Seasonless, timeless wardrobe essentials…

One of the most frequently asked questions in my DMs is “where would you start if you wanted to invest in a designer bag for the first time?” Or shoes, or jewelry?

I wholeheartedly believe that looking polished and building an investment wardrobe is not about having a huge closet full of designer items – it’s about having the right ones. The ones that come in handy the most often and can be styled multiple ways. The ones that you reach for time and time again that make your “cost per wear” minimal (does anyone else rationalize things this way?)

Here is where I would start, or check in, to be sure you have your bases covered. Below are 5 seasonless, timeless designer splurges to invest in and some of my favorite options for each. These are tried and true pieces that I turn to again and again.

BLACK POINTED TOE PUMP 

As classic as it gets! This can be as easily styled with an LBD for a cocktail event or wedding as it can with jeans, a tee and a blazer for a dinner out. This is the one shoe shape that I most often find myself looking for when I put on a dress and think – “it needs a simple black pump.”

GOLD JEWELRY

A gold necklace, pair of huggies or hoops, or a gold bracelet pairs with anything and makes even the simplest outfit come alive. You simply can’t go wrong. You all know I’m a jewelry girl through and through and this is where I’ll spend my money first! I love that jewelry literally “stays on” you – I think about going to a dinner party where I might take my nice coat off and set down my bag, but jewelry quite literally always stays on to shine and elevate the look. I even love gold (and diamonds!) with sweatpants.

When starting to invest in some gold jewelry pieces I would avoid trends and stick to some classic daily shapes such as a link necklace, pave huggies, stackable rings, or bracelets. If you have multiple earlobe piercings like I do, you can start layering and having fun with it.

Note – I included some options below from EF Collection and they generously gave my followers a discount – you can use my code SOPHIE15 for 15% off sitewide on all fine jewelry and diamonds! I recently got these studs and I love them.

CLASSIC BAG

This really deserves its own blog post, but I’ll keep it short and sweet here by saying that before buying colorful bags or unique shapes, I’d recommend a beautiful neutral leather bag in either a tote/top handle style or a classic shoulder bag style. As you build a collection, ideally you have a black bag and a cream or taupe bag (I’d start with black). I’ve linked a small curation of favorites. I love checking out Fwrd and Cettire for bags (they always has the best prices) and I love to browse The Real Real for like-new bags at a discount.

BLACK BLAZER

Essential! Like your black pumps, a black blazer will be paired with anything from a cocktail dress to jeans. I most often wear mine with jeans actually – it balances out denim so well and makes a pair of jeans appropriate for nearly any occasion. Countless times when I don’t feel like wearing a dress but want to look dressed up, I’ll grab a pair of high waist, straight leg denim and dress it up with a silky top and blazer.

I’m partial to Anine Bing because I think her fabrics are very high quality and feel like a high-end designer without the price tag of a YSL blazer. I’ve worn my Anine Bing Kaya blazer more times than I can count. L’AGENCE and Frankie Shop also make great options. I tend to learn towards more boxy, longer blazers that have a menswear vibe but now and again a beautiful tailored one catches my eye too.

EVENING BAG

I was really split between an evening bag and a pair of designer sunglasses as my 5th item choice – but we’re going with evening bag! Some of the bags I picked above can really go from day to night – more so the shoulder bag styles – but I also recommend a smaller clutch or envelope shape bag for evening. I wear my little YSL envelope clutch all the time – I always grab it for weddings – and it fits most than you’d think. I’ve linked some other small evening appropriate bags.