You’ll need at least one suit for your capsule wardrobe that you can wear as one outfit or break into separates. Navy gives you the most versatility because it can be worn in dressy occasions but also to more casual affairs.

For example, a navy suit will look appropriate at a wedding, business interview, and a date at a nice restaurant. Additionally, navy pairs well with any color of leather accessories and shoes. You can wear brown, burgundy, and even black leather items with a navy suit.

Remember that jacket sizing has more options. For shorter guys, you may need a short version of your jackets to account for short sleeve length. Under 510 has suits for the shorter men, and we're working on updating our suits to fit even better than before.

A navy suit is essential for every man

Your next item is a sport coat or blazer. This is basically a jacket without matching suit pants. But what's great about a sport coat is that it gives you a lot more options of what to pair it with. As an example, see the picture here - you can easily wear a sport coat with a pair of dress pants and a dress shirt. But the sport coat looks just as good with a pair of denim! You can even ditch the dress shirt and wear it over a t-shirt or sweater.

The same suit sizing principles apply. However, use the sport coat as an opportunity to get a fun color or patterned sport coat that can be worn more casually with more pieces in your closet.

Notice the pattern, colors, and detail in this sportcoat. @hespokestyle

Field jackets are capsule wardrobe-essentials. They are versatile, rugged, and useful when pairing with all the possible combinations in your closet. They add an element of masculinity to your wardrobe and can actually replace a sweater or sport coat. It’s okay to let this jacket be slightly oversized and longer to account for layering. Just make sure it’s not swallowing your torso. As a short man, that will make you look even shorter.

There are also waxed and waterproof versions of this jacket. Check out options from Barbour to get you one that holds up in rainy weather.

Keep an eye out: field jackets can be found on hipsters, veterans, and celebrities alike!

Bomber jackets offer big time style points and look especially good on shorter men because of their typically shorter hem. Similar to the field jacket, the bomber makes for a great layering piece since it can be worn over t-shirts and button down shirts. You can dress them up by pairing them with dressier pants, or wear them with jeans and joggers for a more casual look.

These come in a lot of different materials: leather, suede, cotton, etc. We recommend a leather or cotton material as these are versatile and always get compliments. We also recommend looking for colors like navy and army green since they pair well with a plethora of color-combinations. Make sure it’s something that is wearable and functional for you to maximize the potential of your capsule wardrobe.

Bomber jackets like this one are lightweight and easy to wear

Thin merino wool, cotton-cashmere, or cashmere sweaters are great layering pieces. Stuff with cashmere content will obviously have a more luxurious feel, and are highly recommended. When you look for wool, merino wool is finer, and more comfortable than lambswool and is less prone to pilling. They’ll suit your capsule wardrobe need for the fall and winter months. Neutral colors like charcoal and dark brown are the best for color coordinating.

When considering how to size sweaters for shorter men, keep the length of the sleeves and body sweater in mind. The longer they are, the baggier they get and shorter they'll make you look. You mayu want to size up with sweaters since you will be layering these over button down shirts.

Sweaters are crucial to your wardrobe because they are fashionable and functional

As seen in the picture here, Chris Evans showed us how it’s done in Knives Out; A cable knit sweater is a fall capsule wardrobe essential in our book. They are extremely handsome and practical since they are thick, heavy, and warm.

These also add a great deal of sophistication to your overall appearance because the cable knit has a very intricate weave. They’re great layering pieces as well and can be worn alone or over a button down shirt.

You can also wear cable knits in an oversized fit. They’re meant to be chunky and cozy, but not too long.

Chris Evans is handsome - but even he can't distact us from the even the beautiful sweater he's wearing

We lumped these together because you can use theses interchangably. It really comes down to personal preference since most people don't really use the hood as a funtional tool. A crewneck is easier to layer over a button down shirt so that puts it slightly ahead of a hoodie on our list . Choose the one you like more, but make sure it’s a simple color to get you the most versatility.

Under 510 carries the French Terry Crewneck Sweat Shirt which features a textured interior that feels great against the skin when wearing alone but looks great over a collared shirt.

Our very own Frankie P is looking sharp in the FT Crewneck in olive

Chinos are one of the best type of pants for men. They’re comfortable, easy to style, and can span casual as well as dressier occasions. Chinos are generally made of a cotton twill (the type of weave that has diagonal lines) and most modern versions have stretch added to the fabric. Our Simon Chino is 97% cotton and 3% stretch which makes for enough stretch to keep you comfortable throughout your day.

The reason we recommend 1-3 is to give yourself some color options. Khaki, Navy, and Olive are great options to start. Check out the Simon 3.0 Chinos to see the variety.

Again, to make this capsule wardrobe fit you perfectly, make sure the chinos are the right length, fit you comfortably in the but and crotch, and aren’t too tight around your thighs. We cover this in our Sizing Guide as well.

These are also perfect if you don’t plan on getting any separate slacks or suit pants. They’ll mesh well with sport coats and blazers. They look great with sneakers, boots, and even loafers.

Chinos look great with sneakers, loafers, and boots - making them the most versatile style of pants

Joggers are great casual pieces to have in your capsule wardrobe. They come in different styles, spanning from athletic to everyday wear. Joggers can come in a wide range of fabrics including, cotton, fleece, chino, performance, and many more. Also pay attention to the finishes - cuffs can be the scrunchy type or ribbed elastic. You can decide for yourself which style you like the most. As noted above, we recommend getting joggers you can wear most. They are defintely more a trendy style of pants, so you don't really need more than a couple of pairs.

