Capsule Wardrobe for Work: 20 Pieces That Survive a Dress Code

Twenty, not ten, because of laundry

A photographed '5-piece work week' assumes you never spill coffee and you wash every night. Real weeks need a spare trouser and a spare knit. Count: two trousers or a trouser and a skirt, one dark jean if the code allows it, six tops that tuck, two knits, a blazer, a cardigan or overshirt, two shoes, the coat you commute in. Underwear and gym kit stay off the list.

If you cannot get dressed for a video pitch and a boardroom in this pile, the pile is missing a jacket, not a printed blouse.

The dress code is a floor, not a costume

Business formal: the navy or charcoal suit lives here, trousers as separates on other days. Business casual: chinos or wool trousers, a collared shirt or a knit with a shoulder, a blazer on the hook. Creative casual: dark jean, the same blazer, a leather shoe instead of a running shoe. The clothes overlap. That overlap is the point of a capsule.

• Same three colours as the rest of the closet, so a weekend knit can come in
• One bag that stands and closes — not a new bag per outfit
• Shoes you can walk to the station in; keep a dress pair under the desk only if the walk is brutal

Repeat on purpose

A uniform is not a failure of imagination. Navy trousers, white shirt, navy knit, the same loafers, Tuesday and Thursday, is how people with jobs get out of the house. Change the earring if you need to feel new. Do not add a seventh top that only goes with one skirt.