20 Things Every 20-Something Should Have in Their Closet

Hey loves! A few weeks ago a friend of mine came up to me and complimented me on my outfits "You always looked so put together! I need your wardrobe!" I was very flattered and it made me think, "How did I put together my wardrobe?"We're stepping into the "real world" of professional jobs and internship while still being young and still wanting to have fun and wear cute party outfits or comfy weekend clothes. Often times there isn't enough balance between the three. Therefore I've come with a list of twenty items you need in your closet.

1) Blazer

If there is only one advice you can take away from this blog is to please, oh please, buy yourself a blazer. A blazer can turn almost any outfit into a work/internship ready outfit. Throw this over a cute superhero tee and dark jeans for a work causal outfit. Pair with a dress or a skirt if it's a chilly day outside (or you're not feeling 100% about how your arms look, we've all been there). Plus, blazers are long lasting so don't feel guilty if you "accidentally" spend a lot of money on it. Just buy a nice blazer and thank me later. 

2)Pencil Skirt 

This is another workwear piece, but this can be taken from daytime to nighttime. For daytime, pair this with a nice blouse or button up shirt with a blazer/cardigan and flats/kitten heels. For nighttime, put this with your favorite crop top and sky-high heels and you’re ready to go. 

3) Little Black Dress (LBD)

I don't care what your opinion on dresses is, you will, at some point, need a dress for some occasion. So why not get the most multi-purpose dress there is: the little back dress. The title comes from dresses Audrey Hepburn(my style icon)  wore in the iconic movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. A black dress is perfect for any occasion: girls night, date night, cocktails, office parties, making boys cry. With the right shoes and accessories, this dress is up for anything.

4)Jeans

Now I know you guys have these in your closet. And why shouldn't you? Jeans go with practically everything and they feel and look good. Just try not to go over broad with jeans. You really only need four pairs: light wash, medium wash, dark wash and a color pair of jeans of your choosing). Of course, I haven't been sticking to that rule myself ;)

5)White button down blouse

Button down tops have so many possibilities: a grey pencil skirt and small heels make it a cute work outfit.  Jeans, flats and a cami makes it casual but classy. You could do any color top but white goes with just about anything. Its a staple and a classic.

6) Cami 

Cami's are perfect. Like legit perfection. You can put them with absolutely ANYTHING. Jeans, shirts, sweaters, regular shirts, cardigan. Whatever you want, cami got your back. Just never spend over five

dollars on a cami. Don't. Ever. Not worth it. Personally, my favorite is the cami's at Forever 2.  They're super comfy, comes in every single color ever created, and they hold everything in. 

7) Cardigans 

Cardigans are the adult hoodies. They are comfy and warm on chilly days, come in all sorts of lengths and colors. Pair with a dress and heels or jeans and a cami. They work with just about anything and they look clean and professional, unlike your favorite hoodie(#sorrynotsorry). 

8)  Statement Necklace

A statement necklace is a large, and beautiful designed necklace that when people see it they say "Damn that's a nice necklace". It's big, it's loud, it's a show-stopper.  A statement necklace turns up the volume on any outfit: a cami with jeans, a plain blouse with skirt, a simple black dress. Using a statement necklace can make any outfit a WOW without making your wallet say OW!

9) Black Leggings 

I’ve been hearing a lot of things lately about how leggings aren’t pants, and my response is that you have to pry my leggings away from my cold dead body if you want me to stop wearing them, Leggings are just as comfortable as sweatpants but they actually looked like you tried. Put a black cami on and some flats and BOOM you have an Audrey Hepburn outfit. So suck it everyone else. 

10)Heels 

Now I know what you're going to say: "Elle, I can't walk in heels, I don't need these." Well, I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. You may not be able to walk in the sky-high platforms, but a pair of kitten heels (a heel of 1 inch) would be perfect for you. They give you just the little lift you need to make your outfit soar.  God that was so cheesy. 

11) Flats 

Now, as you know I am a huge preacher of the high heel shoes, but I am not so high and mighty to recognize the benefits of owning a good pair of flats. First of all, they're comfortable, you can slip them on and hurry out the door when you're in a rush. If you have work or a fancy party you have to go to and you're just not comfortable in heels, flats are your babies. 

12) Pantyhose 

As a child, I was mortally against pantyhose. They were weird and would always rip(I was a clumsy child...and adult). However, as I grew up I saw the purpose of pantyhose: for job interviews, fancy occasions where leggings and bare legging it will not do. Plus most pantyhose now have shapewear build into them to make sure you're legs are rocking. Bonus point: wearing pantyhose means you don't have to shave your legs!

13) Dress Pants

Okay, lets all face it, there's going to be a day when you're not going to want to wear a dress to your presentation/job/internship/ student teaching but you still got to dress up. Solution? Dress Pants! Be professional and comfy.

14) Raincoat 

Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade! Well with a nice trench coat, the rain with never ruin your style again! Plus if your trench looks as cute as the one pictured above, you'll be hoping for the next downpour.

15) Watch 

Today we live in the world of smartphones and laptops that you may think it's silly for me to recommend wearing a watch. However, I strongly believe the importance of a watch. What if your smartphones die? What if someone asks you the time and you have to make the long process of pulling your phone out. What if you're stuck in a clockless class and you want to see how many more minutes you're trapped for but you can't pull out your phone or it will get thrown out the window(this does happen people!). Lesson: were a watch. 

16)Sneakers

Sometimes you just need a good old pair of sneakers, whether to go on hikes, jogs, running from the cops. Whatever the occasion may arise, you're going to need some sneakers.

17) A Light Jacket 

In early fall and spring the weather sort of acts like a baby bear: too cold to go without a jacket, too warm to were your winter coat so a light jacket will be jussssttt right. Light jackets such as denim jackets or windbreakers make the perfect jacket to wear on those baby bear days.

18) Heavy Jacket

When the baby bear weather turns into grizzly bear weather you're going to be so thankful for getting yourself a nice winter coat. After spending a few winters in Potsdam New York where it snowed so bad that it was near white-out conditions and I still had to walk to class(both ways!) I am so thankful for my winter jacket.

19) A good purse 

As women, our whole lives are in our purse: our wallet, pens, gun, candy, tissues pepper spray, phone, a black hole, and whatever else you need to have on you as you do your day to day life, so you don't want to go switching purses to match your outfits. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a purse that can match both days you dress up and the days you dress down. I recommend a black cross body bag because hands free!

20) Matching Bra and Panties 

Now I know nobody can see your bra and pantie set under your rocking clothes (unless you know ;) )but a matching set just makes you feel more confident and sexy, it's a scientific fact (warning: I know nothing about science) but trust me, the key to starting a great day is your bra and panties. Looking to save some money? Buy solid color bras (such as black, nude, white etc) and then buy cute panties that match those colors. Bras you can wear for more than one day, panties you can't. So you can make your own matching set without having to buy an actual matching set.

There you have it. My twenty things every twenty-something should have in their closet. What are some staples in your closet you can’t live without? Let me know in the comments. 

Stay Stylin,

Elle