Building a good wardrobe is all about having strong foundations. In this weekly series I will take you through the steps of building the wardrobe that will work for your life. You won't need to break the bank to make it work. These are practical simple clothing pieces that can be bought at any Winners/ TJ Maxx, Forever 21, H&M, thrift or consignment store.
#1 JEANS
We'll start with the most obvious piece (aside from underwear). To me that is a well fitted pair of dark wash denim. No bells and whistles, no distressing, no whiskers or patches, no studs or sequins. Plain jane 4 or 5 pocket straight or wide leg jeans with a medium rise. You can wear them dressy or casual.
If you have slim hips and thighs go for straight legged. If you are a bit curvy aim for "straight down from the hip", not as in you're "shooting straight from the hip", but rather the jeans go straight to the ground from your hips creating one lean long line.
These 2 pairs happen to be Levis, and no I'm not getting paid to endorse them. The fact is that they could be any brand of jeans, so long as they fit you well. The better the fit, the more expensive they will look on you. Try to avoid "crotch sag" or "butt bag" and definitely stay far away from "sausage rolls" when the jeans are too tight and your legs look like they are squeezed into sausage casings.
I like jeans that have lycra in them. They keep their shape better and allow you to feel more comfortable when you move.
From the front the jeans should sit flat, the crotch should be where you real crotch is and in the back you should have a nice crease under your butt.
I know it's an absolute nightmare trying to find a great pair of jeans. They can be like finding a good husband/boyfriend, you might need to try on quite a few pairs before you find the perfect one.
Before you go shopping for these jeans… shop when you're in a good mood (not when you are bloated or PMS-ing), be patient, I promise once you find that perfect pair they will be worth it and (barring weight gain or loss) will last for a lifetime. Take someone shopping with you that will give you an honest opinion (forget the salespeople they will tell you look like Rhianna when in fact you look like Honey Boo Boos Momma on a bad day).
A bad pair of jeans will make you cry and feel horrible about yourself, a great pair of jeans will make you feel like you can concur the world. So don't give up…there are great jeans out there for everyone and they are my first item in your 10 basic wardrobe foundations.
