The Only 11 Things In Our Closet We Bought In Multiple Colors, They're Just That Good
by The Candidly Team
We’ve reached a point where we’re done opening our closet and hating all our clothes.
Something about it feels like we’re still 19, buying hodgepodge pieces that, when assembled, make us look like a mannequin in an Urban Outfitters.
These days, our goal is simple: to dress classic and chic with the littlest possible effort. And we’ve realized the only way to do that is to fill our closet with staple pieces that are individually best in class.
The rule isn’t new, but the idea is basically this: Find something that fits to perfection and buy it in a few colors - not in a robotic Mark Zuckerberg way but in a thoughtful Carolyn Bessette Kennedy way.
Well, we have found 11 such items.
Each one makes us dress better on a daily basis. They’re perfect on their own but they’re also the perfect thing to pair with all our more vibrant, statementy pieces, so we can easily achieve balance without having to ask “what the hell do I wear with this to make it an outfit?”
We’ll let you in on the fact that practically every single one of us at The Candidly (all of different heights and tastes and body types) went out and bought these pieces because they are that good. And we even included our own non-model photos for your reference.
Ready to take a look?
1. This Perfect, Effortless Midi Skirt
Maybe you’ve seen this skirt before, lingering round our site, because we never seem to shut up about it. And we don’t plan to, at least not as long as Free People keeps it in stock (note: colors sell out constantly). It truly is that perfect, floaty midi skirt we always dream of finding. It nips the waist and falls beautifully over hips and butts in a way that doesn’t add bulk but givea you a gorgeous hourglass. The front has a smooth, even band so you look polished, but the back is elastic so you live in total comfort - even after eating all the bread. We bought it in black … then white … then one wildcard color that spoke to our individual souls.
Price-wise, designer brands like to charge like 3 times as much for skirts like these. And this one is just as good. Better even.
Price: $60
2. This Most Flattering Fitted Tee In Existence
Everlane The Luxe Micro-Rib Scoop-Neck Tee
The problem with most fitted tees is that the sleeve hits right at the thickest part of our arms, which can make us look wider on top – not unlike a linebacker. This is even more true when you add a high crewneck. It sounds like an overstatement, but this tee is wildly special in that the ¾ sleeve and gorgeous scooped neckline frames your chest and shoulders in the most flattering, elongating way possible. It’s the tee you want to reach for daily because it gives you your best shape and just the right amount of coverage. Plus, the ribbing is so smoothing and the fabric so whisper soft, you can wear in the heat while still feeling light and cool.
Sidenote: These are also our favorite linen trousers, pictured above. The fit is beyond. We own them in black and white and don’t wear any of our other pants more often all through the spring/ summer.
Price: $40
3. These Cropped Pants We Buy In Every Color That Comes Out Because The Fit Is Unreal
The Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Pants by Maeve
We actually wrote a whole long article about these pants. The “magic” of them is that the fabric has this stretchy, non-suffocating way of smoothing over bumps. They’re incredible on thicker thighs and melt over a belly pooch, which makes them ideal for both apple and pear shapes, but if you’re built more straight, they also have this inexplicable way of sort of giving you curves. Throwing them on each day is an effortless hack for looking “put together” while feeling like you’re in joggers. And when you get them in one of their more notable colors (they come out with SO many good ones year-round), you instantly look styled and seasonal and like you can just tuck in any boring tee or tank and be done. Oh, and if it’s hot where you are, they also have a linen version that does all these same magical things.
Price: $120
4. These Most Comfortable Heeled Sandals Known To Man
Nisolo Stella Go-To Block Heel Sandal
We started to really steer away from heels the past few years, because we value the sanity that comes with not being in constant pain. But we didn’t love giving up on the height and lift and gorgeousness of heels. And recently, we’ve found some gems in the form of comfortable heeled shoes that make our outfits (and our legs) look incredible but that feel like cushioned, supportive, orthopedic bassinets for our precious feet. This shoe is the greatest of them all. Nisolo has the prettiest neutral shades, so naturally we had to own them in more than one.
