10 Wardrobe Essentials EVERY Woman in Her Late 20s Needs

Your late 20s just hit different. It's almost like a second puberty. You are not running across campus trying to get to your next class in a hoodie and sweatpants anymore. Suddenly, you're attending weddings, going to meetings, brunching with mimosas on a Sunday. And now, you need the wardrobe to reflect the woman that you're transitioning into. What's good? Welcome back to It Girl Academy, where we explore how to become the best version of ourselves through beauty, style, mindset, and how we navigate the world. I'm Aja Jackson, your student class It Girl president. And today, we are going to be talking about 10 wardrobe essentials that I think every woman in her late 20s needs. Now, obviously, you don't need anything from this list, let alone everything. I am not one to advocate for overconsumption. However, if something on this list does speak to you, add it to your cart, take note of it, think about it. And if it doesn't speak to you, then don't do any of that. You actually don't need to buy anything that doesn't add value to your life. The first thing on this list is a set of high quality t-shirts and tank tops. These are the backbone of your wardrobe. In my early 20s, I really loved graphic tee, and I still do sometimes, but you can't really build a reliable wardrobe without necessities like a plain t-shirt and tank tops because they just go with everything. And you want ones that can actually hold their shape even after multiple washes. Because these are the backbone of your wardrobe, you're going to be wearing them a lot, and you want them to survive multiple washes. I personally love the crew neck cotton t-shirts from Uniqlo. These are my favorite t-shirts. I have a million of them. I have them in all different colors. They're just really durable, they're very comfortable, and they have a really nice weight to them, so they hold their shape very well. And they also don't cling to my body in unflattering ways. Sometimes t-shirts with really thin fabric can cling into really awkward parts of the body, and it just doesn't look great. So what I really like about these is that they're pretty thick, they have a really nice weight to them, they hold their shape. For tank tops, I really like these ones from Uniqlo. This whole video is going to sound like a Uniqlo ad, but this video is not sponsored. I just really... I have a neighbor that lives on my floor, and they just let their dogs run around the hallway barking. Like, hello girl, let's get it together. It's other people that live here. Anyway, for tank tops, I really like these ones from Uniqlo. This entire video is going to sound like a Uniqlo ad, but this video is not sponsored. I really just think that Uniqlo has really great basics, and I really like them. So what I like about this tank top in particular is that it has a built-in bra, so I don't have to wear a bra with it. I don't have to figure out, like, where did I put my strapless bra? Like, where did I put all this stuff? You just put it on. You know what I'm saying? You don't have to think about it. You just put the tank top on, and you're ready to leave the house. Also, sometimes I just don't feel like wearing a bra. You know what I'm saying? Like, sometimes I just wake up in the morning, and I'm like, yeah, I can't do that today. You know what I'm saying? These also have a really wide pit-to-pit measurement because I have something that's called tail-of-spence, and I'm gonna try to explain what this is. I don't know if this is the right top to show, but sometimes tank tops have too short of an armpit measurement, or they put the straps too close to the neck. So what happens is it, like, pushes this. A lot of people call it armpit fat, but tail-of-spence is not armpit fat. It's actually just axillary breast tissue that extends into your armpit. So it makes it look like there's just this extra pudge when I wear those types of tank tops, and it just looks weird. I don't feel comfortable, so I try to avoid tank tops like that, like the plague. So I really like these ones from Uniqlo because it covers that tail-of-spence area, so I don't have to worry about it. Now, the tank top that I just showed you from Uniqlo has a pretty high neckline, but if you want a lower neckline, I really like these ones from Abercrombie & Fitch. You can get them in a pack of three colors. I got the ones that come with black, white, and gray. And what I like about these is that the fabric is ribbed, but it's super, super soft. And personally, as someone that has a short torso, I prefer using tank tops that are cropped just because I feel like it's more proportionate to my body proportions. However, if you do have a longer torso or you have a more balanced torso, I would highly recommend looking into a standard length tank top as opposed to a cropped one. If I find any, I will link them in the description box down below, but also the ones that I'm showing here that are cropped, I will also leave these in the description box down below. In fact, everything that I show in this video, I will try to leave in the description box down below. Hoodies and sweatshirts are like the quintessential early 20s uniform. However, once you start building a late 20s to early 30s wardrobe, I feel like knit sweaters are a much more elevated and sophisticated and grown staple than hoodies and sweatshirts are. They look chic and elevated, but they are just as easy and comfortable to wear. You can throw one over a dress, you can wear it with a skirt, tie it around your shoulders, you can wear it with jeans, you can tuck it into