It's a hot take, but the Marie Claire fashion team stands by it: seasonal capsule wardrobes are overrated. The curations of summer basics and "must-buy" essentials you find across the Internet tend to be prescriptive, impersonal, and operate under a one-asethetic-fits-most mentality. And doesn't a universal approach to dressing go against the central ethos of fashion, which is an individual's expression through clothing?
Google "summer capsule wardrobe," and list upon list of luxury leather flip-flops and tank tops with triple-digit price tags pop up. For some shoppers, these items can streamline busy July mornings, but open-toed sandals and a $500 designer tank are not wardrobe building blocks for everyone—sometimes, the $30 option does the trick just fine.
