Interchangeability is one of the vital components of any wardrobe. For those who don’t know, an interchangeable wardrobe has minimum clothing apparel but has the potentiality of maximum combinations. 

It implies that any piece that you buy can be worn with a maximum number of other pieces and has a positive impact on your overall look. This is a great strategy to develop for those who are into fashion but has a limited budget to work upon. 

With that said, building an interchangeable wardrobe is not an easy build. However, it’s also not insurmountable. It takes effort and time, sure; but once you understand the knack of it, you’ll be able to own it. This article will highlight the nitty-gritty of an interchangeable wardrobe and share some tips on how to build one. 

Start With What You Have

Before you hit the online or offline shopping stores, first take an honest inventory of your fashion style and wardrobe. Check what’s in your drawers and wardrobe. Take a look at every piece of clothing, old and new, and then do a realistic assessment of them. Here are some pointers to help you out:

• Throw out the ones that you don’t need at all:

Now, this shouldn’t be difficult at all. Take out the clothes that you won’t wear at all because it will create more space for new clothes to fit. The ‘what was I thinking’ clothes, frankly, don’t deserve a place in an interchangeable wardrobe. 

• Second-chance:

However, if you do decide to give the clothes a second chance, then maybe you should consider giving them two-piece clothing suits. For instance, if a jacket or a clothing suit doesn’t fit you, no need to throw the entire suit. You can just throw the jacket and if the pants still fit you, then keep them. Maybe they’ll go with something more chic and minimalistic. 

• Fix the clothes:

 More often than not, our apathy gets the best of us when it comes to minute adjustments to be made on the clothes. If you relate to this situation, then you must get those adjustments done, especially if you think that a particular piece of clothing will have at least two or three clothing combinations. 

• Analyse the theme of your wardrobe:

While you are deciding which clothes should be a part of your wardrobe and which don’t, you also need to analyze the theme of your wardrobe. Do you have more formal apparel? Or casual ones? Is your wardrobe filled with only those clothes which are fit for special occasions? 

If that’s the case, then you need to do some serious thinking regarding your future shopping choices. If you have clothes that are fit for certain occasions, you need to buy clothes like basic t-shirts, whose versatility will help you fill the blanks. 

How to Build an Interchangeable Wardrobe?

More often than not, an interchangeable wardrobe is generally characterized by the prevalence of neutral and basic staple pieces that go with almost everything. Although the staple pieces might not seem exciting at first glance, once you unravel the possibilities of their combinations, things will surely turn exciting and creative from there. 

When you start shopping for the core items, you will realize that every person’s choice for core items will not necessarily be the same. The choice of the clothing pieces is dependent upon your personal style which will certainly be the mark of your personality. However, the below-mentioned are some of the universal staples that will never go wrong especially for building an interchangeable wardrobe. 

• A sports jacket:

For this one, you might want to play with olive, tan, brown and blue colours which are not popping. If you’re not so sure about wearing jackets, you can practice wearing it and soon you’ll realize how confident you look with it.

• Solid pair of jeans:

Obviously, a good pair of jeans that is simple, sturdy and cool will demand a place in your wardrobe. 

• A solid-coloured sweater:

Layering is a prerequisite for a chic look. A lightweight grey, olive or navy coloured sweater will be a quintessential addition to a winter interchangeable wardrobe. 

• Dress pants:

Owning at least two pairs of dress pants available in tan, medium-grey worsted wool or grey flannel is what your wardrobe needs the most. If you don’t like them, you can switch to chinos. 

• Suit:

A navy or charcoal suit is the mark of a successful man and anything that indicates success, shouldn’t be left out of your wardrobe

• Casual shoes:

If you don’t own at least two pairs of casual shoes, your wardrobe will be anything but complete. So, be it brogue, dress boots, loafers, saddle shoes or work shoes, pick your style and buy them.

How to know if you’ve finally cracked the interchangeability of your wardrobe?

If you want to know whether your wardrobe has finally become interchangeable or not after following the above-mentioned tips, do the following. 

• Pick any piece out of your closet. Be it a jacket, pants or a shirt.
• Once you do that, think about the other piece that can go well with the one you’ve chosen. For instance, if you are holding a pair of chinos, think about what you will on the top
• Now, think about the number of shirts that will go with the chinos. If more than two shirts go with it, you’ve successfully decoded the component of interchangeability;
• If you face difficulty in doing so and end up with barely a piece, then you need to work upon the concept more.

However, finding it difficult in pairing a piece with another, doesn’t mean that you should throw the piece out. But, make sure that you refrain from buying a similar piece, because that would be a redundant addition and completely nullify the concept of an interchangeable wardrobe. 

Remember that interchangeability goes hand in hand with individuality. Don’t go and buy something that does not resonate with your style. In that case, you’ll never be able to pull off the piece and it will simply be an unwanted addition to the wardrobe. 

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