5 Must Have Wardrobe Basics You Need in Your Closet for Effortless Elegant Style

If you are struggling to put stylish outfits together each and every day, lack of time could be one issue, but more likely it's because you're lacking those basics or the foundational pieces that without which, your wardrobe just won't work. In this video, I'm gonna walk you through five of those must-have basics, elevated pieces that are high quality, that are versatile, that will go with everything in your closet, that really will make an impact. We're gonna talk about some tips too that will truly transform your wardrobe. Hi ladies, it's Erin and welcome back to my channel. Today I wanna talk about wardrobe basics, one of my favorite topics. It is for sure one of the most important things for a functional wardrobe. If you find that you are struggling like putting outfits together and figuring out what to wear with what, traditionally in my experience, it is because you don't have those basics. And it's not just about checking a box for basics, you wanna make sure that you have basics that you really enjoy wearing, that are really elegant, that are elevated, that are high quality, that really will work with everything in your wardrobe. So in this video, I'm gonna walk you through and share five must-have basics as well as some integral tips and resources that will truly change the game. Before we dive in, just wanna say huge thank you to Quince for sponsoring this video. This is a new-ish brand to me and the team. We are huge fans of this brand because they make high quality, super luxurious basics for a lot less. They're cutting out the middleman so they can offer you these beautiful pieces for a fraction of what they would normally cost retail. Basic number one is a casual white button-down shirt. And I wanted to show you this one. It is by Quince. It is a gauze cotton. It reminds me so much of one I already have by Rails that I have talked about for years, except it is literally a third of the price at $44.90. Comes in seven colors. And I would say it runs a little bit large. I'm wearing an extra small. I love this organic gauzy cotton. It's so soft, it's so breathable, it's so lightweight. It's wrinkle-resistant. It's already kinda crinkly so you don't have to worry about steaming it the way that you would with linens. You don't have to worry about that with the gauzy cotton. For the casual white button-down, there are so many different ways that you can wear it. And I'm gonna show you why it's such a versatile piece in your wardrobe. First, you can wear it with any pair of shorts that you have. So whether that's denim shorts or tan shorts or khaki shorts or green shorts. Could be a printed pair of shorts. In this case, I'm wearing a pair of denim shorts. This is always a classic combo. The button-down and the jean shorts. Additionally, you could do your casual white button-down with a pair of blue jeans. Here I have on this classic combination of the button-down and the jeans. The fact that the jeans have a wider leg, they have a high rise, they have a seam down the front. Feels a little bit more modern. Feels like an elevated version of this classic combination. So here are two ways to wear that casual white button-down. And then a third would be, and this is one of my favorites when I'm traveling, is you bring it and then you use it as a swim cover-up. Because the fabric is so lightweight and so breathable that you can easily just throw it on over your one-piece to your bikini and it looks really chic and it's a really functional, lovely swim cover-up. And if you have a pair of gauzy cotton shorts, even better. We'll put links to all of the items we're featuring in this video in the description box below. If you want more information about an exact product, that will be just below the video. Basic number two is an elegant white top or blouse. So you need that casual white button-down and you need the dressy white button-down. In this case, it's a silk blouse. This one is also by Quince. And wait for it, it's washable. Yes, it's the one I'm wearing right now. It's washable silk, which is such a dream. Usually I shy away from buying silk because I'm kinda lazy. Like I don't wanna go to the dry cleaners and it's just harder to care for silk in most cases. And so I love that this is washable so it's easy to care for. It has a little bit of spandex in it so it has some stretch, which means it's really fitted to the body but not too fitted. It's a lovely feel on the skin. It's very silky. It comes in 15 colors. The price, 69.90. And I'm wearing an extra small and I would say, again, runs a little bit large and the sizes go up to extra large. Here with a dressier version of the white button up, you can do this with a pair of work trousers or a pair of blue jeans. And I love to wear a little lacy cami underneath the silky top. Then you just unbutton one extra button and you let the lace kinda peep out. It's just like a little dash of femininity and sexiness, I think. And I love doing that with jeans. It just gives it, again, that dash of sexy. So if you wanted to wear this out to dinner, just unbutton that button, have a little lace cami peeping out, your jeans, a pair of heels. It's a fabulous look. So it's very classic. It's very basic. It's very versatile. But again, this is a luxurious fabric. It's easy to care for. It's a neutral color. Really just a lovely piece to have that will be incredibly versatile in your wardrobe. And the thing about basics are when you have all of your basics and you really enjoy wearing them, then you can go out and buy the fun printed pieces, the bold pieces, the color, the sparkle. And then you have pieces to wear them with. And that's why your wardrobe becomes more functional. That's why it becomes easier to get dressed each and every day. So that's why these basics are so, so important. And in a sense, it is like your basics are that capsule wardrobe where everything mixes and matches seamlessly. Or if you prefer to think of it as a pyramid, like the basics are the bottom of the pyramid and then the fun, sparkly, metallic pieces are up here toward the top of the pyramid. So you really need this foundation layer in order to create a functional wardrobe. The other really cool thing about this top is it's naturally thermoregulating, which is just a really big word, to say that it regulates your body temperature so you won't get too hot. Because sometimes with a silk, you can get really warm. I just love that. I think it's such a cool, interesting touch. Basic number three, and this is really a basic for the spring-summer season, although you could wear it year-round, is a cotton sweater, and specifically a neutral-colored cotton sweater. In this case, I wanted to show you one. It's by Quince that looks very much like a fisherman's sweater by another retailer, except, again, it's like a third of the price. Maybe it's a fourth of the price at $49.90. It comes in 15 colors. I'm wearing it in ivory, wearing a size extra small. It's 100% organic cotton, and it has that really nice ribbed texture. So with a sweater like this that is a little more fitted to the body, that is lighter weight, that is cropped, you can do a few different