5 easy pieces - not the line but the philosophy

[falsestart]

As I try and build a tight, solid wardrobe I have this fantasy that yes, I can make it on 5 great pieces of clothing. Yet in practice I find myself staring at a closet of shoes and drawers of pants etc, etc............. Compared to most I have very few items, yet just when I think I am getting focused all of a sudden I am either buying more things or questioning what I have. In essence I would like to have the kind of wardrobe where whatever I pull out is going to look great.............. What do you all think, is this realistic? Do other folks struggle with these issues? (well all things considered this isn't really a big issue)

Jeff

 

[ken]

It's possible. You just have to get over the "I just wore this yesterday" barrier. I wear the same thing everyday, and it makes getting dressed in the morning a lot easier.

 

[chronoaug]

I mean, it could work but as ken said, you'd be wearing the same clothes pretty much every day.

Good dark jeans
khakis
white tshirt/vneck
dress shirt (i saw a few boo ones i'd consider for my 1 dress shirt)
good leather jacket like the schott ones

Assuming you are allowed a pair of boots and a pair of dress shoes, you'd pretty much be set for super minimialism. However, the 5 pieces you own are going to be very basic looking so you won't have much color or interesting details/stying. You could get away with most social situations that way too assuming you still keep 1 suit since it doesn't really count as a piece but a necessary thing for certain occasions.

 

[itskub]

so youd probably have 5 or 6 outfits.. thatd get old in a month. i wouldnt wear dress shoes with khakis and a white t.. yuck. plus the tshirt would probably need to be replaced every other week.

as much as i like the idea, realistically youd have to include a few more things. 2 or 3 button downs, 1 or 2 sweaters, a polo?, grey slacks, sneakers, belts, and a blazer.

 

[Fuuma]

Supposing you get a supply of 5 of each of these as an extra (underwear, socks, white tees).

1-a pair of white high top, those get even better with wear (mine would be white chuck taylor high)
2-a pair of black boots (I'd pick carpe diem 5 holes-non-distressed version)
3-a pair of black jeans (cloak or DH 19cm)
4-a 2B, SV slim black jacket (I'd pick lad musician or dior)
5-a 2b, sv slim grey jacket (same brands)

This would work much better with 10 items, I'd add:

6-a leather jacket (lad side zip or Margiela 3 zips)
7-a pair of black pants (CCP x-stitch or CDG H+)
8-a pair of raw jeans (APC NS or Jomons, maybe DH 19CM)
9-a black belt (Engineered Garment)
10-a tuxedo/velvet/dressy 1B jacket (I'd choose Lanvin or Paul Smith)

I pretty much dress like that in the summer, except for the leather jacket. I have more sportscoats pants and boots/shoes though.

 

[Tarmac]

funny how 5 easy pieces turns into 10 not so easy pieces multiplied by a factor of 7 so that everyone knows you aren't wearing the same clothes every day

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

funny how 5 easy pieces turns into 10 not so easy pieces multiplied by a factor of 7 so that everyone knows you aren't wearing the same clothes every day

That's probably because the "5 easy pieces" in the label name aren't about only owning 5 garments but concern the acquisition of 5 perfect basics that will be the foundation of your wardrobe. I mean it's pretty much impossible to have only 5 different garments in your wardrobe unless you wear the same underwear, shoes, pants and tee everyday (socks+undies+tee+pants+belt=5).

 

[falsestart]

Thanks for the thoughts, Yeah I think it's about getting those 5 or so perfect items and recycling them through and through. I think its good to put limitations on oneself as a way being creative with what you have. Thanks for the list Fuuma, it's instructive and I think you've hit all the must haves. I'm a great admirer of the Lad line, although I've not had much luck tracking it down here in the states. Love the sleeves on some of those jackets.............

 

[Lel]

I think I could easily get by with

1.) Dark leather converse
2.) Clarks Desert Boots
3.) Raw Denim (Nudies)
4.) One *perfect* button-up, probably white (BoO)
5.) Jacket (Dark, probably leather)

Everything else I could throw in random tees and I'd be fine.

 

[DGP]

I also tend to think it's about having five things, each of which you can build any outfit around. You need one of those basic items, which go with anything, and then you add in other pieces as needed to complete the outfit. Thinking about it, pretty much every outfit I wear includes at least one of these items, but not all at once, and different ones every day.

 

[Fuuma]

Originally Posted by falsestart

Thanks for the thoughts, Yeah I think it's about getting those 5 or so perfect items and recycling them through and through. I think its good to put limitations on oneself as a way being creative with what you have. Thanks for the list Fuuma, it's instructive and I think you've hit all the must haves. I'm a great admirer of the Lad line, although I've not had much luck tracking it down here in the states. Love the sleeves on some of those jackets.............

Well I've hit all the must haves for me, I'm sure others would lament the lack of sweaters, hoodies, dress shirts and dress shoes.

 

[Hard2Fit]

What are the five basics?

Pants, jeans, t-shirt, dress shirt, jacket?

I assume everything else is considered an accessory then (ie, shoes, belts, hats, underwear, etc.)

 

[nicelynice]

Carpe Diem Backzips
Margiela GATs, all-white
Dior 19cm, black or indigo
Grey crew-neck
Leather jacket (ToJ, margiela 5-zip, attachment, Rick intarsia, basically something easy to wear)

I wear this 90% of the weekend.

 

[xCrunchx]

lols

 

[GraphicNovelty]

Originally Posted by nicelynice

Carpe Diem Backzips Margiela GATs, all-white Dior 19cm, black or indigo Grey crew-neck Leather jacket (ToJ, margiela 5-zip, attachment, Rick intarsia, basically something easy to wear) I wear this 90% of the weekend.
+1 Military surplus Jump Boots APC NS black or indigo Crew-neck T Uniqlo hoodie if it gets cold. ToJ moto.