The wardrobes I admire most have two halves to them. There's a foundation of very good things worn constantly, and there's everything else: the print you fell for, the colour that surprised you, the piece you bought for one night and then wore all summer. Forty years in, I can tell you the two halves need each other.
The pieces below are the foundation. They aren't new, and that's the point. They're the ones that come back season after season, that work as hard in their fifth year as their first, and that give the exciting things somewhere to land. Get these right and you get more out of everything else you own.
The white shirt
Not fitted, not fussy. A men's-style shirt in a crisp cotton poplin, with a proper collar and a sleeve you can roll. Slightly oversized is better than slightly small.
Worn open over a tee, tucked into tailored trousers, or on its own with denim, it's the single most flexible thing you can own. Buy the best fabric you can. A good poplin holds its shape for years; a bad one goes limp after five washes.
In store: Matteau Classic Pocket Shirt
The midi skirt
A slim column, ankle-grazing skirt. Jersey, wool or leather all work; the shape matters.
It does the job a dress can't, because you control the top half. Flat shoes and a knit for day, a heel and a shirt for anything else. If you're unsure of the length, the rule is simple: it should end where your leg is narrowest, not widest.
In store: Skirts
The white tee
The hardest of the seven to get right, and the one most people underestimate.
Look for a heavier cotton with a boxy body and a sleeve that finishes mid-bicep. It shouldn't cling, and it shouldn't be see-through. A good white tee under a blazer looks considered; a thin one looks like an undershirt. Buy two.
In store: Jac and Jack Cab Tee
The tailored short
Knee-length, properly cut, in the same fabric you'd expect from a good trouser. This is the piece that surprises people. It's also the one they reach for all summer.
Worn with a blazer and a flat, it reads as tailoring rather than holiday-wear. Which is exactly what makes it useful here, where half the year is too warm for trousers and too formal for anything else.
The fine knit
A slim, fine-gauge knit in a neutral: camel, grey, black, cream. Crew or roll neck, both earn their place.
The test is what it looks like under a jacket. A fine knit sits flat and lets the tailoring do the work; a chunky one fights it. Merino or cashmere if the budget allows, because the difference shows in year three, not year one.
In store: Knitwear
The jean
Mid-blue, straight or relaxed, in a rigid or near-rigid denim. Nothing distressed, nothing overworked.
The denim in our name has been here since 1983, and the thing I'd say after all that time is that fit beats brand every time. The right jean is the one that works on your body, and finding it is worth the half hour it takes in a fitting room.
In store: Denim
Where to start
You don't need all of them at once, and you certainly shouldn't stop there, these are your base. A foundation isn't a rule about restraint. It's the thing that lets you buy the standout piece each season and actually wear it, because you already have the shirt, the knit and the shoes that make it work.
Start with the one or two you'd reach for this week. Then come and find the pieces you love.
We're in store seven days a week, and we'd happily walk you through what's just landed alongside the pieces that will still be earning their place in five years. Seasonal styling is what we've been doing for over forty years, and it's the part of the job we love most.
