It’s almost redundant to put classic and staple together. Being a staple – an important thing, feature, or element of something, in this case your wardrobe – means, by default that it would be a classic, no? Not exactly. Jeans are a wardrobe staple but having them in mom-jeans and acid wash style may not exactly count as a classic.

Over the past year, I have been looking to really simplify my dressing routine and tried to adhere to what I preach about sustainable and clutter-less fashion. I think I have been largely successful, though the amount of stuff I have returned by mail is not necessarily a small carbon footprint (I buy almost everything online). Here’s a list of items that should be mainstays in any wardrobe and in what style they should come in.