essentials

A colleague of mine just loan me her copy of The One Hundred by Nina Garcia. And it is absolutely a breeze to read, definitely a fashion book every girl has to read, in my opinion. It gives you the low down of the essential 100 things a girl MUST have and some fashion 101 facts. Of course, there are items like coats and fur that are not essential for the tropical girl, but these are still items a girl needs for a stylish winter holiday. To quote Nina, you need to alter the items to suit your personal style. After all, dressing up is an expression of one's style. 

"Style is a deeply expression of who you are, and every time you dress, you are asserting a part of yourself." - Nina Garcia

While reading through the 100 items, it all made sense to me. We all have our go-to dresses, jeans, bag, something that is essential to our personal style. Many items from my wardrobe starting appearing in my head and so I decided to make a list. Here's a list of my top 10 things, doing 20, 50 or 100 might be too for a blog post (more likely a book), so 10 seems like a good number to start with. Of course it excludes the basic pieces likes jeans, tanks and tees, these are my 10 go-to items (in alphabetical order).

01 Ballet flats & Birkenstock - The choice of footwear for the devil may care look. I always turn to these 2 to dress down ANYTHING. You can run, jump, dance in them, paired with jeans, skirts, shorts, dresses, ANYTHING. Wear them in a rush when you have no time to match your pieces and still look instantly chic. These are every girl's sole mates!

image: betsy johnson

02 Blazer - I wrote a post on my love and need for blazers once. And still, they are in the list. Throw it on for meetings and convert a tee+jeans combo to something smart. It is the less formal version to the suit but still empowering. 

image: Urban Outfitters

03 Cardigan - This is one thing i carry everywhere I go (besides my wallet, keys, mobile etc). Better still if it is an oversized one like it was stolen for the boyfriend's wardrobe. Slouchy-cool and keeps you warm when you need it. What more do you need. 

04 Converse - For instant street cred. Adds an edge to a feminine outfit. Need I say more?

05 Dress - Throw it on and you're out of the house (with ballet flats or birks or course). Great for late days. Every girl has a go-to dress. 

PS. I want the dress above! It's the perfect throw-on-and-go kinda example.

image: nastygal vintage

06 Men's shirt - There's something very alluring about a woman in men's shirt in my opinion. Wear it with pants, skirts, shorts, over dresses, belted etc etc etc. The options are endless and very sexy. But it has to be from the men's department.

07 Necklaces - The more the merrier. When I say more, I meant it in every way. More necklaces to have and wearing many necklaces at once. I wear a necklace almost everyday. Necklaces are easy pieces to buy, friendly on the wallet and never too many to have. Statement ones are good investment pieces and instantly jazz up an ordinary outfit. Chain necklace and pearls are best for layering, so pile them on! Necklaces is my thing.

image: Alldressedup

08 Pants - Pegged, harem, Jodhpur, cigarette (all my current favs). Pants are the alternative to jeans. Wear it with the right top and still feel like a woman.

image: asos.com

09 Roomy Bags - It's not even an option (unless I'm going for a sit down dinner). My bags are almost ALWAYS big and roomy. I will soon walk with a slope shoulder on one side. But I love my bags this way. 

10 Waistcoat / Vest - This is something I throw on when I don't know what to wear, and/or am too bored with the original pieces of apparels. Over tanks, dresses and tees. Till date I have 4 of this, but I'm still looking for a denim and a black one. The hunt is still on.

So there, my top 10 essentials to keep me dressed up daily. What's yours?