Over the years I’ve tried to avoid telling you all that every woman NEEDS a certain item in their closet, like a white button down.  That’s on almost every “Wardrobe Essentials” list I’ve seen, yet I’ve never really felt the need for one.  I have one and I almost never wear it.

That said, many of you have told me that you wish someone would tell you what to purchase to build your wardrobe and that it would make your life easier.  I tried to make the Starter Kit Shopping List from the Wardrobe From Scratch Series more generalized so that you could tailor the specifics according to your lifestyle and preferences.  However, there are others of you who wish that list would be even more specific.

I’ve really been trying to avoid that, but lately I’ve realized how helpful that would be to those who want it.  You see, we’ve been trying to put our living room together and we have NO IDEA what we’re doing.  If you follow me on Snapchat (audreyPMT) you might have gotten glimpses of our horrifically mismatched and UN-put-together household.  Through the entire process I’ve wanted someone whose interior design eye I admire to tell me EXACTLY which pieces to buy so that I can copy as much or little of it as I want.  And then I realized that is how some people may feel about a wardrobe.  I get it now!

So, for those of you who actually want a specified list, I’ve created a sample spring wardrobe in hopes it will help you.  But, PLEASE hear me:

• You do NOT NEED to get these specific pieces or even pieces like these.
• Along with each piece I wrote the generalized description, like “patterned blouse” instead of “floral blouse,” because if you don’t even like florals, why should you have a floral blouse?
• Adapt it according to your preferences.  Use this list as it helps you.  This is a base starting place.  Switch out items, add more if you want, use less if you want, ignore it altogether.  Let the list serve you instead of you serving the list.

Shop for the Items
Items below are exact or similar to what’s shown above. If the exact item is not linked that means it is no longer available.  Items with an asterisk* are either exact or versions I personally own. 

Row 1:  leather jacket  |  denim jacket  |  utility jacket  |  utility vest  |  jersey blazer*  |  woven blazer

Row 2:  green sweater*  |  sweatshirt*  |  cardigan*  |  gingham button up*  |  olive blouse*

Row 3:  floral blouse*  |  white tunic*  |  striped tee  |  navy blouse  |  cream blouse*

Row 4:  striped tee  |  navy top*  |  green top  |  white skirt*  |  magenta skirt (additional version)

Row 5:  grey dress  |  striped dress  |  black maxi dress*  |  dark jeans*  |  bootcut jeans*  |  white jeans

Row 6:  ankle boots  |  sneakers*  |  tan flats*  |  mint flats*  |  glitter sandals*

Row 7:  leopard flats*  |  tan wedges*  |  white wedges*  |  brown pumps*  |  nude pumps*

For accessories, I’d go with My Go-To’s That Pack a Punch!

Again, this is just a sample.  You can use this as a starting point for the proportion of solid shirts versus patterned, colored versus neutral, and how those numbers affect the kinds of bottoms you need.  The idea is for you to use this as a base that you can expand upon.  However, the more I look at this list the more it’s clear that this list alone would totally suffice if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to think about clothes for the rest of the season.  There are SO many outfit options even with just these pieces.

• I chose a grey jersey knit blazer because these things feel like sweatshirts but look way more put together.  See one in action and read more about them HERE.  Great for a casual to dressy casual wardrobe.  I also included a normal woven blazer to dress things up a little when you want to.
• Another really cute option for a casual dress that can be dressed up is one from Old Navy (HERE) in navy or white.  I’m normally S/M and I got Medium.
• If you’re looking for a more interesting and on-trend shoe option, a blush lace up flat like THIS ONE would work really well.
• If you want to make it more casual, swap out a blouse or two for a cotton tee, add another pair of sneakers, and swap out the magenta skirt for a cotton skirt.