Love for new clothes is undeniable when there is so much fashion happening around us. But you are too swift in buying clothing pieces on the spur of the moment, and soon your wardrobe is jampacked like a local train and there is hardly any space for anything as small as a kerchief.
Besides, after one or two sessions of wear most of the items seem expired and unappealing, and to make the situation worse they don’t even coordinate with anything, at all.
What to do?
The solution might seem contradictory at first. To adopt an interchangeable wardrobe, have minimum pieces, all independently wearable and fully interchangeable.
The benefit is- maximum outfits from minimum coordinates.
Sounds good. Let us take a deeper dive together.
What is an Interchangeable Wardrobe?
Imagine a closet as a collection of indispensable clothes plus a few special items based on season and occupation. With basics at hand one might play around with fashionable items.
An interchangeable wardrobe may include a minimum number -say foundational shirts, trousers and jeans, vital winter jackets and blazers, at least 1 suit and a few pairs of necessary footwear.
Now picture this, All shirts coordinate with all trousers. All jackets or blazers complement each outfit they are teamed with. An all-round suit that works independently and as separates too. Shoes, formal plus casual to cover a range of dress codes.
If all these items can harmoniously work with one another, you have an array of ensembles ready to wear, new each day, nonstop for several days.
Having less number of extremely functional and versatile clothes mean full mileage out of a controlled wardrobe. Moreover, it is easily manageable and looks appealing.
Core Pieces
No matter what dress code one chooses to wear, but there are always certain items of clothing that deserve a definite place in an interchangeable wardrobe. Shirts and trousers, for instance, make up a larger portion of any collection.
Top pieces
Buy more shirts than trousers since they sit at the center of a put-together look. In fact, any outfit will start with a nice and sharp shirt. By bringing a variety of shirts men can create more versions of an outfit.
An array of shirts including- Oxfords, dress shirts, button-downs, and casual shirts come in handy.
T-shirts are casual counterparts of shirts. In general, it is a part of casual ensemble. But choosing the right style is crucial since you need to pick the most classic items for your interchangeable wardrobe.
Think polo which has dual personality, part t-shirt, part shirt. This all-round number can cover a wide range of outfits. Mix it with dress trousers and you turn the knob towards smart casual. Pair a polo with jeans and blazer and instantly you switch to business casual.
Bottoms
Pants are the second most vital element of a capsule wardrobe. Luckily men have a variety of designs to exploit. From traditional pleated pants to flat-fronted semi-formal types, every category fits a particular context.
When gearing down to semi-formal and casual we have chinos and jeans. While chinos are dressier trousers, jean pants can change the whole game in a relaxed environment.
Statement Pieces
Building an essential collection does not have to be flat and uninspiring. Advertising some personality through statement clothing should also be a part of it. Why not incorporate a few practical and elegant pieces. An overcoat, to start with, is a powerful implement to express individual sartorial acumen while simultaneously enhancing warmth and aesthetics.
Another multifaceted item is a leather jacket, which offers dozens of variants. One in a quality material sans embellishment could last you a decade and go with several outfits.
Rollneck is third quintessential article men should include to merge different dress codes. Either wear it underneath a layer or as a standalone t-shirt with trousers, it can amazingly merge two different dress codes.
Grey flannel pants are a highly feasible pair to boost interchangeability of any wardrobe. They are easily workable trousers across important occasions.
Evergreen Colours
A badly colour-coordinated outfit speaks ill of the wearer and tarnishes the image. If one can learn to incorporate essential colours that blend and complement flawlessly, they can build an exceptionally interchangeable wardrobe.
The focus will be on the most dominant colours that flatter most complexions and interact together impeccably. Some examples are- white blues, greys, and suchlike.
According to sartorial science navy, blue, brown, white and grey are four powerful colours. By mastering these fundamental tones one can not only cash in on any colour combination but can also enliven any pedestrian attire.
Other adaptable colours are olive, pink and light blue.
Focus on Pattern and Texture
Interchangeability also depends on interpreting how mixing patterns work, and how textures enhance or set apart one fabric from the other.
Let us first talk about patterns. Stripes and checks are two predominant patterns found in menswear. All patterned garments will display the various designs of these two. Stripes can be broken down into pinstripes, thick stripes, or slant lines. Others popular patterns are houndstooth and herringbone.
For the most part gingham, glen check, and windowpane will showcase more versatility, therefore agree with other patterns.
Go for most compatible patterns to have a perfectly coordinating wardrobe. Choosing a wrong pattern that clashes with others will defeat the purpose of an interchangeable wardrobe.
Overall, bring in patterns that blend well and appear well-matched. Also judge the proportions of two patterns before juxtaposing together. One pattern should not overwhelm or diminish the other one but complement it.
Texture is another big factor to determine the inclusion of a fabric. Having a variety of textured clothing is an ideal setting for a fully organized well thought-out minimal wardrobe. But the question is, to what extent one should embrace texture.
Some must-have textured fabrics are twill, linen, flannel, tweed, seersucker, corduroy. Each of them has something special about it, but you can’t have all of them when you are integrating only essential items.
Choose the ones that are in keeping with the standards and conveniently mix and match. Sometime texture won’t work with flat fabrics.
Take wool and denim. Wool has a flat handle while denim is full of texture. Anyone mixing these two would make a style blunder. As a basic rule, texture will conform to texture only, given in right proportions.
So, in the above case a tweed or corduroy would look more appropriate with denim than wool.
Consider Season
Climate is critical for the integration of an ideal interchangeable wardrobe. Winters, summers, and rains call for three different types of special garment. Sweaters, puffer jackets, overcoats and hoodies are fundamentals of colder months.
Hot months demand more lightweight and breathable articles of clothing and thin layering pieces. Linen and cotton shirts, shorts, comfortable chinos, loafers will make the most part of the collection.
Raincoat, heeled boots, and other hydrophobic fabrics will come into play during rainy season.
As a whole, some items will go out and some will come in according as the weather changes.
