Cubicle Fashionista: Building a basic corporate wardrobe

I thought that starting a corporate 9 to 5 job would make me richer rather than poorer. Somehow I've picked up a shopping addiction and I'm justifying it by the fact that I'm only buying clothes for work. However, my credit cards sob to me at night and give me nightmares (literally, last night I dreamt I was at the train station and wanted to buy shoes but I didn't have enough money on my credit card).

So I'm trying not to spend so much on clothes, and I've been thinking about what I need to buy, as opposed to what I want to buy (which appears to be everything).

Just as a disclaimer, my wardrobe is nowhere near as fabulous as this post. I often dream about paying off my credit cards then spending my entire credit limit on clothes in one day.

Basics
Your basics should be well made, fit well and be classic. They should match your personal style and not be heavily influenced by trends and fads. You can justify spending a little more on these items because they will last you a long time.

2 x grey suits
1 x pinstripe, 1 x plain grey
Skirt or pants suits are fine, I hate pants, but they suit some people

SABA Nilson Suit Skirt $132.45 and Jacket $299.25

2 x black suits
1 x pinstripe, 1 x plain black
Make sure your plain black jacket is versatile enough to be worn as a blazer over dresses when you need to dress them up

Forcast Joyce skirt $44.95 and Jacket $79.95

Review Rumba Jacket $249.95 and Skirt $159.95

5 x long sleeve shirts
Choose solid colours and classic stripes.
Tailor your purchases to your style, for example, I love feminine frilly shirts.

Herringbone Camelia Stripe Navy Shirt $209.00

Farage Ruffle Tuxedo Shirt $279.00

Witchery Ruffle Collar Shirt $129.95

5 x short sleeve shirts

Barkins Ruffle Front Shirt $39.95

Alannah Hill Got a Feeling Blouse $149.00

1 x winter coat
Choose a neutral colour like camel or black.

Witchery Pea Coat $349.95

Burberry Wool Trench Coat with Frilled Hem $1,375.00

2 x corporate dresses
Buy tailored classic dresses

Review Gatsby Dress $249.95

Forcast Bianca Shift Dress $79.95

3 x cardigans
Make sure at least one of them is black, you can add this to almost any outfit when it's cold.

Alannah Hill Into My Arms Cardigan $189.00

Country Road Padded Shoulder Cardigan $149.00

3 x belts
These can be worn with skirts or pants or over dresses and cardigans.

Witchery Skinny Stitched Belt $39.95

Sportscraft Roxy Belt $69.95

1 x black heels

Wittner Lumen Heels $129.95

1 x nude heels

Aldo Lomack Heel $80.00

1 x briefcase

Louis Vuitton Melrose Avenue US$2,990.00

1 x black leather handbag
At least it will never get dirty!

Mimco Metal Button Ziptop $450.00

1 x gym bag

Adidas Women's Essentials Bag $25.00

Additionals
These items should be purchased as necessary. Each season there will be new trends that you can add to your outfits through accessories. You can buy these items quite cheap, pick them up at op-shops or borrow them from your mom's wardrobe.

Hair accessories