Gents, I don’t know about you but when I first started caring about how I dressed, I was lost. In the beginning, my best outfit was a polo shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. Luckily, for those of you just starting out or looking to improve your style, we’ve been blessed by something called the basic bastard wardrobe.
What is the Basic Bastard Wardrobe?
The basic bastard wardrobe is basically a wardrobe containing a culmination of clothes, shoes, and accessories that will have a man set for all four seasons. The basic wardrobe covers fall wear, winter wear, spring wear, and summer wear.
What’s great about the basic bastard wardrobe is that despite only having the minimum number of clothes needed for an all-season wardrobe, you can mix and match as much as you want. There are an endless variation of styles that you can choose from, be it winter or be it summer.
In this guide, I’m not only going to show you what the basic bastard wardrobe contains but I’m also going to show you how you can use the basic bastard wardrobe to create your own style moving forward.
Reddit MFA: The Subreddit That Inspired the Basic Bastard Wardrobe
The basic bastard wardrobe was introduced on the subreddit r/malefashionadvice otherwise known as MFA. For all you fashion aficionados here, MFA has provided some of the best fitting and outfit advice I’ve ever received. Their daily fits and news articles have helped me find my footing in the world of male fashion.
In 2016, a user by the name of u/Metcarfre, who also happened to be a frequent GQ contributor, introduced the basic bastard wardrobe for those who were “new to the idea of dressing well.” Because building a wardrobe can be exhausting and expensive, the wardrobe was reduced to the minimum to keep things affordable and simple.
How to Build the Basic Bastard Wardrobe
Building the basic bastard wardrobe is the exciting part. Here’s when you get to do your shopping, try on clothes, and choose which pieces you like best. The basic bastard wardrobe is composed of top, bottoms, layering items, outerwear for the elements, two types of shoes, and some accessories.
While you’re free to choose the number of jackets, shirts, or shoes you want, the recommended number will be added within each section for those who are starting out.
Tops
Let’s get started with tops. For your tops, you should have both t-shirts and regular Oxford-cloth, button-down shirts. For your t-shirts, you should have two colors for the wardrobe: gray and white. You’ll also want 1-3 t-shirts for each color.
Oxford-cloth button down shirts will only require one each, but in two different colors: white and blue. These colors cover most of the basic neutral-light tones that are incorporated within the majority of outfits.
You don’t see unorthodox colors like maroon or yellow for t-shirts and button-downs which is why these colors are not included. On the flip side, it’s hard to go one day outside without seeing someone wearing something that’s white, gray, or some shade of blue.
Bottoms
Now to the bottomwear. Bottomwear for the basic bastard wardrobe is composed of jeans, chinos, and chino shorts.
Here are the colors you should choose from for jeans:
- Plain
- Dark
- Indigo
- Black
If you buy one premium, high-quality pair of jeans, that can last you years. However, if you’re not looking to pay upwards of $150 for one pair of jeans, stock up on three pairs for mid-size retail stores.
Here are the colors you should choose from for chinos:
- Olive
- Caramel
A great pair of chinos will last you years so hypothetically, you should only need one pair. However, if you want to be safe, then like with the jeans, stock up on three pairs of chinos from your favorite mid-size retail store.
Here are the colors you should choose from for chino shorts:
- Khaki
- Olive
- Navy
By no means should you buy cargo shorts. Chino shorts and cargo shorts are completely different things. Chino shorts are minimal, simple, and keep your outfit balanced. Meanwhile, cargo shorts are a reminder of the early 2000s. Stock up on three pairs of chino shorts from your favorite mid-size retailer.
Shoes
Shoes are straight to the point for the basic bastard wardrobe. You need two pairs:
- A Pair of White Sneakers
- A Pair of Brown Boots
The boots can be chukka boots, Chelseas, Oxford boots, Brogue boots, or even hiking boots. They all have a similar design that works well with the basic bastard wardrobe.
Accessories
The original basic bastard wardrobe asks for only a belt in the accessories section. However, I believe in the power of a good watch and some basic jewelry. In my experience, it adds a little flair to your style.
