In these days of recession and uncertainty, building a wise wardrobe that will survive the whims of fashion and will serve as a useful basis for mixing and matching is a recommendation that is hard to reject. The guiding principle is a set of clothing in basic colors and classic styles, all of whose components combine with one another. Boring? Brighten it up with accessories, hairstyles and makeup.
The basic building blocks are: two blouses/shirts with collars in neutral colors, like white, off-white or black, or even an alluring color like red, purple or any other favorite color; a black viscose or light wool suit whose jacket or pants can be worn alone, or a black wool or leather jacket and a pair of tailored tweed-type pants and knit tops to wear instead of the cotton shirts on cold days (also in neutral colors, or maybe bright ones for a touch of pizzazz).
If black is not your favorite color, choose something in a light brown shade, which always looks classy and goes well with many other colors. It's a good idea to choose a jacket and pants in a matching shade or a complete suit, which will always look impressive. If you already have a suit or matching tailored jackets and pants, it's worth buying a long classic wool or suede coat, the kind that is suitable for winter and always looks good. This season there are some classic coats for sale in the fashion chain stores at not overly high prices, in suede or wool in a selection of safe shades.
For variety you can wear knit tops, jackets and coats with a print skirt instead of tailored pants, or with blue jeans or corduroy pants. Bags, watches, boots, shoes, and colorful makeup are the most useful tools for creating different looks and adding color.