trousers, and it always looks very intentional and polished without trying too hard, given you are wearing the correct size and style for your proportions and body, because you can also drown in knit sweaters if you wear them too oversized. Now, when you are looking for knit sweaters, I recommend choosing ones that you are able to wash in the washing machine, because I have quite a few dry clean only sweaters, and I noticed that I kind of avoid them, because I don't want to bring them to the dry cleaners. I want to be able to wear a sweater, take it off, throw it in the machine, and then take it out clean. Honestly, that was kind of a bar. I kind of ate that. Yeah, honestly, when I hit my early 30s, it was like survival of the fittest with my closet, like only the strong survive, and that's why this one from Uniqlo. Y'all, I swear this is not sponsored. I just really love Uniqlo. Uniqlo has really great knit and wool sweaters. What was I talking about? Sorry, I'm having an ADHD moment right now. Survival of the fittest, only the fittest survive. Look for sweaters that you can throw in a washing machine. Every woman, regardless of her age, needs a pair of jeans that she can trust. As women, I truly believe that our first experience with trust issues comes from jeans. They're so deceiving, and what I mean by a pair of jeans that you can trust is a pair of jeans that when you put it on, you know that you're going to feel good when you wear them, so these jeans need to fit your proportions perfectly. Sometimes that might mean that you have to tailor them or hem the length so that it fits your height or the length of your legs, or sometimes you might need to bring the waist in so that you don't have a gap in the back, and I feel like a lot of people are really afraid of the word tailoring, but it is pretty inexpensive to make little adjustments like this to jeans, like hemming the bottom of your jeans so that they actually fit you is gonna cost you anywhere from like 10 to 30 bucks, depending on where you live. It is really not that expensive of an adjustment to make for clothes that are going to fit you perfectly. The truth is there's probably one pair of pants out of 100 that exist on the market that are going to fit your body perfectly just because, as I've said in my previous video, mass-produced clothing is designed to be as generic in sizing as possible to fit as many people as possible, but the reality is that everyone's body proportions are so different. You know, like I always talk about, some people have short torsos, long torso, short legs, long legs, wide hips, narrow hips. It's just like everyone has a different combination of all of these proportions, and there's just no way that there's going to be a pair of pants everywhere that fits you perfectly. Even if you spend $25 on a pair of jeans and you have to spend $25 on tailoring, like, girl, just do it, you know what I'm saying? You're always gonna have clothes that work perfectly for you, so I truly believe it's worth it. Now, the style of jeans that you go for is going to be entirely dependent on your own body type and proportions. I do have a video talking a little bit about that called How to Understand Your Body for Better Outfits, and I will link that in the description box down below. But the key here is to find a wash or a color and a style that just works perfectly for you and your lifestyle. Because I have a short torso and narrow hips, I really like low-rise jeans, just like this pair from We The Free. I got these from Free People, and they are like a barrel leg situation. So they kind of balance the top half of my body because my shoulders are wider than my hips because I have such narrow hips. So that's that on that. All right, you also need a pair of flat shoes that are not sneakers. Now, don't get me wrong, I do love me a sneaker, but your wardrobe in your late 20s and early 30s also need a flat shoe that feels a little bit more elevated. Now, for me, that shoe is a pair of loafers. They are very chic, very polished, but they are just as comfortable as sneakers are. There's a whole bunch of different types of flat shoes that are not sneakers. Some people really like ballet flats. Telling you right now, that is not my thing. But if that's for you, that's your prerogative. That's what you should get into. I personally love a shoe with more structure. It's just a little bit more dramatic, and I have so many different pairs of loafers. They're just like one of my favorite shoes to wear. They're easy to slip on, they're easy to take off. You can wear them with socks, depending on the outfit that you're wearing. You can wear them without socks. I just love loafers. But the point here is to have something you can wear when sneakers are just not quite elevated enough. You're also going to need a pair of heeled sandals or pumps. You do not have to wear stilettos. That is just something that you don't have to do. All of my friends in their late 20s and early 30s have come to the conclusion that stilettos were never for them. When you get into your late 20s, early 30s, you start to have a lot less patience for things that you don't like. And that's the beauty of reaching this age. I love it. Find a heel height that feels comfortable for you. If your heels are not comfortable, you are never going to wear them, and that is just such a waste of money. For those of you that have been here for a while, you know that I bought a pair of Louboutin Sokates in the 120 millimeters back in 2016 when I was 22 years old, and I have not worn them out of the house a single time since I bought them because