things with that. You can wear it with blue jeans. You can wear it with denim shorts or regular shorts. You also could even do it with a skirt. In this case, it's a silk midi skirt that's, again, 100% washable in a beautiful champagne color. The beauty of the cropped sweater is that you can wear it with skirts and dresses versus the longer sweater. Unless it's a cardigan, it's really hard to wear a longer sweater with a skirt or a dress. The skirt, by the way, is cut on a bias, so it has a very flattering, elegant fit. Lightweight, washable, really beautiful skirt. I've been on the hunt for a silky midi skirt for a really long time. I just ordered a bunch recently and ended up sending them all back because I didn't like the fit and I didn't like the texture. Because if the cut's not right, it can look really kind of from beat. So I just loved the cut of this skirt and felt like it was so feminine and flattering. Again, that bias cut really flatters the body and the shape. Couple of resources I wanted to share with you guys before I move on to the next basic. One is you might be wondering, what is the complete list of basics? Because there is a complete list. I put it together. It is something we do give away for free when you sign up for our email newsletter. So the link to sign up will be below in the description box. Take advantage of that. That's where you can really dig in and figure out, okay, do I have all these basics that I need for the spring, summer, season? The other thing I wanted to share with you is the team put together this incredible resource where it's a lookbook full of outfit ideas for virtually every occasion that you have coming up this season. That is also a free resource when you sign up for the newsletter. So make sure you check the description box for that link so you can take advantage of those two cool free resources. The next basic is not on my basics checklist, but I feel like this is one that I should really add in there, and that is a great, fabulous loungewear set. You see them more and more, I feel like, on Instagram and TikTok now. You see these sets. I featured a bunch on the website that I love, matching sets that I'll wear for travel or I'll just wear working from home. I think they're just such a versatile thing to own because you can wear them working from home. You can wear them hanging out from home. You can wear them running errands, and that's really the key, is it's something that's comfortable enough to hang out at home in, but also chic enough to go to the grocery store or the post office or pick up kids from school or go hang out with your grandkids or whatever you have going on that day. It's elevated loungewear, basically. So I wanted to show you a set. This is from Quince as well. It's a fleece set in a heather oatmeal, so it's this really beautiful neutral color I love. I love this lighter color for spring, summer. It's a cropped hoodie and a pair of sweatpants. This fabric is viscose, polyester, and spandex, but it feels like cashmere. Not kidding you, I was like, wait, what? How is this not cashmere? I don't understand it. I'm in the set, it's so soft, it's so comfortable, and it looks and feels like cashmere, but it's not. It's like magic. So the hoodie is $39.90, and the lounge jogger is also $39.90, so it's an $80 set. You will just be like, what, how? I don't get it. Like, it's so luxurious and wonderful. You will absolutely love this set. This set would be so great, again, like staying at home, traveling, especially when you have a really long flight. I used to try to wear jeans on my really long flights, and now I'm like, you know what? It's a frickin' 12-hour flight. Like, I'm not gonna wear jeans. Something like this is perfect. I styled it with some New Balance sneakers and this really beautiful tote bag, also by Quinn's. If you're new here and you're finding a lot of value from this video, I hope you will hit that subscribe button. Maybe share this channel over on your Facebook page with your friends, really appreciate it. Thank you so much for your support. Okay, let's move on to the next basic, which is an everyday handbag. So you really need to have a couple of different bags, the tote bag and the crossbody bag, for this season. And I would recommend doing a neutral color. It could be one of the colors you see here, like the cognac or the tote, both really neutral, versatile colors. The other thing I love about these Quinn's bags is that they have very minimal hardware and they're very sleek and minimal in general. You know, you don't have to worry like, oh my gosh, I have this bold gold hardware and then I've got silver hardware or I'm wearing silver jewelry or my belt buckle is this. It just presents a layer of complication and when you're looking for basic pieces, you really do want that maximum versatility. The other thing I love about specifically this crossbody bag is that it is so lightweight. I can't even express to you how lightweight it is. It's like carrying paper, but it's leather. And then it looks like a really high-end, luxurious Bottega Veneta bag. It has that same woven leather texture. The tote also, like I can pick it up with my pinky. It's so lightweight. Such a great work tote, such a great travel tote. And the crossbody, again, very travel-friendly, really versatile, neutral, easy. Strap is adjustable, which is important, especially if you're petite and you wanna carry a crossbody bag. You don't want it to be too long. You don't want it to be too short. So it's really important to have that functionality. So your bags, you know, specifically one or two bags is another basic. You have to make sure you have that really high-quality, everyday crossbody and everyday tote. This is just a small sample of the basics that you need to really have that functional, effortless wardrobe that I know you all are craving. If you're struggling, you know, every day, it's like time and energy wasted. It's like going into the black hole. It's time and energy that you can't get back. And so one of the easiest ways to buy that time back for yourself and to make it so much easier so that you're not wasting the energy on it is to make sure you have those really good, high-quality basics. And so remember that we have those checklists. We will put the link to subscribe and sign up in the description box below, as well as all of the links to the products we featured. Really proud to partner with this brand. They do have an eye on sustainability. A lot of the fabrics are natural, sourced responsibly. The fabrics are all really high-quality and the real deal. But for a fraction of what you would normally pay. So I really appreciate that about this brand. And I think you guys will as well. The shipping is good. Their 365-day return policy, which is like, what? That's crazy. If you have any questions at all, you wanna know about fit, you wanna know about sizing, you wanna know about different basics, let us know in the comments. We would be happy to jump in there and answer your questions. Thank you so much for watching this video. I am truly so honored and grateful that you're here. And I appreciate your support. And I love each and every one of you. And I will see you next time. Bye-bye.