February is all about cleaning out our closets and selecting the pieces that will comprise our new Spring/Summer capsule wardrobes. So much to learn! But before we tackle the closet purge, I think it’s helpful to have a proper understanding of closet essentials.
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I first fell in love with designing and curating my own wardrobe when I read the Chic Simple book series by Kim Johnson Gross and Jeff Stone. My favorites are the books What Should I wear? Dressing for Occasions and Women’s Wardrobe, both published by Random House in the late nineties. That was when I first began thinking about minimizing my wardrobe (long before the minimalist movement!) and selecting quality over quantity. And despite the many fashion books and articles I’ve read since then, I keep coming back to Chic Simple‘s “Survival Gear” list of basics around which to build your closet.
I know what you’re thinking. A clothing list from the nineties! Surely that’s not current or applicable to today’s fashion dictates! Well, on the contrary, I’ve decided that what keeps pulling me back to its common sense approach is the fact that it truly IS classic and therefore timeless. I’ve edited it slightly, but it still gives insight into classic closet basics.
When we begin the big closet clean-out next week, it will be helpful to keep this list in mind. You may not have everything it suggests, but it can also serve as a wish list as you carefully and thoughtfully make clothing purchases throughout the next year.
