Often, it’s the basics–not those special pieces–that will do the best job of making your closet work for you.
UPDATED 2023: Do you ever wonder how you can have so many amazing statement pieces, with the prettiest colors, fabrics, and patterns but still feel like something in your wardrobe is off? After doing a bit of a closet audit, it became quite apparent that sometimes we just lack the basics to serve as the foundation for a wardrobe. While we love a bold, unique statement pieces just as much as the next fashion person, there’s something about having easily wearable, versatile pieces ready to go that just hits differently. We searched H&M, Mango & Amzaon to hunt for some tops, bottoms, outerwear, and simple staple shoe items to serve as the building blocks of a wardrobe. Scroll below to see some suggestions.
Thanks so much for including maternity options in this post!
Is it just me or is it actually crazy to be spending $100+ on one article of clothing?
I clicked on the leather boots and on the box pleated skirt, $119 and $169 respectively.
Is it expected that everyone has the money to buy that? Maybe I’m just being cheap and unreasonable?
No, it is not just you. And yes, it is crazy. I have mentioned this several times that while there is so much I really like about BetweenCarpools this is one of my pet peeves. They are literally playing right into the mentality of constantly updating wardrobes and following certain trends, which very often (notice I did not mention always) causes ordinary, typical frum women and their families to get stuck in the trap of debt. Many women look around and say, “How can everybody be doing it?! I must be missing something…” And wanting to be up-to-date, on trend and in style, they spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on fads, new wardrobes, perfect tablescapes, the latest baby gear, store-bought mishloach manos, $175 outfits for 3 year olds, fill-in-the-blank with whatever you think is out of control…
And then we wonder why so many people are drowning, literally drowning, in debt. I know first hand of young and not-so-young families who have fought tooth and nail to claw themselves out of tens of thousands of dollars of debt. They are much more the norm than the exception. And yet they too want to be “with the times.” It is just so frustrating that BetweenCarpools perpetuates this with some of their content. Obviously it is their choice to publish and your choice to consume but they do set a certain standard whether they like that or not.
Now I will step down from my soapbox.
This post has so many items for under $50 and so much is on sale. There are Leather boots for $48 as well!
I personally think that they have to cater to everybody. They post things from Zara h&m and mango which are not considered expensive stores. They are not posting things from Saks or other expensive stores. and hello, there are people in the world who do like to dress up and spend a little money on themselves here and there. I find that when i want to treat myself it is the perfect place to look being that they don’t only showcase expensive things and if not for this post, i would have to sift through thousands of things.
So just bear in mind that there are other people and this is a lifestyle site after all.
We don’t have to pay for website use so any benefit of Between Carpools should simply be appreciated.
Agreed. You use your sechel for how much spending you personally need and want. Between Carpools is doing an amazing job providing all sorts of finds in a large price range. Keep up the great work! Loving it!
It’s not just the prices… it’s the whole mindset that you and your house should always look perfect. Do these ladies kids ever spill or want to wear some nerdy hairstyles that kid did herself?!
They most definitely do! 🙂
The mango BUTTON KNIT CARDIGAN links to a sweater (not cardigan) made out of recycled wool mix fabric-that may be a real shatnez issue.
I liked this post. Even if I won’t purchase the products, the ideas are food for thought. You can totally dress fashionably and frugally!
Out of my entire wardrobe, the majority of tops are $30 or under. Skirts and shoes are all $40 or under. I have a bunch of nice jewelry sets for $25 or under.
And I dress quite nicely, in my humble opinion 🙂
I buy mostly on amazon and from end of season sales. Same buying style for my kids.
You can not blame Between Carpools for YOU not being able to withstand pressures. They are doing an excellent job. All they are doing is giving ideas- nobody forces you to buy or wear anything. Same goes for everything else you kvetched about! Nobody tells you how to dress yourself, house, kids….
Do bear in mind that most of the clothing posted here fall into the fast-fashion category, which means that they will almost certainly not last long. If you want to have a wardrobe that will serve you well for years and will always feel relevant, curate a wardrobe the French way. The philosophy is that all you really need is a “capsule” wardrobe – a few pieces that are high quality, long lasting, and can be mixed up and down for different occasions. What you end up with is a collection of clothes that always look great, last far longer than those bought in fast-fashion shops, and don’t require a constant update. If you look online, there are plenty of blogs and tutorials that will teach you what a French wardrobe consists of. Even if you don’t want to dress in that particular way, investing in a few high-quality pieces of clothes rather than constantly updating by buying the lower-quality versions of what’s stylish, will serve you well for years to come. I do this myself. It is true that most of my clothing cost over £100, but then I don’t need to run to the shops all the time to update. I always look classy and well dressed, because well-made clothing made of high-quality materials will always look fabulous.
Most importantly – if you go for this method of wardrobe curation, do it slowly. Take time to observe which items of clothing are truly timeless, and then invest in them, one at a time. And of course, once you have your capsule wardrobe – take good care of your clothing!
i totally agree that we should not be spending a ton on clothing, but the things i checked from this post were all well under $100. and yes, sometimes you do want to treat yourself to an expensive skirt that makes you feel taken care of. i look at it the same way i spend on a mani pedi $100 to feel and look great, but a pretty skirt should last even longer.
and like with all content you read anywhere- take it with a grain of salt. only the things that make sense to you and fit your lifestyle are meant for you. the rest- is not intended for you,
and BCP also has tons of great hacks and recipes that anyone, no matter their budget or lifestyle, can enjoy