What to invest in?
A conversation that comes up time and time again with clients and followers alike is the pieces you should invest in versus those you don’t necessarily need to. So if you are starting from scratch or looking to build some key wardrobe foundations, this should answer that very question along with some ideas of different brands to look at.
Where I would invest
Coats, knitwear and footwear are the three key areas for me. Higher wool content coats rather than manmade fibres; cashmeres rather than acrylics/other manmade fibres which will pill and won’t last and leather footwear rather than PU/plastic. And these better quality materials do by and large mean higher price points. And just to clarify, by invest I am categorically not suggesting you go out and buy designer – I have nothing designer in my wardrobe. I am firmly a high street girl – yes I have some pieces from more expensive brands like ME+EM but I shop across the spectrum.
Some might suggest you invest in designer bags but I don’t think you need to – leather yes over PU – but brands like &Other Stories/Sezane to name two, will have gorgeous pieces at a fraction of the cost of true designers. They won’t be inexpensive ie under £100 but you only need a couple of carefully chosen pieces which are versatile.
The key with all of this is to reframe your point of view to look at the cost per wear rather than the cost of the garment itself…
Don’t spend unnecessarily on….
High turnover items – and by this I mean pieces that get worn a lot and washed a lot. Good quality basics are key but I wouldn’t spend unnecessarily on things like t shirts for example. A white t shirt, in particular, will go grey over time whether you spend £10 or £100. That said, I tried on two different styles in M&S, one at £7 and one at £30 and you can certainly tell the difference between the two! The £30 is made from a much better quality of fabric and looks and feels premium. I wouldn’t say £30 is a lot of money for a piece that you will wear on repeat – so this comes back to the cost per wear rational.
Occasion wear – this is the one area people do tend to invest in. And yet your cost per wear is often terrible, with pieces being worn only a handful of times. In addition, these often tend to be the items that date most quickly. The wedding guest dresses you have hanging in your wardrobe can be easily pinpointed to a particular era. So I would wholeheartedly suggest looking at more cost effective rental options.
It’s really more about fabric and fit
Always focus on fabric and fit. I have some excellent trousers from H&M for example which cost nothing, which I have worn more times, over more years than I can count and which are still going strong. And that is because they are in a good material and they fit brilliantly. I also have a wool/cashmere sweater that is from Zara that hasn’t pilled at all and that was much less expensive than many brands out there for comparable jumpers.
And I have several pairs of M&S trousers which are around £30, that wash brilliantly and that look soooo much more expensive than their price tag (beware shiny polyesters in particular on the trouser front – often why online shopping isn’t great because you cannot tell the fabric until it is up close and against your skin). The high street is home to many great pieces at affordable prices. I really rate Uniqlo and M&S for their basics across t-shirts, denim/trousers and cashmere in particular.
The building blocks of your wardrobe
Focus your budget on the foundations of your wardrobe – denim, outerwear, footwear etc rather than on items that you won’t wear much. This doesn’t mean you need to spend big on each piece, it just means don’t get swayed by the sparkly top that you might only wear at Christmas when you need more than one pair of trainers or boots in your life!
This is probably a good point to discuss denim… I have a mix of jeans from £30 pairs from H&M which are probably among my favourites, to mid range priced pairs from Levi’s to a couple of designer options from Paige and other brands. I buy across the price points for my clients and my feeling is try the high street first because you can often find really good denim there at excellent prices. However, where designer denim often has the edge is on comfortable fabrics – for example Frame’s Slim Palazzo is unrivalled and Paige’s jeans are always super comfortable. They also tend to offer mid rise options which are currently a bit lacking among a sea of high rises!
Comfort is all that matters
Comfort is all that matters when it comes to footwear and when you find the shoe that fits, that you can walk miles in and that looks good, it will be worth its weight in gold. Footwear is incredibly personal and so much more fit critical than anything else you buy so I don’t think you should be price sensitive. More often than not, it’s the reason why people struggle to create outfits.
On the high street I find Dune footwear is comfortable with a nice cushioned footbed plus they offer wide fits. However, a couple of additional brands that I always recommend are Air & Grace as well as Vivaia. My feet, and those of many of my clients and followers, will attest to the supreme levels of comfort their styles offer.
Splitting your budget across the year
Keep in mind the autumn winter season is where the bulk of your budget should be spent if you are in the UK – the summer is often painfully short!! Try and aim for a healthy amount of trans-seasonal pieces that will work year round and focus your budget on these.
Fundamentally a garment that is made well, fits perfectly and in a good quality fabric will stand the test of time. And it goes without saying that I would always advise investing in timeless, classic pieces that you love and that work for your style and lifestyle over one season wonders.
25 Comments
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Claire Lopez
Thank you!
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Sarah
Excellent advice and information here, which lines up with the expensive saritorial lessons I have learned over my 50 years! I will be book-marking this one 🙂
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Claire Lopez
Glad it resonates!
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Jackie
Great advice,thank you .I have been buying from Uniqlo since reading your blogs and exploring trousers shapes that I would never have thought would look ok. I like the emphasis towards comfort in one’s clothes.
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Claire Lopez
Comfort and practicality but not at the expense of style!
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Ellie Dixon
Great blog with sensible advice x
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Claire Lopez
Hope it helps!
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Valerie Lawes
Hi Claire. This has made things so much clearer! I am going to have a mass overhaul of my clothes and this advice will guide me when I do.
Hope you and the family are all well. Love Val xx-
Claire Lopez
Thanks Val! X
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June
Really really helpful info, thank you Claire.
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Claire Lopez
Glad it’s useful.
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Gillian Hawkley
Thanks Claire- great advice.
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Claire Lopez
Glad it’s helpful
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Jane
Really useful information, thank you x
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Linda Wight
Great advice…makes total sense and will help me with my wardrobe overhaul! Thank you,
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Claire Lopez
Glad it’s useful. Good luck!
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Susanne
As I am short, I really enjoy your posts. One little thing. All of your articles, such as this one, are so light and difficult to read. Thanks for the ideas.
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Claire Lopez
Not really sure what you mean about them being light! Maybe you need to change the brightness of your phone/computer screen in settings?
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Eleanor Mullen
Great advice as always thanks Claire x
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Claire Lopez
Hope you and the family are well x
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Jane
Great advice here. I love putting clothes together but you’ve really helped me take it to a new level. Also I’ve discovered Uniqlo thanks to you. The fabulous white rayon shirt was a game changer.
One thing I still struggle with is the tummy area. Despite losing a couple of stones a decade ago, that bit won’t shift. Advice on countering is always welcomed. A lot of my pals have the same problem. We’re in our seventies by the way!
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Claire Lopez
Glad it’s helpful. Last week’s blog about the art of distraction is one to look at but I’ve also done pieces on vertical/horizontal lines which will also help.
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Fiona
Very helpful thank you – love Air and Grace shoes. Looking for a good pair of (soft leather) loafers and aside from Paige and Frame are 7 for all Mankind still a good midrise jean ?
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Claire Lopez
I haven’t bought 7 jeans for my clients for a while I’m afraid but they have historically done mid/lower rise options.
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Alison Stocker
Excellent blog with sensible advice, thank you Claire,