Fab Finds: Budget-Friendly Wardrobe Essentials

Our company motto is personal style is for anyone who wants it no matter their age, size or budget. When we shop for clients, we create a prioritized shopping list — often split up into two lists. The first list we tackle right away; it is always comprised of wardrobe basics that the client really needs.

Although basics don’t have all those flashy bells and whistles of trendy statement pieces, they’re the glue that holds a well-rounded wardrobe together. We advise our clients to shop quality over quantity. Although we advocate avoiding the pitfalls of fast fashion, we also realize, you gotta do the best with what you got. Not every staple piece you own has to come with a hefty price tag. To that end, I searched high and low to find you quality basics, each under $100.

Sleeveless Cream Blouse

When we build a client’s professional wardrobe, we always, and I mean always, tell them to purchase a sleeveless cream blouse. We view this as a core wardrobe piece, replacing the white collared button-down that every woman feels she needs to have in their closet, but never actually wears (hello fussy collar, gaping buttons, etc.).

The cream sleeveless “blank slate” silky blouse is more versatile that the collared button-down. We layer under any colored blazer, jacket or sweater.

Black Pencil Skirt

A black pencil skirt is a workhorse of the work wardrobe. We found that a traditional pencil skirt in classic three-season wool suiting fabric simply wasn’t versatile enough. One of the hallmarks of working with a DC Style Factory stylist is the value we bring to your wardrobe — we look for  items that can transition from day to evening. A pencil skirt in suiting material is purely office-style domain. When shopping for our clients, we select pencil skirts made of ponte knit, neoprene, or a stretch knit. These materials still have enough weight to be office appropriate, but can also move to evening with the right pieces. Dress for the office  with a silky blouse and blazer jacket. Off-duty? Pair with a slinky blouse, sparkly jewelry and heels. Voila! Insta-LBD.

Dark Wash Skinny Jeans

It’s funny to think that skinny jeans were once considered a trend, but thanks to their versatility, they’ve evolved into a closet basic. Look for mid-rise styles with no fading or embellishments.

Dark wash works best because it can transition from day to night. You can easily wear  this wash during the day with some slip on sneakers and and a pullover sweater. You can also wear for a date-night paired with a tuxedo blazer and heels.

Everyday Statement Necklace

Wardrobe basics don’t just apply to clothes. An everyday statement necklace or “signature jewelry” piece is a wardrobe essential because it’s not too bold  for casual, everyday wear, but has enough detail, design and personality to be memorable.

We tell our clients to choose pendants that that they can be worn every day and layered with other pieces.

For more tips and information on styling services, you can reach Marisa Gonzalez at [email protected].