Trust Me—Buy These 24 Basics

Trust Me—Buy This is a monthly series where our market editor, Nicole Eshaghpour, makes her favorite real-life fashion finds shoppable for Who What Wear readers.

In case you’re new to this, today I’ll be rounding up some of my favorite pieces of late but with more of a personal spin than your usual shopping story because it focuses on what I’m actually wearing in real life—not just eyeing on the internet. However, this is a very special story because it focuses on the items in my wardrobe that I use more than anything else I own: my basics.

By now, you should know that despite loving a statement piece here and there, I describe my day-to-day style as simple, so you can imagine how seriously I take the essentials like my T-shirts, jeans, sandals, and more. Are you ready to learn what made the cut? Just keep scrolling to see, read about, and shop my absolute favorite basics of all time.

Whether it’s to work, for nights out, or while traveling, I rarely go more than a couple of days without wearing this black denim jacket.

If you’re looking for the perfect, polished black blazer that’s interesting but not overly trendy, this is it.

I invested in this biker jacket a few years ago, and I’m so happy I did. It gets better with time as I wear it more and more, and I always have a million uses for it.

At 5’2", anything cropped is pretty much normal length on me, and this sweatshirt from Cotton Citizen is the perfect everyday outfit addition.

If you’re looking for a super-simple, affordable white tee, this is it. It has a boxy cut that’s classic and tucks well into jeans.

The three-quarter sleeve and thick material of this top give it an almost dressy vibe, so I get a lot of use out of it at night.

I have an old Reformation bodysuit that’s very similar to this that’s perfect for wearing with midi skirts. It’s super tight so it gives a really polished feel.

This tee is also 100% cotton, but has a softer feel than the Hanes one and a more relaxed, vintage-inspired look.

I wear this turtleneck both layered and on its own all the time. It’s thin enough to wear under anything but also thick enough that you don’t feel weird wearing it alone.

This mock-neck top is perfect in white because it’s not see-through but also not super thick.

You know how black T-shirts always fade to gray? This one doesn’t. I also love the material because it’s 50% modal, so it has a nice tight fit for tucking in.

In the summer, I wear this tank with jeans almost every weekend.

I love these jeans so much, I have two pairs. One was hemmed shorter to wear with sneakers and sandals (seen here), and one a little longer to pair better with boots (seen here).

Yes, I have them in this faded black too, which brings the total to three pairs of these exact jeans.

These leather pants are the perfect swap in for jeans when you want to make a little more of a statement with your outfit.

After minorly tapering the leg of these (since I’m on the shorter side the flare looked a little exaggerated on me), they became my go-to "dressy" jeans. You know when you probably shouldn’t wear jeans to something but really want to so you need a pair that’s definitely not distressed and especially nice? That’s these for me. I even wore them to my rehearsal dinner!

These jeans also have a nice dark shade to them that makes them good for wearing at night but also an everyday option.

I have an old pair of leather pants from H&M that I bought over four years ago and are very similar to these. They’re the perfect cut and fit just like jeans, so they’re a no-brainer to style.

One of my latest (and greatest) buys are these perfectly minimalist heeled sandals from Aquazzura. They go with pretty much any dress or evening outfit.

This is similar to the color of my favorite sneakers—my Air Max 97s—and I highly recommend getting them before they’re gone. I love how comfortable they are, the little bit of added height, and how the metallic color scheme goes with everything.

These comfortable and classic Manolos (that I stole from my mother) are my go-to pumps.

I have these in black (though I’m starting to think I need this new color, too) and I think I wore them six out of seven days a week last summer. They’re so flattering and comfortable.

These simple Western boots are also hands down the most comfortable shoes I own. They have some kind of cushion at the ball of your foot that feels like a pillow.

Another recent buy, these block heels are comfortable enough to wear all day but also high enough to serve as a good shoe for night. I love how they’re basic but still interesting. Up next? The simple street style looks I’ll be copying this season.

Source: Who What Wear – Nicole Akhtarzad Eshaghpour