VERY - "I'm trying to keep my emotions out of this"

Today I'm going to present some ideas for your stay home wardrobe staples from the VERY portfolio. My outfit suggestions will help enable you to build a wardrobe that will not only inject some frisson as the days begin to blur, but will provide the stepping stones for a sustainable wardrobe with clothes that uniformly fit all 'indoor occasions': Zoom virtual dates, Zoom poker nights, work from home Zoom calls, etc.

Naturally these will also provide the precursor for what could be referred to in the game as a 'permanent collection', a collection that lacks the emotion and insufficiencies that confects so many of our wardrobes, my own included?

One of the upsides of being in Lockdown these past weeks is allotting myself the time to carefully manicure my wardrobe. It's starting to think that British folk never wear up to 73 percent of their clothes. Personally I can attest to having a huge capsule of 'emotional clothes' that have survived numerous culls and spring cleans. They now make up a compendium of garments that somehow carry cryopreserve nostalgic sentiment in their very fibres.

That father to son hand-me-down that I never truly liked. The first date shirt that hasn't 'failed' since 2004. The over-sized tee I got at Ministry of Sound circa 2012 that rather inevitably saw its ironed-on logo graphic dissolve on the first wash.

With that in mind let’s get to it shall we? Here are some outfit suggestions that will future-proof a minimalist capsule wardrobe for a multitude of occasions, both indoors and out.

LACOSTE POLO

The time-honoured classic polo is no better represented than the progenitor of athleisure and the very inventor of polo shirts. Lacoste.

The ultimate smart-casual short sleeve polo with button up collar will accentuate your attention to detail when it comes to sartorial-lineage. The polo is available in a plethora of colour-ways, however I'd opt for the most simple and versatile with the plain collar. The sports tipped collar is a nice signalling detail but errs to far on the casual side. 

The polo is still a casual garment no matter which way you slice it, so always optimise the smartest version of an athleisure garment for uninhibited versatility.

RALPH LAUREN TEE

A simple white tee has been the fulcrum for my wardrobe for as long as I can remember. It works especially well in contrast to my dark hair and skin tone. Popularised by films like the 1961 The Hustler with Paul Newman and the sexually-salient Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire.

To quote Josh Sims from Icons of Men's Style, it's a 'potent blank canvas' and an essential timeless staple that will serve you insatiably.

TOMMY JEANS ESSENTIAL CHINO SHORTS

It's been the quicksand of many a man's wardrobe, the short. Men seem to desert any prodigious sartorial tastes with swift abandon when it comes to shopping for shorts. I've looked on in petrifying terror and baulked in anguish more times than I can remember at men’s choice in shorts by Hotel swimming’s pools, BBQ's or garden parties.

Dense hibiscus patterns, swirling psychedelic motifs, logo-heavy leg prints, ostentatious colours that would only seem appropriate in an episode of 80s Miami Vice, are all very youth-orientated looks that will date very easily, if not seasonally.

These Tommy Jeans Chino shorts will truly be the only pair you'll need for the garden this summer. They have a subtle ingenuity with the rolled hems that give them an eclectic look.

EMPORIO ARMANI BODYWEAR

I should stipulate that these would work best with the matching grey lounge pants. Just because this is lounge wear, doesn't mean it's for the incorrigible louche. 

I love nothing more than dressing in a clean pin collar shirt and tie, but I'm not doing it for Charlie's sake. I like to feel comfortable when working from home and this zip-through hoody over a simple white tee and matching lounge pants, will be the intransigence nucleus for your 'about the house' attire. 

HUGO Arti Pin Dot Extra Slim Stretch Suit Jacket

Lastly I'd like to insert the infallible blue suit jacket. When people ask me where do they begin with building a stylish wardrobe I invariably persuade them to get one decent Navy Blue single breasted suit jacket. 

Navy blue is really the doyen of suit jacket colours. I've highlighted this HUGO Stretch suit jacket because of its deft simplicity. There is nothing popinjay-ish or over dandified about its design. The lapels are perhaps a little thin to be called classic. It certainly effuses the slimming lapels that became a pre-requisite for every Mod dresser, tailor and enthusiasts in the early 60s. 

However, you can pair these with the matching trousers for business meetings. Where it over a crisp white sea island cotton shirt (minus the tie) for a more casual first date look. It's a garment that will ameliorate your look and prove to e the perfect armament for any given occasion. 

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 *This sponsored post was created in collaboration with VERY.