Wardrobe staples: How to get the basics right

One of the most influential fashion guides called “Chic Simple Clothes” published more than 25 years ago was full of advice on exactly what constitutes a basic fashion wardrobe and about paring everything down to essentials. It is still relevant today at a time when fashion seems to be going in so many confusing directions, from spare and minimal to over the top and a mish mash of several decades – the Gucci factor. So what are the so-called essentials?

Leaving aside foundations, ie underwear, the basics constitute five items; trousers (or a skirt), jacket, coat, shirt and dress and a colour scheme that gets the most flexibility from a limited number of clothes with a neutral shade as a base. If an item costs a lot, it should be very useful and versatile – “think of packing a suitcase for a long trip” say the authors. The white shirt provides a clean frame for the face and there are guidelines as to what to look for like single needle stitching, collar detail and split shoulder yoke not to speak of the right fabric when searching for the best.

Trousers – whether denim, flannel, flared, cropped or slouchy – need to be the right shape for comfort and fit. It goes without saying that a trench coat and a little black dress are the most versatile items of all – their origins going back over a century say everything about their enduring allure and adaptability. From about €50 to over €2,000 for a big designer number, there are prices, variations on shape and colour for everyone.

This shoot, styled by Sinead Keenan, shows how the basics remain modern – in the variation of detail, cut and silhouette, components that weather well and remain cool and classy. Add a durable black leather jacket, a white T-shirt in 100 per cent cotton and durable denims for the best armour of all, one that will travel sartorial miles blessed by failsafe good looks and practicality.

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All clothes from Brown Thomas. Photographer Eilish McCormick assisted by Andrew Rankin, stylist Sinead Keenan assisted by Alice Coffey, hair Michael Leong, make-up Zoe Clark using Charlotte Tilbury, model Natalja Belova at Metropolitan, location Bond Street Studios.