they're not comfortable. And at the time, I thought that I could sacrifice comfort for style, but then I realized that I can't do that, nor did I want to, so. These days, I love a kitten heel, you know? They are very short. They are still comfortable, but they still look very chic. These are a pair of Jimmy Choo's that I actually bought originally to wear for my brother's wedding, but they ended up being one of my favorite pairs of shoes. You can see the bottoms of these. These are toe up. These have been used a lot, but what a great use of my money, right? I bought a pair of designer shoes that I actually wore all the time, and it's because they were comfortable, they were cute, I liked wearing them, so I ended up wearing them. What a concept. These are another pair of kitten heels that I got from, I believe, either Nordstrom Rack or Saks Off 5th, they're by Schutz, and they are also super cute. I actually bought these to replace a pair of YSL heels or Saint Laurent heels that I lost in London. They were a beautiful shoe. It was croc embossed leather, patent leather. It was shiny, it was gorgeous, it was stunning, and then I brought them to Europe and lost them in London. I came home and they were not in my luggage, so. I'm very sad about that. Overcoats are one of my favorite staples in the world. The right coat will instantly elevate any outfit. It literally does not even matter what you're wearing. It will elevate whatever you're wearing. It's timeless, it's practical, it goes with everything. You know? So imagine this, it's 5 a.m., you have a flight to catch, you want to be comfortable, but you still want to look polished while you're flying. Here's an idea. Throw on a knit sweater, okay? Get a pair of trousers that has an elasticated waistband, you know what I'm saying? So it feels like sweatpants, but they're not sweatpants. You know what I'm saying? And then you throw this bad boy over it. It's literally like the more polished version of flying in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. Think about that. Anyway, a good overcoat is something that you will just reach for over and over again because it literally goes with everything, especially if you live in a place that experiences four seasons. You can wear this in the winter and the fall, and in some days in the spring. Every time I travel, I bring this with me. It is just a really good coat. It has pockets on the inside. I can put my passport, I can put my phone, my AirPods, whatever. It just goes over everything. This is actually a men's coat, and I sized up a little bit because I knew that I wanted to wear this over sweaters and things like that. It goes over every outfit that I could possibly wear, and she's just, she's my favorite coat. Look at her. Stunning. The white button-down is one of the most versatile pieces that you can own. By the way, is it versatile or versatile? Because I say both, and it just depends on what comes out of my mouth when I open it. What I love about white button-downs is that you can wear it by itself. You can wear it layered underneath a knit sweater. You can wear it with an overcoat. You can wear it with jeans. You can wear it with trousers. You could wear it casually. You could wear it into the office. She does so many things, and everyone needs at least one. You will thank yourself for having a little black dress in your closet. Trust me. Have you ever been invited to a party, a brunch, or an event last minute, and then you started panicking because you're like, oh my God, I don't have anything to wear? Well, that is where the LBD comes in and saves the day. My tip here is to find a dress that, number one, feels comfortable on your body, obviously, but also you want to pick something that can be dressed either up or down, depending on accessories and how you style it. I find that the most versatile style of dress is a slip dress. This is one of my favorite little black dresses, or LBDs. I got this from Revolve, and it has a ruching on the side. It's stretchy, and it has a high slit, so this can work for so many different occasions, and it fits, honestly, it fits every dress code up until black tie. You know what I mean? I have worn this to parties, events. I've even worn this for a red carpet one time. Like, this dress has saved me so many times. So you need an LBD in your closet. It's like an insurance policy. It's always there when you need it, even though insurance is a scam. Now, let's talk jewelry. Jewelry, to me, is less about trends and more about telling your story. The pieces that you wear every day tell people who you are, and I would even argue that jewelry that you wear every day says more about you than the clothes that you wear, because most people have different styles that they wear. For me, I love wearing something chic and elegant like this, but tomorrow I might wear a streetwear outfit with sneakers. You know what I'm saying? However, my everyday jewelry stays the same. I wear this stuff all the time, and I feel like that's a better indicator of who I am as a person, because these are things that I chose to wear every day. Now, to give you an example of what I mean by jewelry should tell the story of you, you guys know that I love my gold necklaces with my jade pendants like this one and this one. I love my gold pinky ring. I love my gold hoops. I love my gold rings. And I bought all of these things in Long Beach at a family-owned Cambodian jewelry shop that has been there since the 1980s. The chains that I chose are Southeast Asian style chains. This chain is a Southeast Asian style chain that is diamond cut. Obviously, I