Winter Wardrobe Staples You Gotta Have

As you might remember from my "Top Five Fashion Finds for Fall" post in October, I have been presented with the challenge of making my wardrobe work for my newer body, while also saving pennies to expand with staple items when I can. I have been putting off buying new clothes for a while now, and somehow have managed to piece together outfits each day with the random things that do fit in my closet. A cinching belt here, some layering there, and voila, I experimented and got through the Summer and Fall seasons with barely buying $100 worth of new things.

P.S. An update: I bought the flat boots mentioned in that post, along with affordable leggings from Victoria's Secret. I was also gifted with this H&M camel coat for my birthday, hooray! What do you think? I think it is FAB. I particularly love the skirted bottom.

Now winter is here, but my pants are not. Even in Atlanta, you can only get by for so many days of tights and skirts without rotating in some pants-outfits here and there. And my pants ... well, if anyone is looking for a nice size 6 or 8 slack, even a few brand-new ones, well I have a deal (read: free) for you!

Thankfully, the holidays and my birthday arrived, as did the gift cards. I am now ready for some shopping courtesy of my family and friends, thank you!

Here is what's topping my must-have list for wardrobe replenishments. Because let's be honest, buying trendy items for each season is fun, but what we really all need are the basics to help us get by -- staple items that can be the basis of any number of outfit combinations.

Winter Wardrobe Staples You Gotta Have (And I Totally Need!)

1. Black pants -- I received a lovely pinstriped pair at the holidays, but I am also in need of a plain pair. I am thinking a matchstick/skinny leg pair would be great, because they can be worn with flats OR heels (a rare commodity for a short girl like me!)

2. Brown pencil skirt -- Yes, I know I just talked about pants out the wazoo. But while I own a black version of this, a brown one would triple my day-to-day options. Even better, I have many pairs of shoes to go with a brown one that would all look dynamite.

3. Crisp button-ups -- I am on the search for the slim cut ones that would layer well under a vest or a sweater. And speaking of sweaters ...

4. Lightweight layering sweaters -- Land's End Canvas has some cute ones, but I of course also lust over the ones laid out in the JCrew catalogs :)

Longsleeve Tops by Ann Taylor
Shortsleeve Tops by Lands' End Canvas

What items are on your must-haves for replenishment this winter?