Posted on December 27, 2012 by Jennifer Lee
In my quest to have both a minimalistic and chic wardrobe, I came across the idea of the Classic 5 Piece French Wardrobe. I wonder where this originally started, but can’t find anything about its origins just yet. What I did find, however, is what this is all about. Basically, you start with the basics and build your wardrobe from there with just five classic, stylish, and high-quality pieces each season. The trick is to only buy five per season and no more. This alleviates the impulse buys and the sale rack purchases we all too soon regret. This avoids clutter in your closet and allows you to purchase high-quality garments that will last you for years. It also saves time and theoretically money, since you would not be buying things you do not absolutely love.
While I found quite a few posts on this 5 piece French Wardrobe, there was some conflicting advice and rules. The best one I found is from The Urban List and it is from this website from which I will base my information. The reason I am using this list as opposed to the others I found on various blogs is because this list is newer and it is based off of the wardrobe basics list that Calexico uses, which is a modern and fashionable boutique in Brisbane.
The rules:
Basics don’t count and are always allowed
Accessories don’t count
Shoes do count
Socks and underwear don’t count
All the rest counts
Pretty simple, right?
The Calexico Basics (my choices/substitutions are in parenthesis):
Tops
Black, grey, and white t-shirt
Black, grey, and white tank
Silk shirt/blouse (button down white shirt)
Black dress
Blazer
Simple cashmere sweater (black simple cardigan)
Bottoms
Black trousers (Black skinny pants)
Skinny jeans
Boyfriend jeans
Leather trousers (Black wide leg pants)
Black pencil skirt
Jackets
Leather jacket (Gray Wool Peacoat)
Trench coat
Winter coat
A complete black suit
Shoes
Black stilettos
Mid-heeled ankle boots
Flats
Summer sandals
Sneakers
Accessories
Gold or silver watch
Neutral leather bag
Clutch
Different blogs and websites had a little variation on the basics, so this is my version of what will work for me. From my perspective, when you look at your wardrobe this way in terms of style and basics, you will see the holes right away. For example, I had none of these t-shirt colors in my wardrobe.
Helpful tips:
Choose a neutral base color and stick with that for your shoe and coat choices. I recommend black, especially for achieving the quintessential French look.
From what I have read, French women wear scarves daily. Remember- these don’t count in your seasonal 5 pieces, so choose colorful scarves to accessorize.
Go through your wardrobe first and get rid of all of the clothes you don’t like or don’t wear. Don’t save clothes for a special occasion. If you haven’t worn it in the last year, or hate how it looks on you, get rid of it.
(Now, I don't have the original photos, so I'll use my own to illustrate this. After all, this capsule wardrobe is made after this list. -Ketutar
Also, I replaced the leather pants with another pencil skirt.)
