Begin with your last seven outfits
Before making a shopping list, note what you wore over the past week. Separate the pieces you reached for willingly from those you wore because everything else was in the wash. Your useful wardrobe is shaped by your routine: a long commute, a college dress code and evenings out can require different combinations. Start there rather than with an arbitrary number of items.
Choose two bottoms as your anchors
Pick two pairs of trousers you already enjoy wearing. For example, use straight jeans and relaxed dark trousers. Put each beside three tops from your wardrobe. Try the combinations on rather than judging them on hangers. Keep a short list of the outfits that work, and note any small adjustment such as a front tuck or a different shoe.
Give statement pieces room
If a tee has a large graphic, start with a quieter bottom and one familiar accessory. If the shirt carries the pattern, try a plain base underneath. These are starting points rather than rules: the goal is to make getting dressed easier. Repeating a colour from the print somewhere else in the outfit is an optional way to connect the pieces.
Test the wardrobe through a normal week
Wear the combinations during your actual routine. Notice which pieces need more frequent washing and whether anything feels awkward after several hours. Photograph the outfits you want to repeat. If you keep avoiding a garment, identify the reason before replacing it: it may need a different pairing, an alteration or a place in someone else's wardrobe.
Buy for a specific gap
Only add a piece when you can name the job it will do and a few outfits it will join. A useful question is: what will I wear this with tomorrow? Explore our lookbook for combinations, or use the jeans and cargos guide to rework a tee you already own.