I've been pretty busy and not able to do pics lately so these are a bit lame but just enough to give the gist of my post (I hope.).

I'm not great at recognizing wardrobe workhorses at the time of
purchase but the ones that always seem to work are super soft,
comfortable, not clingy, in one of my favorite neutral colors, and work
in a very casual environment but can be dressed up a little if needed.

I didn't think I owned all that many true workhorses but then I started
making a list and realized I'm not doing too bad. I need to work on my
warm weather tops from a style point as time goes on. It's hot here so
much of the year and finding comfortable, stylish tops is always a
struggle to me. Esp. since I don't really seem to wear patterns much. These are only items I've worn so far for spring/summer so I'm not including fall/winter workhorses.

Tops:
Soft heather blue v-neck tee (wish I had in another color but it's no longer available)
"Essential" white tees from Gap
Navy v-neck tees (one from Gap, one from Jcrew)
An older, but still great black elbow sleeve tee from Talbots
Charcoal, slightly boxy, soft round neck tee from Madewell
Tan and gold thread "dressy" tee from BR
Ivory with slightly mixed blue/green heather soft tee from Gap
Blue/white polka-dot fluid tank
Deep blue/white patterned button down from BR

I have plenty of other tops, I just don't reach for them often so they
aren't really workhorses. I wish I could find super soft comfortable
cotton or cotton blend summer tops that are NOT just "tees" but comfy
enough and the right style/color to make me want to wear them often.
The linen blouses I have are truly not as soft as the cotton tees so
even those are only "meh" to me. Comfort - it's a bigger challenge than
I thought! I can certainly live with the tops I have, esp. when you count my sleeveless choices (which are not really
workhorses so also not on this list), but I'd like to have a few more slightly dressy options that I WANT to wear. I have a few sleeveless tanks on order so maybe one of those will end up being a contender.

Bottoms:
KUT Denim BF shorts
Soft, light weight skinny jeans med dark, slightly distressed Big Star
3 pair of AE Khaki slouchy roll up shorts in various colors
Jcrew Andie chinos in olive (have these in tan too but don't reach for them as much - maybe with the black sandals mentioned below I will)

Again, I own other bottoms but I keep reaching for the ones above most often. I think I feel pretty okay with this selection.

Blue knit blazer from ON
Tan knit blazer from Caslon
Linen heathered tan cardi from jcrew
White and Navy unstructured slub knit "blazers" from Caslon
These are my most comfortable summer toppers. I have a linen blazer that is nice too, but not as comfortable.

Silver engraved necklace from an artist in Canada
Multi toned denim-blue, deep blue and tan bracelet set from jjill (goes w/a lot)
Mixed metals bracelet set from Chicos that goes with everything
Deep cobalt blue flower pendant from jcrew, works esp. well with med denim
Simple silver necklace in a modern shape I've had for years

Studded brown leather Sundance jeans belt with sort of gold-bronze hardware
Navy leather jeans belt with silver hardware (I had this for months
before I realized it looks good with my darker jeans for a streamlined look)
Tan Leather Belt with silver hardware from Brighton (new and I'm wearing it all the time already)

Striped UGG Slip Ons (shades of white, cream, tan, faded red, blue etc.)
Off White Leather bag w/black trim Elliott Lucca - seems to go with everything
Nude Clarks Sandals - very casual but SO much prettier than the gearish teva sandals I wore last year

To make an item a workhorse I think figuring out how to style
it, or what to add that will make it work in my wardrobe is often the
key. Ex: that white belt felt like a mistake when I got it last year.
It was so *white* and I didn't know how to make it work with my
wardrobe. Getting those UGG shoes made a huge difference as did the off
white handbag. Now I can pair the belt with nearly any of my
tees, and the shoes and handbag and I feel that at least it goes and I'm making a reasonable effort.

Realizing that I could wear my navy belt with dark denim for a more
streamlined look made it much more useful for me. And recently
I've missed not having cute black sandals (some on order to try
now). I have a feeling black sandals that I love will make another big
difference to my summer wardrobe. I have a python belt with some black
in it and may add a solid black belt to feel that all is right in my belt loving world.