Do they exist?
When you hear the phrase ‘fashion basics’ what comes to mind? What about ‘capsule wardrobe’ or better still ‘wardrobe essentials’. Are they fashion theories or marketing tools?
Considering I don’t have time for fashion rules, you can probably guess my position. When researching fashion basics, it was hard to find anything that wasn’t a consumer driven list of basics we ‘need’ or ‘essentials for the season’, The season or year for that matter seems irrelevant to the material produced in these articles. I’m not interested in trends but rather the history of how this concept came about and how we can navigate it in terms of sustainability and of course our personal wardrobes.
Let’s start with a very simple definition. Dictionary.com define a basic dress as ‘a simple, usually dark dress that may be worn with various accessories or in combination with other garments so that it is suitable for different occasions.’ Cornell University defines basics products as ‘a product bought/sold for years with few style changes’. Iowa State University as part of the Dress, Appearance, and Diversity in U.S Society course, state, ‘Fads and classics describe concepts, styles, or ideas that are different from fashion trends. Classics are items that have prolonged lives and do not necessarily go out of fashion.’. If the driving force behind basics is longevity both in style and function, why would we need to buy more each year?
I’m going to come back to my original question and now ask you to think about your personal style and wardrobe. Do you have items you consider basics based on your style, or the items themselves? I need freedom in clothing to express my personality and moods so a basic for me is a striped top. I wear stripes in various forms, in a variety of ways and on repeat, year after year after year. Some may argue that one’s personal style could be a plain white t-shirt which is often described as a ‘basic wardrobe item’ and I would say to those people, knock yourself out. But only if you feel fabulous and comfortable wearing white t-shits, not because you’ve been told you ‘need’ them in your wardrobe.
Join me on Sunday 5th May, 8:30pm, live on Instagram to explore this idea with a preloved maternity wardrobe. As always, I’d love to hear from and see you, so join the live, show us what you are wearing or ask any styling questions you may have.
See you Sunday.
Jo @motherdragon