For the belt, you’ll need to get a plain, brown belt. For the watch, I recommend sticking with a standard dress watch since a dress watch’s clean dial and simple leather strap help keep things minimal.
If you’re looking for a different type of watch, I recommend checking out dive watches. While they’re meant mainly for the water, iconic dive watches like the Seiko SKX007 are also great for day-to-day operations.
You’ll do great with just one watch since a great watch should last you years with the occasional servicing. The watch brand is also crucial since select watch brands have a reputation for producing premium watches for an affordable price.
If you’re looking for a top-dog watch brand that won’t overcharge you, here are my top picks:
- Seiko: Very dependable. They’re my favorite choice. They offer an automatic watch for only $80, which is a very big steal since most automatic watches are $200+.
- Citizen: Another great watch brand. I’m a big fan of their Eco-Drive which converts any source of light into energy for the watch to function.
- Hamilton: if you want a great field watch or dress watch, the Hamilton Khaki King, Hamilton Jazzmaster, and Hamilton Khaki Field are all great options.
As for jewelry, I recommend choosing one or two pieces. My go-to pieces are my bracelet and my necklace. I like my jewelry to be sterling silver since pure silver is very soft and won’t last you a lifetime, like a good piece of sterling silver would.
Winter Clothing and Outerwear
Winter is coming (reference intended) and you need to be ready. For the fall season, we recommend stocking up on one sweater and one sweatshirt with these color options:
- Gray
- Beige
- Maroon
- Navy
Since fall and winter transition into darker tones for fits, these shades are accepted during the fall and winter. Now, as referenced by the basic bastard wardrobe guide on MFA, there are three types of jackets you should get at three different types of climate based on where you live:
- Mild Temperatures: Harrington, jean jacket, bomber
- Cold Climate: Parka, wool coat, overcoat, or pea coat
- Wet/Rainy Climate: Raincoat
Winter clothing and outerwear is generally dependent on what type of weather you have. If you live up in the northeast where climates are both wet and cold, consider grabbing both a parka and a pea coat.
Likewise, if you live in milder temperatures, maybe a Harrington is sufficient and you won’t need anything else.
How Should the Wardrobe Fit?
Overall, your entire basic bastard wardrobe should have a slim fit without feeling too restrictive on your arms, legs, or chest. The pants should only give about a half-break at most while t-shirts should only give about half an inch of space between the fabric and the arm.
For jackets, I like to use a rule of thumb where unless it’s a trench coat or an overcoat, the jacket should end about two to three inches under my waist. However, the most important part of a jacket for me is the insulation, especially in the colder regions.
I believe that for jackets, insulation comes first and then the fit. The fit for jewelry is fairly flexible. As long as you’re not wearing jewelry like a large dollar sign chain that throws off your entire outfit, you should be fine.
Watches are a different story. Different watch sizes call for different watch dial diameters. I tell my readers to go for 38mm if you’re not confident in picking the right watch size because 38mm is the perfect size between 6.75 inch wrists and 7.25 inch wrists.
The premise of the entire basic bastard wardrobe is to make sure that you’re wearing clothes you’ll feel good in and one of the best ways to feel good is if the clothes fit. Buying all the right clothes is one story. Feeling comfortable in them is another.
Where to Go From Here
Now that you have a good understanding of the basic bastard wardrobe, it’s time to explore the world of male fashion. Lucky for you, I have plenty of reading material on watches, sweaters, shoes–you name it, I’ve probably written about it.
I also recommend that you check out my eBook called “Reinventing Your Wardrobe”. Essentially, I take apart your entire wardrobe and rebuild it from scratch so that you spend less money looking good.
In the eBook, you learn exactly what goes into building a wardrobe like the one we built today but it’s more extensive. We cover every possible kind of clothing–suits, athletic wear, swimwear–and then go into depth about what you SHOULDN’T do when building a wardrobe.
Finally, I wrap up by showing you how you can use your new style to attract the lady of your dreams, craft new relationships with your peers, and even succeed in the workplace.
If you want to learn every detail that goes into building the best wardrobe possible, you can preorder your own copy today with the link at the bottom. I can’t wait to transform your wardrobe soon!