Closet Staples for Winter Work Outfits: 7 Amazon Pieces Worth Owning
TL;DR Winter work outfits are easier with seven closet staples: kick crop pants, office shoes in the same color, a button-down, a merino sweater, a third piece, weatherproof boots, and a work tote. Pair the pants and shoes in one color, then build the top half around a button-down and a merino sweater, with a cardigan or jacket for the finish. Preshop each piece in Adjust My Crown before you buy: compare it side by side with what you own, save it to “Shopping Maybes,” and run the 3-Look Check. Log today’s outfit in Adjust My Crown: iPhone · Android This post contains affiliate links. See the full disclosure at the bottom. It’s Sunday night, and someone’s “work wardrobe essentials” list is open on our phone. It all looks so good on her. We add three things to the cart before we’ve even looked at what’s already hanging in our closet. The box we ordered Sunday comes Wednesday. One thing fits. One sort of fits. One goes in the return pile, and the return pile sits by the door for two weeks. By the time it’s gone, we’ve spent an evening trying things on, a lunch break at the drop-off counter, and a little peace. Then in spring, we purge the thing that sort of fit. Time you can’t get back. So this list works differently. These are seven closet staples for winter work outfits, straight from Amazon, picked to work three ways with each other and with what you already own. And before any of them go in your cart, you’ll preshop them. More on that below. What are the closet staples for winter work outfits? Kick crop pants, office shoes in the same color, a button-down, a merino sweater, a third piece like a cardigan or jacket, weatherproof boots, and a work tote with shoe bags. You might already own some of them. They come straight from my formula for winter work outfits for women. The Bottom Half: Kick Crop Pants and Matching Shoes 1. Kick crop pants Picture navy kick crop pants with navy block heels. The eye reads one long line from waist to floor, and suddenly the top half can be almost anything. Bonus points if the pants are a pull-on style and don’t have a zip. Here’s a stylist trick to test in AMC: match your pants and your shoes, and you don’t have to think about the shirt. In winter, a dark monochrome bottom half also hides slush splashes better than anything light. With Adjust My Crown, test pant and shoe combinations side by side to find your favorite combinations of what you own. It helps you see with less critical eyes and more honest judgment (without the negative self-talk), and it helps you remember. Start with these kick crop pants from Amazon that come in navy, black and gray. Cost Per Wear: Twice a week from November through February is about 30 wears, so $35.99 ÷ 30 = $1.20 per wear. Conventional wisdom says start with black pants and black shoes. I’d challenge you to consider navy pants with navy shoes, camel with a beautiful cognac suede or leopard, or even burgundy pants with a burgundy pair of shoes. Black may not scream you. 2. Office shoes in the same color If you only buy one pair of office shoes this winter, buy them in your pants’ color. On commute days, they ride in your tote (see #7). Yes, I’m telling you to buy pants and shoes in the same color to keep life simple, but I have to always break the rules. I’m sorry. If you’ve already mastered this monochromatic bottom half situation (where you can do monochromatic and then something fun/anything on top) consider stretching outside the boundaries, like a neutral that’s a leopard, metallic, or a green croc pattern, etc. The Top Half: A Button-Down and a Merino Sweater 3. A button-down I have one beaded necklace that sits perfectly inside any high-collared button-down. Very niche, I know. But that’s the point of a staple: it gives your favorite things somewhere to land. I bought the necklace from a flea market in Amsterdam near Rembrandt’s house. Also very niche. The memory of it makes me as happy as the way it sits perfectly in a V-neck or button-down. The rule: pick the collar height that works on your neck, not the one on the model. In winter, the button-down is your base layer, with the collar peeking out from a sweater or a cardigan. Four to preshop: one, two, three, four. 4. A merino sweater Picture a merino sweater over that button-down, collar out. Merino is warm but breathes. Watch out for synthetic fabrics, though you can find so many cute sweaters that use them. Don’t assume a crewneck is your best bet. Crewneck, V-neck, turtleneck: compare them side by side on you, and let the winner be your sort of uniform. Three to try: one, two, three. Your button-down shouldn’t feel boring to you or feel like a costume. If a ruffle collar pulled out of a sweater is more fun, and more “you” (and it’s appropriate in your office), lean that way over something more basic, by adding something like this tucked under the sweater. Preshop Before You Buy What does it mean to preshop? It means comparing a piece before it goes in your cart, either against another option you’re shopping or against the closest thing you already own. Here’s how I do it in Adjust My Crown: Then run it through the purchase filter, the 3-Look Check: Three ways or wait. A calmer closet starts before checkout. The Third Piece: Cardigans and Jackets 5. A cardigan or jacket Picture a cardigan over the button-down, or a blazer on a dressier day. Maybe a bomber jacket on a more casual day. Same pants, same shoes, a whole different outfit. The tip: the third piece is what makes an outfit look finished. In winter, it’s also