The High-Street Items That Deserve a Place in Your Forever-Wardrobe

February 23, 2021 at 06:05AM

There’s a misconception that you can’t find classic wardrobe items on the high street. That the pieces are too trend-led, whose appeal will fade when new sartorial movements come into play. However, we’re here to prove otherwise, and we have the evidence to back it up.

All of our favourite high street brands are known for getting specific things right, be they an entire product category, such as ASOS’s knitted co-ords, or a particular item, for example, & Other Stories’s wool-blend blazer or Dune’s cult Loupe sandals.

As such, we’ve rounded up all the expensive-looking pieces that fit this citation to bring you the best high street classic items to spend your money on. The perfect capsule is but a scroll away.

Style Notes: We’ve made a pact to wear more dresses this spring; naturally & Other Stories’s dress department is our first port of call. From puff sleeves to statement prints, every one is perfection. 

Style Notes: Prior to 2020, ASOS was already known for creating the bets co-ord sets out there and, over the course of the last year, the brand has outdone itself with its array of expensive-looking knitted sets. 

Style Notes: If we had to choose one high street shoe department to shop for the rest of our lives, to would have to be Mango’s. From boots to strappy heels, every pair looks incredibly premium. 

Style Notes: If you love denim, then you’re likely already aware of Gap’s superior blues. We always buy our denim shirts from the brand, and have no plans to stop. 

Style Notes: Our shopping editor, Joy Montgomery, has proclaimed this Arket t-shirt the best she’s ever worn. Need we say more? 

Style Notes: From the Gaspard to the Mickey, we can’t scroll Instagram without seeing one of Sézane’s gorgeous knits. 

Style Notes: The brand that put blazers back on the sartorial map in the early 2010s, we’d be amiss not to mention Zara’s impressive blazer edit. 

Style Notes: As we prepare to ease ourselves out of our winter boots, might we turn your attention to Marks & Spencer’s ever-popular ballet flats? Sans the bow usually found on ballerina pumps, this pair has been a hit with our editors and influencers with minimal aesthetics. 

Style Notes: One of the pioneers of the now-essential straight-leg jean, Weekday’s denim department never fails to impress us. The most popular styles are undoubtedly the Rowe and Voyager jean, both of which rival pairs five times the price. 

Style Notes: Probably the most iconic blazer the high street has ever produced, & Other Stories’s wool-blend blazer has been restocked more times than we can count. Don’t miss it this time around. 

Style Notes: Some high street brands are guilty of taking their accessories a step to far, be it with oversized zips or unnecessary branding. COS, however, opts for the pared-back approach, making its arm candy the most expensive-looking out there. 

Style Notes: No high street brand creates more must-have items than H&M, but something it consistently gets right is black leggings—particularly those with a fashionable spin. 

Style Notes: Having launched in 2018, Dune’s bestselling Loupe sandals continue to be one of the most coveted pairs on the high street. When they look this sleek, it’s not hard to see why. 

Style Notes: While puffer jackets have proven popular across the high street, it goes without saying that Arket’s puffer coat collection is the chicest of them all. 

Next Up, It’s Official: We’re Not Taking Off This High-Street Jumpsuit Until April

Author Maxine Eggenberger | Whowhatwear
Selected by CWC