have jade here. I have jade here. Gold jewelry in general, especially chains, is a really huge part of youth culture in East Long Beach, which is where I grew up. And on this jade pendant right here, there's like a little gold motif of a dragon. And when I bought this necklace, I was going through a really rough patch in my life. I was going through a depressive episode. And in a lot of East and Southeast Asian cultures, the dragon is a symbol of strength. And when I saw this at that jewelry shop, it just really spoke to me at that time. And now every time I wear it and every time I look at it, it just reminds me of my strength and resilience to come back from such a difficult time in my life. That's kind of what I mean by your everyday jewelry should tell the story of you. For me, this isn't just jewelry. It's a representation of my upbringing in East Side Long Beach. It is a celebration of my Southeast Asian heritage. It's a reminder of my strength and resilience. And that's kind of what I mean by your everyday jewelry should tell the story of you. And you never know. These pieces could become family heirlooms in the future. You know what I'm saying? If I tell my children that these are the stories behind the pieces that I have, and then I give them to them, and then they give them to their kids, and there's a story behind each and every one of these pieces, that's very cool. You know what I'm saying? What a cool legacy to have attached to a thing, a piece of jewelry. Now, if you only care about jewelry in the aesthetic way, then go ahead and do that and forget everything I just said. Every woman in her early 20s deserves a high-quality bag. Gone are the days of the fast fashion bags that fall apart. You deserve a nice, durable bag that will support the woman that you are stepping into. So write that down. But before you go out and buy things, you first need to do a lifestyle audit. You need to audit your lifestyle. Are you going to be using this bag every day? Is this going to be a bag that you bring with you to work? Do you live in a walkable city? How do you commute? Do you drive in a car? Are you taking public transportation? Do you need to carry just your essentials? Do you need to carry a makeup bag? Do you need to fit your laptop into this thing? The right bag for your everyday bag, I don't think should rely just on trends. It really needs to fit your lifestyle and what you're going to be using it for. Otherwise, you're not going to use it and it's a waste of money. And who wants that? Who wants to waste money? It's not like I've ever done that before. Now, even though I am self-employed and I do work from home, sometimes I do like to bring my work outside of the house, either to co-work with some of my friends or just to go to like a cafe or something. And I do need to bring my gigantic laptop. I do have a 16-inch MacBook Pro because I use that giant thing to edit all of my videos. And one thing that I found out very quickly is that there are not a lot of bags that can fit that thing. However, I do have two go-to bags that do fit that thing. I have the large shopping bag by Telfar. This is in the black patent. This is a very, very durable bag. I can put so much stuff into this and it's going to carry all of it. Fits my 16-inch gigantic laptop and it's just very, it's very durable. You know what I'm saying? And it's very stylish, very stylish. And then I also have the Saint Laurent ICA bag. I don't know if that's how you pronounce it. The way that it's spelled is I-C-A-R-E, like I care. But my sales associate at Saint Laurent said ICA. So I don't know if that's how you pronounce it, but that's what he said. So that's what I'm going to say. I freaking love this bag. It is gigantic. As you can see, I use it for travel. I use it for my laptop and it has this little chain here. So you can change it from this shape, like a shopping bag shape, to like this kind of shape if you don't want it to be that wide. So yeah, those are my two bags that I use. Now this is where your lifestyle audit comes into play. I live in Los Angeles, so we drive everywhere. And I really prefer bags that don't have a zipper or that don't close because I want to be able to like, if I'm driving, if I need to like grab something, I can just like go ahead and grab it. However, if you live in like a walkable city or you have to take public transportation, having an open bag like that is probably not the best idea because of pickpocketers, you know what I'm saying? So again, you really need to think about like your lifestyle, where you live, what you're going to be using this bag for before you go out and buy things. That is my recommendation. With these 10 essentials, you will always have something to wear that looks stylish and polished. These 10 essentials will support the woman that you are becoming. And I love that for you. Reminder, you don't need a million things. You just need the right things. So write that down. I need all of my fellow it girls to sound off in the comments. Let me know in the comments which of these essentials you already have or which ones that you are looking to invest in next. And also let me know like, what is, what age are you? Like, are you in your late twenties or early thirties watching this video? Or maybe you're in your mid twenties. Just let me know. Cause I like to know where my subscribers are at so that I can make content that's geared towards the right audience. Thank you guys so much for watching. And don't forget to subscribe to enroll in It Girl Academy. Like this video if you haven't already and I'll catch you guys next time. Peace.