NAILING THE BASICS

I hope you’ve all had a great start to February, I for one am so thrilled to see the back of January for many reasons but mostly because it means we are one step closer to spring time! Seeing all the fabulous SS19 newness in store but not actually being able to buy it just yet is KILLING ME, but alas the light at the end of the sartorial tunnel is in sight… HURRAH!

I planned for this post to be a little look at what I’d learnt from having a mini spending ban on clothing throughout January as surprisingly I learnt a lot about myself, I had some deep meaningful thoughts about what it is that makes me feel like me and a shit tonne of thoughts about my job. I also learnt a lot about my wardrobe and the pieces that were missing from within it. Let me know if you fancy that post some time soon?

The reason I didn’t go for that post is purely just poor time management on my part. I forgot to set to work writing it last week when I knew I’d be spending Monday and Tuesday in London with no time to put fingers to keyboard and get it done. So alas I’m here on Wednesday, the day before this post actually goes live and I’m actually considering making this post about basics… Yep, you read that right.

Basics isn’t something you read a lot about in these parts, I am certainly not the blogger you come to for information on the best basics or which basics you should have in your wardrobe or how to style basics for that matter.
A plain white tee, a good pair or both black and blue jeans and a classic black blazer are great and I must admit are absolute essentials for everyones wardrobe, however they don’t set my soul alight as they do for others, hence why you don’t see much chat about them around here.
HOWEVER, all that being said I do believe that basics make the basis of your wardrobe and if you nail them, then you’ve pretty much got this whole styling thing down!
I’ve always championed the aforementioned basics along with a crisp white shirt, black leather biker jacket and for me an A line skirt and black pointed boot all sit firmly in the realm of basic, but it was only when I did this little style challenge of reworking and shopping my own wardrobe for an entire month that I was really able to evaluate where the gaps in my wardrobe were, hence failing said spending ban and purchasing two very basic black items instead.

The first being a great pair of black denim jeans.
It’s no secret that I’ve had a serious love affair with light wash denim for the past couple of seasons. Whether they were skinny, straight, flared or a kick flare, I’ve been firmly in the light wash denim club for many moons and really bloody enjoyed it.
But whilst shopping my own wardrobe I realised I really lacked a pair of washed black jeans in both a skinny fit and a straight leg style.
I was finding countless t-shirts, blouses and jumpers that really leant themselves to being styled simply with a pair of black jeans yet my wardrobe wasn’t coming up with the goods.
So I set on a mission to find a pair of straight leg jeans first as I know what to look for when searching for the dream straight leg fit. Skinny jeans we will revisit at a later date.

I really love a washed black finish as I find jet black is slightly too formal for me which allowed me to whittle down the search a little bit. I’d recently spied a pair on the Topshop website that boasted a really relaxed fit in a washed denim that had that much coveted button down fastening rather than a zip. I was sold and hotfooted to my local store to try them on.
I got a size up for a real relaxed fit but am also considering getting them in my normal size too, in order to create a different look entirely as I am SO into them!
I’ve been wearing them at every given opportunity whether that be for days about the house, days in town and for evenings out, they’re just so damn great and work to create that model off duty, “I’ve just thrown this look together” vibe super easily.

The next basic black item that I was lacking was a classic black coat. An absolute style essential at this time of year but one I just didn’t have in the depths of my wardrobe. I’ve always been a huge fan of statement outerwear but throughout January I found myself pining for simplicity in the form of a black coat. I did A LOT of internet browsing as I knew exactly what I wanted and didn’t mind whether it came from a high street store or was something more of an investment, as a black coat, to me, makes for the perfect investment piece.
I couldn’t find a single thing that ticked my boxes so ended up settling for this woolen coat by & Other Stories.

I say I settled because what I really wanted was something a bit longer, possibly in faux fur or a Borg material and I wanted it to be HUGE, ideally this coat but in black.
However, once this coat arrived through my letter box it was love at first sight and I’ve since worn it non-stop. It’s a little thin so certainly needs to be layered up, but the oversized and relaxed silhouette means it’s really easy to layer up to create a really fun yet warm look. I truly love this coat, it’s a classic that I’ll have in my wardrobe for many seasons to come and it’s also thin enough to transition into spring whilst also being the perfect coat for styling both casually and perhaps a little more formally too.

This exact look has been a go-to look of mine for the past month or so as it encompasses a lot of the things I love so much about styling. It’s layered, it’s certainly classic but it has fun touches such as the slogan T-shirt (a sale find by Proenza Schouler, a brand I am TOTALLY obsessed with right now), the Zebra mesh top peeking through underneath combined with the red leopard boots means it’s got a touch of fun to what is essentially a very classic all black look, who’d have thought it.

What do you think? Are you nailing it when it comes to the basics? Or have I made you realise that there may be some gaps in your wardrobe? Lets’ discuss.

x M

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROSIE BUTCHER