Trends will come and go, designers will rise and fall. The earth turns and fashion moves on, save for the few constant clothing pieces which, should you invest in them, will see you safe throughout the rest of your lifetime.
The neutrals of the wardrobe are the few pieces that you can’t just buy online: you have to explore, find the one that calls to you, and when you find the one that makes you feel good, you will remain faithful to it always. But the question is: which are the immortal neutrals?
Little Black Dress
The Little Black Dress is by far the most famous of these, and a discreet brand with a medium length cut will see you through every season for every year to come. An LBD is like a disney Princesses’ Prince: don’t invest in one you find you like, hold out for that one you love and when it is yours, never part from it and care for it well to keep the colour from fading. The Little Slightly-washed-out-dark-grey Dress just doesn’t work as well.
Little Black Coat
But fewer are familiar with the Little Black Dresses’ even more versatile cousin, the Little Black Coat. I found my LBC at the last January sales at Miss Selfridge. It perfectly accentuates my figure yet flares out from my waist like a skirt, within which deep pockets are cut. It is thick yet sleek, warm yet not stifling and, most importantly, smart. I am a great believer in over dressing but with this coat over me I look stylishly smart, but not out of place. I wear it to coffee with the girls, to parties, to weddings, to work and never does it fail to receive compliments.
A very basic piece but unbelievably useful. Ignore the parka, that is only fleeting, Hunter have tried their best with the anorak but no one looks good in a sheet of plastic. The LBC will be one of the best clothing investments you will ever make, it’s just a matter of finding the one for you.
Camisoles
The Camisole is an essential for any good dresser. A good cami fits the body like a second skin, but still somehow accentuates the breasts and holds in the waist. You are contained but displayed. To my surprise I fell for a set of plain Camis from Florence and Fred which were just £5 for a set of two: one nude, one black. The cami can be worn beneath any low shirt, or to bed if you have someone to please without wanting to try to hard.
They are available in every colour imaginable with lace and ribbon trimmings, prints and one to suit anyones taste. When you find the one you like stock up, as they are the basics of many a brand and are prone to changing often claiming to be “New and Improved” yet if you preferred the old one it is a great shame to lose it had you not bought more.
Floral Dress
The floral dress, which while certainly not a neutral, is far more versatile than might seem. It has reappeared with certainty each spring and summer and posessing one will see you through the sun every year. The year after you bought it you can claim it to be vintage aka not new, or even start off with an older model if you prefer, but beware. In the last few years clothes sizing in the UK has increased dramatically, our six is the past eight and so on, so don’t feel bad if you have to move up a size for past wearing, no one else will know the number and if you look fabulous in a fourteen and like a bulbous whale in a twelve, buy the former and don’t you dare feel guilty about it.
Currently I am wearing my mothers hand-me-down Laura Ashley dress which she says she wore when she was my age. To give you perspective as to the timelessness of the floral dress I will admit to you that it is over twenty years old and still going strong. The skirt has an admirable swish factor: which is highly important to any three-year-old, but merely a nostalgic pleasure to a grown woman. But the skirt “swish factor,” is more important than we give it credit: a wide skirt enlarges the proportion between the material and the waist, making the latter seem much smaller.
A floral dress is perfect for casual meetings in the summer, yet with the LBC can be dressed up for smarter functions. Beneath a black blazer it can even be worn to work, just having a dress you can throw on and know you look good in is a brilliant thing for last minute clothing panics. And to be honest if someone sees you wearing it more than once, so what? Very few people can afford to wear something only once, and even then it is hugely wasteful. No one will challenge you on it, and if they should mention it just smile sweetly and tell them how it is, of course, one of the essential pieces for every wardrobe, or did they not know that?
Jeans
Jeans were first invented in 1871 and later patented in 1873 by Davis and Levi Strauss. They only rose to popularity in the 1950s but soon became staples in everyones wardrobes. But the jeans that will see you through life aren’t just any jeans. They are The Jeans. The ones that slim your legs, cling to your curves, and give you an arse to rival Kim Kardashian’s. It can be a lifelong search to find The Jeans, but careful investigation will pay off.
Generally speaking darker blue jeans are more flattering, pale blue jeans are dangerous territory and white jeans exclusively for supermodels, not to mention difficult to clean. I’m besotted with the Marks and Spencer Llana jeans. They are the jeans of my dreams. My legs become long and willowy, yet still curvy, my bum is supported yet somehow emphasised and.
They. Give. Me. A. Thigh. Gap.
Either you understand the hype about jeans, or have yet to find The Jeans, I sincerely hope you find them soon, they will change your world.
White Shirt
Now when I say shirt I don’t mean anything you wear exclusively on your top half. I mean a shirt. Collar, cuffs and buttons. A white shirt is suitable for every occasion. Untuck it and roll up the sleeves to wear with jeans and you have a laid back smart-casual approach. Wear with a black skirt and it is suitable for the office. Other colours are also versatile but can look quite dated, particularly if it is a bold affair. Tailoring is advisable but a loose shirt is more airy so better for hot summers, though as I live in England I should be safe.
However, a white shirt requires careful treatment. Stains are very obvious and can spell the end of a garment, but this can be held at bay for a while should you follow the washing instructions and be cautious when wearing!
Underwear
No one needs to know about this. Not even your partner, should you have one. You should have at least one set of underwear that makes you feel like the Goddess you are. Lace, plunge, ribbon, padding, whatever you like so long as you feel fabulous. For days when you need that little extra bit of attitude, this underwear is your power boost.
It’s like a naughty square of chocolate when no one’s looking. By no means does it define you, it just adds a little oomph to your day.
Shoes
They say if the shoe fits buy two pairs, and I am wishing that I had heeded that advice five years after my favourite pair of suede pixie boots have perished. They were faithful to me to the end and though unwearable I can hardly bear to throw them out. I remember buying them for just a fiver in a sale in New Look. The simple design called to me as just to look on them was to see them completing so many different outfits. Any woman wearing her favourite shoes can rule the world. I have a penchant for heels, they accentuate the bust and hips and minimise the waist which can only improve a figure.
The shoes you buy are bought to last you a lifetime. That is what I tell myself, but in reality I buy shoes too cheaply for them to last so long. Shoes are one of the areas of the wardrobe where you should think quality over quantity, and don’t go for anything too statement-y. Those sky high neon platforms might call to you now, but I can’t see them dating well.
The bag
A bag is hardly revolutionary, you may say, but it is most certainly a wardrobe essential. A discreet and wellmade bag can see you through all seasons. However you just have to bear in mind the fashions of the time in which you buy it. Fringe might seem all the rage right now but you will regret splurging on a western-esque bag if in two years time it becomes the next best thing to fashion suicide.
Something that, though fashionable now, will never go out of style is the satchel. Revived a few years ago now by the Cambridge Satchel Company they are the epitomy of practicality, large enough to carry a laptop or overnight supplies, but small enough not to be a pain to carry. For my seventeenth birthday my mother bestowed upon me a backpack style satchel in oxblood red. It is my constant companion and never fails to draw compliments. My initials are monogrammed into the side which is a lovely touch, though a considerable price the satchel is a worthy investment as should you care for the leather well it will last you the rest of your lifetime.
The neutral immortals will see you through every phase of fashion. Punk? Wear your floral dress with sneakers. Grunge? The shoes, jeans and a black cami, along with the compulsory eyeliner. Smart? Floral Dress with the Black Coat. Smart-Casual? Jeans and your white shirt. And of course the underwear at your own discretion.
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