Beyond the previously mentioned black pencil skirt, button-up shirt, and etcetera, I would say cardigans and cashmere pullover sweaters.
Cardigans are just not my thing. I have one very lightweight AG linen and silk one that I wear occasionally. I also a Nicholas K swacket that gets worn frequently during cold weather, but only when I'm not DOING anything; I'll wear it lounging, or out running errands, but never to cook or clean or work, because it's a creamy winter white and I cannot keep whites white to save my life.
Cashmere pullovers don't get worn a lot because I destroy clothes at a frightening rate. My lifestyle is uber casual, my job is extremely dirty (and involves lots of things that snag/rip/tear garments). I also have trouble finding cashmere that doesn't pill. I've even tried vintage Pringle & Pringle cashmere and it freaking pilled.
I also just remembered that basic tshirts are another acorn of sorts for me. I wear them to work now that I'm back at the produce stand, because they're cheap and I don't care if they get destroyed, but wearing tshirts outside of work? As Arya Stark once told her father, "That's not me." They kind of bore me. I have a few cutesy tees: one from splendid with a cute multicolored band at the neck; one from costco that says hello in multiple languages; an oversized black cropped tee from Barbara I Gongini; and my Agatha Ruiz de la Prada tunic tee with smiley faces all over it. They don't get worn frequently, but when I do wear them, I love them so much. I'd probably wear them more often if we didn't have such stupid weather here in Texas; it's cold for about 60 days, then it skyrockets to "why can't I go nekkid?" temperatures that make even a loosely woven linen tank top feel like too much fabric on my body. My non-work tees are a prime example of my wardrobe schizophrenia because they are all over the map aesthetically LOL
My last acorn: polyester. All these stylists and brands declare it to be easy care because it doesn't wrinkle. Traveler fabrics, moisture wicking technical fabrics, easy care knits... it's all lies. First off, let's revisit texas weather, which is blazing hot for 9 months out of 12. Polyester in Texas heat is just being rude to my body and I positively suffocate in it, to the point of flaring my COPD so that I'm literally suffocating. And contrary to popularly held belief, polyester DOES wrinkle and it is an absolute nightmare to get those wrinkles out. I have a few pairs of polyester pants, but most of them are off to the side in a holding pattern (like planes stacked over a busy airport), and most of them will likely get donated because ugh they're suffocating in heat and they're freezing in cold. I can't even stand polyester in workout gear, but until I clean up some of my financial mess, I am not going on etsy or anywhere else to order some made from natural fibers so I'll cope for now.
I didn't mean to write a novel, but thanks for the opportunity to do some introspection about what does and doesn't work for me! Cleaning up my financial mess is making me want to avoid repeating the same mistakes, so it's good to look at what I DON'T wear to avoid wasting more money in the future.