The issue for shorter guys when it comes to joggers is that they are almost impossible to find in properly fitting inseams. To make matters worse, you can't take joggers to the tailor to get shortened since they do not feature a typical hem finishing. Luckiluy, Under 510 now makes joggers in 24" (labeled as "short") and 26" inseams (labeled as "regular") so you can get a pair that fits perfectly.

Bear in mind that joggers are supposed to be slightly cropped, so get an inseam that is shorter than your normal inseam. For example, if you normally wear a 26" inseam, definitely get joggers in a 24" inseam. Check out the Tyson Joggers for a good fit.

Joggers, like our Tysons, are extremely comfortable and fall at the perfect length

Jeans are likely going to be the most versatile pair of pants in your wardrobe. But there are so many options when it comes to denim that it can be easy to get overwhelmed. For example, although most jeans come in an indigo hue, fabrics can vary greatly in weight, feel, and stretch. Some jeans will feel stiff and inflexible, while others can feel like sweatpants.

For a capsule wardrobe, defintely start with dark denim. Dark blue denim can even rival chinos in versatility since they pair well with so many different tops, shoes, and color combinations. Wear them with a t-shirt and sneakers for a casual outfit or leather loafers and an oxford button down for a dressier vibe. They also belong in your capsule wardrobe becuase they are reliable and will last for many seasons without needing to be replaced.

Our signature dark blue jeans are the Brue Slim Tapered Fit jeans because they come in a rich color, and a comfortable stretch fabric. They also feature matching tonal stitching that makes them easier to dress up. Best of all, they come in inseams starting a 25" inches so you can get a pair that fits perfectly without the need for a hem or cuff.

@Threadability shows how you can easily dress up our Bruce jeans by styling them with dress shoes

While maybe not as versatile as dark denim, we still recommend adding a light pair for your capsule wardrobe. A lighter pair will look great worn casually with the shirts and tees better than dark denim. This is especially true in the warmer months since the sunnier days tend to accentuate the light color of the jeans and make them look especially good. Of course, light wash jeans still can be dressed up with a sport coat or sweater in the winter time. Just make sure to throw on a sweet pair of brown boots too! Light wash Xavier Jeans from Under 510 is a perfect option for shorter guys looking for add this color to their capsule wardrobe.

Keep in mind that for the cleanest look you’ll want to pick denim without any intentional rips, tears or distressing to optimize its versatility. We recommend the Xavier Sorbtek Jean in Light Blue.

Our light wash jeans have a distinctly vintage look and are great for more casual wear

Pick 1 pair of dress shoes for your capsule collection. If you want to get the most use out of them, go for a brown pair of oxfords or derbies. The reason for opting for brown dress shoes over black is that you can dress up brown to match the formality of black, however you can't dress down black like you can with brown. For example, the gorgeous Edward Green Dovers shown here are elegant enough to wear with your navy suit, but can also be worn with denim.

Brown shoes offer the most color compatibility when it comes to pairing with the other items in your wardrobe, so make sure you buy a pair that you love since you may find yourself wearing them multiple times a week.

Sleek dress shoes like these can actually give you a taller appearance when compared to wide chunky shoes

Leather boots are another must for your capsule wardrobe and gain, opt for brown to get the maximum versatility.

You may also want two pairs of boots - one pair for form and one pair for function. One pair of boots can be your stylish pair and one can be your bad-weather pair. Waterproof boots are a must during wetter seasons and modern brands make rain boots that are supremely stylish. You can defintely find a pair of boots that can both look stylish and keep you dry if you want to have just one pair. Make sure you have something you can wear when it’s wet outside.

Lastly, look at boots with a slight lift or heel. Those will help you look taller, which is a priceless function in a short man’s capsule wardrobe.

This boot from Allen Edmonds is made in the USA from water resistent leather, and looks great with jeans or dress pants.

White sneakers will be your go-to casual and date-night footwear option. They’ll get the most wear and will match everything in your wardrobe. In the last few years, its also become really popular to wear clean white kicks with a suit! We definitely recommend spending a little extra money to get a high quality pair since you will get a lot of use out of these.

Keep in mind that although white sneakers do look good with some wear, you will want to replace them once they get really really dirty. Again, investing in a pair made from high quality calfskin leather will cost more, but save you money in the long run since they can be cleaned professionally when the time comes.

Find a good balance of quality and price. We love Taft, Koio, and Oliver Cabell.

These white sneakers from Common Projects will cost you a pretty penny but will get tons of wear and won't go out of style.

Rounding out our list of capsule wardrobe essentials is sock. Yes, socks! Most guys do not spend any time thinking about their socks. They say the first thing people notice about men is their shoes and the same can be said of your socks. If a guy is wearing yellow stained socks with holes in them, he is communicating that he is untidy and dirty.

Additionally, socks come in all different fabrics and weights that serve different functions. You should definitely have some thick wool socks for the winter, low cut athletic socks for exercise, and some thin dress socks for formal wear. Investing in better brands like Darn Tough will cost more initally but save you money in the long run because they last forever and come with a lifetime warranty.

We recommend a pack of no-show socks for warm-weather wear and 3-4 pairs of midweight calf-length socks to start. Stick to solid colors for your essentials and then feel free to add some fun patterns if you want some personality with them.

Mixing in some colored socks is a good idea - never wear white socks with dress shoes!