Building a wardrobe that works more than once

Most wardrobes are not short of clothes. They are short of clothes that go together. The quickest way to get dressed faster in the morning is not another purchase, it is making sure the pieces you already own share a colour family and a level of formality.

Start with the middle of the week

Work out what you actually wear on a Tuesday. For most men that is a shirt or a knitted polo, a pair of trousers that are not jeans, and shoes that can be worn without thinking about them. That is the centre of the wardrobe. Everything else is an edge case, and edge cases should be bought last, not first.

Keep the palette narrow

Navy, stone, olive, off white and mid grey will combine in almost any order. Once a colour only works with one other item, it stops being useful. This is the difference between owning twelve pieces and owning twelve outfits.

Buy for the second wear

The test for any piece is not how it looks in the shop. It is whether you can see the second, fifth and twentieth time you would wear it. Anything that only answers one occasion tends to sit at the end of the rail.

Fit before everything

A well cut piece in a plain colour will outlast anything bought for its detail. Check the shoulder seam first, then the sleeve, then the length. Those three are difficult to correct later. Waist and hem are straightforward for a tailor.

Rotate, do not replace

Two shirts worn constantly wear out faster than four worn in rotation, and the rotation costs less over a year. The same applies to shoes, which need a day between wears to settle.

Browse the tailoring and shirts edits to see how the pieces sit together.