Capsule/French-Inspired Wardrobe

Now that I'm done with graduate school, I'm theoretically going to be able to have time for all this sewing that I want to do.  I was thinking about refreshing my Tim Gunn project but I think that's just going to remain a giant unfinished project.  I'll probably dismantle it soon although I recently read Tim Gunn's book on style and thought he made some excellent points.  In fact, some of his ideas really inspired me to update my own style.

Now I've been really fascinated with clearing out my closet and building a wardrobe that actually works for me.  It's like waking up one day, looking in the closet, and saying, "Wow.  None of this is really working for me.  Except for my prized Burberry trench (which I purchased with a bonus one year).  That can stay."

Somewhere in all of my online wanderings I stumbled across the idea of a 10-piece wardrobe, or a French-inspired wardrobe.  Having a few items that are really awesome in quality sounds really nice!  When I moved to Dallas a two years ago, I had to pack up most of my stuff and only bring what clothes I needed for work.  I was wearing all my best stuff at my new job for the month I had to wait to move into my new apartment and have my household goods delivered.  It never really clicked that I could update my whole outlook on clothes by continuing to live that way.

I feel like the 'rules' on most 10-piece wardrobe websites are a bit fuzzy. .  .I mean, if 'basics' like t-shirts don't count, then theoretically I could have 100 t-shirts that I rarely wear!  It defeats the purpose of having a small wardrobe.  I get that one might want to keep three of the same basic black t-shirt or tank top around, since one wouldn't want to do laundry every night.
Also, some people count outerwear like jackets and others don't.  I kind of like the Project 333 idea because it seems more realistic as to the exact number of pieces one actually has in the closet.

I guess the point is that I want to develop/curate a small wardrobe of nice clothes that I wear all the time.  I probably could extend this to patterns (so many evening dresses I'll never make!) and my fabric stash!

I'm not French by any means, but I'd certainly like to be considered stylish and chic.  So I think until I have completed building my wardrobe, every time payday gets here I'm going to buy one item I don't have (or the materials for it) that is on the list.  I'm no where near a good enough seamstress to sew all of my own clothes, but there is quite a lot that I think I could make.

My work is a bit more conservative and formal that I would prefer to dress, so I might break off a subset of these clothes as a "work capsule" since I don't really wear my work clothes outside of work.

I tend to look best in neutrals like white, black, and navy, so I don't think I'll have many tans or browns in here.  I also look great in reds and vibrant blues so I think those will be my accent colors, although I've had great success with some shades of purple and green.

Here is a first draft.  Obviously if you do this exercise at home your list would be different.  I list the brands of some of my clothes to help me keep in mind where I got what.

Outerwear
1. Trench Coat - have, Burberry trench
2. Leather Jacket - have, Wilson's leather
3. Jean Jacket - need to replace, Levi's trucker jacket
4. Black Blazer - have
5. Chanel-inspired jacket - need to get materials, will most likely make Vogue 8804

Bottoms
6. Black Dress Pants - have, Banana Republic Martin Fit Lightweight Wool Trousers
7. Jeans hemmed for flats - have, need to hem
8. Jeans hemmed for heels - have, probably need to hem a bit
9. White Linen Pants - have materials and pattern (Burda 2012-04-121), need to make
10. Dark Grey Skirt for work - have, Ann Taylor
11. Navy Pencil Skirt for work - have, Ann Taylor
12. Black Skirt for work - need to replace, will probably make McCall's 4783
13. Denim Skirt - have
14. Chanel-inspired skirt to match jacket - need to get materials, pick a pattern.  Most likely McCall's 3830, McCall's 5523, or McCall's 3341

Tops
15. White Button Down - have, Brooks Brothers (I also have the same shirt in a light blue and lavender)
16. White Silk Blouse - don't have, need to pick pattern
17. Silk Chiffon Blouse - have materials and pattern (Vogue 2850), need to make
18. Basic T-Shirt - have, Banana Republic Timeless V-Neck in black and white
19. Basic Tank Top - have, Banana Republic Timeless Tank in black and white
20. Breton Top - don't have, would like to get a St. James one in white and navy
21. Sweater - have materials and pattern (McCall's 6796), need to make
22. Bow-Tie Blouse - have materials (except buttons) and pattern (Style Arc Tiffany)
23. Polo Shirt - have, muted purple Ralph Lauren polo
24. Raglan Top - don't have, need to get materials for Burda 02-2013-127 

Dresses
25. DVF-inspired wrap dress - have, will need to replace soon with another Vogue 8379
26. Kate Middleton ISSA knockoff - don't have, need materials to Frankenpattern Vogue 8921 and McCall's 5752 (which I don't have but will probably draft the tie)
27. LBD sheath dress for work - don't have, most likely will get J. Crew's Emmaleigh in Super 120s
28. Cocktail Dress - have, Burda 04-2012-128.
29. Denim Shirtdress - have materials and pattern (McCall's 5847), need to make
30. Maxi Sundress - making now, Vogue 8870 (trendy item, most likely won't last a year and I'll replace it with another sundress)

Some immediate thoughts:
I like dresses.  A lot.  I have a few other dresses in my head that I'd either like to make or already in my current wardrobe.  I have three or four other dresses that I could have listed but didn't.
I haven't listed very many tops - most online sources give a 2:1 ratio of tops to bottoms.  I have a handful of t-shirts that I like to wear and some other random tops that are work-only tops.  This makes me think I need to separate my work clothes from my "me" clothes (I'll never wear a work-only top or bottom outside of work).  Who I feel I really am really is in conflict with the person I feel I'm supposed to be at work.  Maybe a sign I need to get a different job?
I go tango dancing at least once a week.  Excepting the cocktail dress, I don't have anything nice enough to wear to milongas.
I have a couple layering pieces like cardigans but haven't listed them.
This doesn't include my whole sleepwear wardrobe I'm making - I have two cami-and-tap-pant sets, a silk nightgown and peignoir set and a cotton Japanese-inspired PJ and robe set in the pipeline.

I'll have V8870 done sometime over the weekend (it's super easy; I'm at the attach-the-straps and make-the-bodice phase), and then I can hem those jeans and cut out my linen pants.