, the silhouette, and most importantly, the price. You’ll also probably want more than one T-shirt if you’re not a disgusting slob, so feel free to mix it up with a more fitted one, or one with a pocket or mock neck as well.
5. Black T-Shirt
While white tees will “work” with any outfit, there’s one thing you can’t do with them: all black. An all-black outfit is classy and elegant, and extremely underrated. This also just gives us more options to work with on the upper body, because as great as a white tee is, people will catch on if you only have one colour.
Again, just get the same Uniqlo shirt in black. If you would rather shop around, pay attention to the way the shirt drapes over your body. A drop shoulder and boxy fit adds much-needed interest to a plain black T-shirt, which is especially important if you’re wearing it as a top layer, without any outerwear. This holds true for white tees as well, I might add.
6. Beige Linen Button-Down
Perhaps a surprising choice, but this is a piece that can function as a bottom, middle, or outer layer. I think it looks great unbuttoned over a T-shirt, but you could wear it on its own or with a jacket on top and it would still look good. Beige is a great colour here to add variety and open up options with the other pieces we have.
When shopping, look for a linen or linen blend/hemp fabric to keep it light enough to wear in the warmer months, and to avoid the overly-dressy look. Zara and Uniqlo have some good options here, but it’s not a particularly rare kind of shirt so shop around. Muji has a nice one with a mandarin collar if you’re into that sort of thing.
7. Light Grey Pullover Hoodie
Moving onto the outer layers, no wardrobe is complete without a staple hoodie. Probably one of the most casual pieces you can wear, and a great match with your black trousers to dress them down. Also an excellent layering piece, especially in light grey, and functional and comfortable to boot.
Look for a nice heavyweight hoodie, none of that flimsy limp-dick fabric. The cut of Abercrombie’s essential popover hoodie is top notch with a drop shoulder and a slight crop around the waist. Also feels great thanks to the SoftAF material (yes this is what they call it). Uniqlo also has a decent option if you like the drawstrings or don’t like the kangaroo pouch.
8. Black Bomber Jacket
Keeping with the theme of versatility, I’m going to recommend a black bomber jacket as your next outerwear piece. A timeless classic that will look put-together thrown over any of the above pieces. Don’t sleep on the bomber over a hoodie, it’s a great look that will keep you protected from all but arctic temperatures.
It’s hard to recommend a bomber without pointing to Alpha Industries. They have plenty of great options and I’d suggest looking for yourself, but if you want my pick then it’s the slim MA-1. Uniqlo also does a nice MA-1 if you want a cheaper option, though you miss out on some of the nice features like the orange lining and flight tag. I’d recommend getting the women’s one for the cropped cut.
9. Black Crossbody Bag
Great outfits are set apart from good ones by accessories. Once you have the basics sorted, I’d say branching out into accessories is a better play than just getting more clothes. A crossbody bag serves dual functions of filling the accessory niche while also saving you from unflattering bulky pockets, and a black one works with everything.
Interestingly the sporting/activewear brands have some really good offerings here. Check out your local Nike or Adidas, and look out for the simple muted ones without too much going on in terms of designs or logos. Really you can buy these anywhere to suit your needs, but don’t forget that you’re after a sleek crossbody bag and not a gigantic messenger bag.
10. Silver Bar Necklace
Few guys do jewelry, which means putting on a piece already sets you apart from the rest. Rings and bracelets might be a bit intimidating, but necklaces are easy to pull off and suit pretty much everyone. They also work well in both casual and dressier styles, unlike most watches which tend to sit very clearly in one camp or the other.
As far as designs go, look for something simple so that you can wear it with any outfit. A minimal bar necklace is classy and elegant, and my go-to choice here. I’d say go for a nicer one in real silver, because you want the one piece that you basically never take off to be good quality. RoseGold & Black and Tom Wood both have good options that won’t break the bank.
What do I do with all these things?
Wear them. Yes, that’s literally it. Pretty much any combination of the above items will look like a well-thought out, properly co-ordinated outfit. If I were a youtuber, this is where I’d put on everything to show you that it works. Unfortunately I’m not, so you’ll have to manage with your mind’s eye.
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Same shoes for every outfit. Mix and match the cuts of your tees, and throw in the bag and necklace wherever you feel like. Looking good has never been this easy. BYO underwear and socks, of course. As a bonus, I recommend no-show socks for low top white leather sneakers. That should keep you sorted until I get around to blogging about all the other kinds of clothes you might want.