Price: $170
5. This Cashmere Sweater That's A Spot-On Dupe But A Third The Price Of That Famous One We All Secretly Covet
Quince Mongolian Cashmere Oversized Boyfriend Cardigan Sweater
On a purely sensory level, we love to burrow ourselves in cashmere. But the thing is this sweater makes us look incredibly luxe and chic while doing it. There’s a version of this sweater that costs almost half a grand and comes in all the same divinely pretty colors. So finding a dupe that’s just as lovely looking and also real cashmere made our hearts race.
Whether we’re merely draping it over our shoulders or wearing it buttoned up and tucked with a long, elegant trouser, there’s something about this sweater that makes us feel like Katharine Hepburn.
6. These Jeans We Bought In Every Wash That Promptly Replaced 1/3 Of Our Other Jeans
Everlane The Way-High Sailor Jean
It’s easy to find jeans that seem like they have the perfect shape when shown in a still photo being worn by a 6-foot model. But in our moving, breathing, fluctuating bodies, we need jeans that keep that perfect shape, all while feeling very good on our hips, butts, and bellies. These jeans have such a chic, flattering cut, but they also have strettttttch. We love how they feel so much, we forget sometimes how cute they look on us. Til we catch a glimpse in a mirror of course.
Price: $128
7. This Tank We Can Thankfully Afford To Own in 18 Colors
Artfish Women's Sleeveless Tank Top
Another thing we wrote an ENTIRE article about (noticing a pattern?) And it’s a tank. What could possibly be so special about a tank top so as to command an entire article?
We’re guessing you probably know - it’s the fit. What can we say? We like to look as good as we feel in clothes. And skinny straps, slimming ribbing, and a scooped neckline are gonna give you a stunning décolletage, which just makes everything else fall into perfect place. This tank has it all along with a very sensible price, so we can buy it in every color, and two lengths (the shorter version is amazing if you don’t love to tuck). See how nicely the shorter length hits here:
Price: $20
8. This Wildly Flattering Going-Out Dress
Anthropologie The Tommie Cap-Sleeve Smocked Front-Zip Shirt Dress
Smocking is a dream on our bellies. It makes us feel held in but like we can still breath, and helps give any human an hourglass. Particularly in the case of this dress, where the dipping neckline and full skirt make you feel the ideal mix of sexy and sophisticated, covered up but still alluring. We wear this as our go-to LBD with any of THESE to go out, but we also wear it to the office in blue and to brunch in white, and if you’re someone who can pull off a bright orange, we say do it. This dress simply can’t let you down. Also sizes in plus and petite. Thank you Anthro!
Price: $170
9. This Button-Down We Bought In 3 Solid Colors (And 2 Stripe Colors)
The Bennet Buttondown Shirt by Maeve
What possibly makes any decent button-down shirt better than another? It’s the cut, no? And this one has an outright genius cut, because the back panels are both longer and separate from the front, which 1. makes it very easy to tie, tuck, and half tuck and 2. allows you to have a little bootie coverage should you so choose. It’s such a perfect, classic, crisp version of a button-down, we, of course, own it in white and wear it with everything, but the color selection is the best we’ve seen. And the stripe version has been an incredible addition to our closet (again in multiple colors).
Price: $98
10. This Gorgeous Everyday Bag We Will Carry For The Rest Of Time
This bag is another thing you might get tired of hearing us rattle on about, but you will never tire of seeing all the gorgeous colors and textures it comes out in. We will just straight-up admit to you multiples of us own it in multiples of colors. It’s the everyday bag that elevates everything we wear. Here’s just a sampling of recent photos.
And hot tip, the petite version is equally chic if you like to travel light.
11. This Only Classic T-Shirt We Ever Need To Own
Not gonna bore you with words. You know that classic, carefree, Kate Moss 90s, perfect-fitting tee we all want like 5 of so we can be done searching? Well, this is that tee.
Price: $39
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
