Name the actual days
Write down the places you need to go and the activities involved. Include laundry time, weather and any occasion that changes the usual routine. A week at home and a week of travel ask different things of clothing, so there is little value in treating one fixed list as suitable for everyone.
Choose the dependable base
Begin with lower layers and shoes that comfortably cover most of the week. Add tops that work with more than one of those choices. Check the combinations by trying them on, because proportions can make a pairing less useful than it appears on a hanger.
Add one flexible outer layer
A layer that works open or fastened can change the same base outfit substantially. Consider where it will be carried when not worn. If it is intended for changing weather, confirm what protection is actually specified rather than assuming that appearance indicates performance.
Leave a little slack
A practical rail allows for an unexpected spill, a delayed wash or a different plan. The aim is fewer decisions, not a test of how little you can own. Note which pieces you reach for and adjust the selection next week using that ordinary evidence.
