I will be traveling a lot this summer, for business and pleasure, and I’ve been spending some time standing in my closet trying to decide what exactly I should pack for all these trips. I’m looking for pieces that are easy to wear and easy to care for and versatile. I need things that can go to a meeting and go sightseeing, and I need outfits that will work for hot and cold weather. I am trying to steer clear of dry clean only anything, because I want to have the option to wash things out in the hotel sink, rather than wearing it once and stuffing it back in the suitcase.

That’s not too much to ask, is it? Nooo of course not! Not if you have the right strategies.

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We’ve been talking about how to build an office-friendly wardrobe that will also work for those hours and days when you are NOT at the office. The goal, of course, is to have a closet full of basics that you can mix and match and wear for years to come. The place to start any wardrobe overhaul is by assessing your existing wardrobe, which includes making a list of pieces that you are missing.

As you go through your closet and try on everything that has survived the purge (pieces that fit AND are in good condition AND are classic enough not to reflect a specific trend or moment that has long passed), you need to take note of what you DON’T have. While you might easily identify gaps in your basic pieces — no trench coat, for example, or no office-appropriate jeans — you also need to think about the details: Do you have the right undergarments for every piece in your closet? The right shoes for every outfit? The right accessories for every look?

That fabulous white shirt won’t look so fabulous if you’re wearing it with a green bra, trust me. Or even with a white bra that shows RIGHT through.

Make two lists as you clean your closet: one list of Big Pieces (trousers, skirts, blouses, dresses) and a second list of Foundations and Accessories (lingerie, jewelry, bags, shoes). These are the things you need to shop for, because these are the things you actually NEED. Nothing else, at least for right now.

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Stara has a question about suiting:

As you may have noticed (not at all due to my incessant mentioning of this fact), I am an attorney. And I have been informed by an inside contact that I will likely soon be contacted by an ultra conservative employer regarding an interview. For which I honestly need a new suit. The last “interview” suit I bought was nearly 6 years ago, and it is showing it’s age.

My query is this- I am 27. How do I buy an interview suit that is both job appropriate and does not betray my age? I don’t particularly want to plop down $400 on a suit I will never want to wear again. I’m willing to spend a fair amount of cash so long as it is on something I actually like, and not something I feel forced into buying.

I think Stara has exactly the right attitude here: she wants a suit that will make her look professional and competent, but she doesn’t want to go into the interview pretending to be someone she’s not. And she absolutely wants to come out of this with a new job AND a suit that she can actually WEAR to the new job, something that will work with her current closet.

That sounds like a big request, but it’s actually fairly simple, as long as she keeps a few things in mind as she shops.

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We’ve talked before about building a basics wardrobe, and about how important it is to have go-to outfits; now it’s time to think about ways to keep that closet of essential, workable pieces interesting and fresh.

The answer, of course, is accessories.

Kashmere scarf, Bluefly, $65.00

The idea of accessorizing scares a lot of women, though — they don’t know what to choose or how to wear it. Here is a short list of five accessories you really need in your closet; over the next month, we will talk about how to make them work, for every day and and for special occasions.

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