Uh oh. Your partner invited you to be their plus one at a wedding this weekend. Or you found out your uncle passed away and the family wants you to be at the funeral. Or a client is asking to chat about a new business proposal over coffee. So, what do you wear? Well, according to a popular thread on Reddit, you should invest in a go-to, versatile “neutral” outfit that could fit in all of those situations and more.
The original poster notes (and experts agree) that it’s good to have an outfit that’s clean and in your closet that could be worn at any occasion. While it’s good to have an assortment of clothes that would reflect the occasion such a black suit for funerals or a formal brightly colored dress for summer weddings, they might not always be available because they’re in storage, need to be washed or dry cleaned, or need to be tailored. Other issues might be that you can’t afford to buy something or you simply can't find anything appropriate on such short notice and you need something suitable to wear now. Having one multi-purpose outfit at the ready comes in handy for times such as these.
@christina.mychas Here’s power of styling & making sure you own some good basics in your wardrobe. Im styling 4 different outfits using the same 1 base outfit: a bodysuit and black jeans. Switch out layers, jewelry, hairstylr and even accessories and youve got a completely different look with the same few pieces. I dont have a small wardrobe, but i do like to be able to maxmize what each item i own or buy next will bring me. Shopping is easy, styling is a skill. #shopyourcloset #1item4ways #outfitrepeater #wardrobebasics #capsulewardrobestyle
The Redditors listed some of their go-to outfits and combinations:
“Mine’s just a simple black dress with flats. Low effort, no panic.”
“I have been wearing the same classic skirt and top for all the events you mentioned since 2005!”
“I bought one new cheap suit 13 years ago, a dark charcoal suit and have two long sleeve soft pastel shirts with it in a waterproof hanging bag. It had two ties and a pair of highly buffed but not spit shinned black shoes in the bag. I wear this for weddings and funerals changing into it just before the event and out of it right after. It gets aired out and stored when back home. The garments get dry cleaned as needed.”
“A tea length Aline black dress that covers the shoulders so it's allowed in any church, and flats that I know I will be comfortable if I'm on my feet for hours…My partner has a pair of black slacks, a black dress shirt, and a black tie washed and pressed in the closet for the same reason.”
@realrobertjones The Only Suit You’ll Ever Need…
What should be your go-to outfit?
Clothing experts tend to side with neutral colors such as black, gray, white, or charcoal so it can look formal and serious but also open to other, lighter affairs. While having the same “base” dress or suit is key, other experts recommend having additional add-ons in order to better match the outfit to the event in question. For men, this could be having a couple different tie options, shoe choices, and different colored buttoned shirts to better fit the mood of the occasion. For women, this could be different shoes, jewelry, shawls, or other accessories that can match with their base dress but denote the mood of the occasion.
@savvimac One base, four looks!!!🫶🏼 #wearingvsstyling #ootd #1base4looks #howtostyle #howtostyle
Just be sure to note whether there is a strict dress code for the event and follow it to the letter so you don’t commit a faux pas. Other than that, investing and getting expert advice from tailors and your own comfort can help you assemble the right go-to outfit for you.
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