6 Cheap and Chic Spring Basics I’m Buying to Dress Better This Spring

There are a lot of trends on my mind as I gear up for spring (take platform flip flops and cut-outs for instance), but for all my excitement of what's trendy and new, I can never turn down a good basic. Even more so if it happens to be affordable. Around this time of year, I start to heavily rely on my collection of denim jeans and blazers, so an arsenal of basics helps to keep my staples feel fresh. 

When it comes to shopping for good basics I like to go for pieces that offer little stylish details like big buttons, big sleeves, or ruffles that catch the eye; consider them a step up from boring basics. They can carry an outfit on their own with simple accessories, or work together to help power some of your more dramatic wardrobe pieces. Whichever way you style them, if you're in the same boat as me, count yourself lucky: I've put together a list of some of the best elevated basics to buy now. Keep scrolling to see my favorite cheap and chic pieces to get you ready for the season ahead. 

1. Trendy Polos

I relish leaving my heavy winter sweaters behind, so in their place, I'm going for preppy polo knits. It's not a style I usually go for, but this season they're showing up as a major trend, and reimagined with pouf sleeves and big buttons. This olive green and black version from Who What Wear's Target collection, can be worn with everything from skirts to trousers.

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(Image credit: @samanthaaelise)

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(Image credit: @mayisha.nyc)

Wearing: Defoe & Co. Infinity Knot Earrings ($72); Berlin Statement Necklace ($135); Caroline Dome Ring ($108); French Braided Chunky Ring ($135); Diana Double Tone Diamond Ring ($203).

2. Prarie Dresses

Dresses play an integral part in my spring wardrobe, and this season I'm going for looser, prairie styles. They capture that easiness of spring without trying too hard, which also coordinates nicely with a pair of white canvas sneakers. 

3. Easy-going LBDs

Next to prairie dresses, I keep a steady rotation of simple yet elevated black dresses that I can throw on at a moment's notice. You don't have to stress too hard about styling because the cardinal rule still applies: black goes with everything.

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(Image credit: @helloitsroxie)

4. Exaggerated Sleeves

Sure, simple long-sleeve tops do the trick, but the fun of big sleeves really makes getting dressed way more exciting. They make a pair of jeans feel that much more sartorially intentional.

5. Utility Pants

I figured it's time to give my stretchy sweatpants a rest and delve into the world of utility pants. I've been noticing them more and more on fashion girls lately, so I'm eager to try them out with a few of my other basics like bodysuits and strappy sandals. 

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(Image credit: @accidentalinfluencer)

6. Elevated Tanks

A good tank top is a spring essential, and after moving to the West Coast I'm wearing them now more than ever. I'm thoroughly into the knit material and button-down details on this one.

Shop More Affordable Spring Basics:

Coming up, 20 Beautiful Designer Bags That Are Knockouts.

Fashion Market Editor

Indya Brown is a fashion editor, stylist, and writer living in Los Angeles. While going to school at Columbia University in New York City, she got her feet wet in the fashion industry interning at Elle magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and New York magazine's The Cut. After graduating in 2016, she joined The Cut as a fashion assistant, eventually working her way up to fashion editor. There, she worked on a multitude of projects, including styling inbook feature stories for New York magazine's print issue, writing and pitching market stories for The Cut, and serving as fashion lead for The Cut's branded content. While New York has been her home for over 10 years, she moved to Los Angeles in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 for a new chapter. Now she is a fashion market editor for Who What Wear, focusing on emerging designers, rising trends on and off the internet, interior design, and BIPOC creatives and brands. Aside from her duties as a fashion market editor, Brown is also a freelance stylist and writer, working on national print and video commercial campaigns for Sephora, The Independent, and Cadillac. Her bylines also include Harper's Bazaar, Vox, and The New York Times. But once the computer goes down and the emails turn off, she's likely eating her way through Koreatown, hunting down vintage furniture, scoping out new outrageous nail designs to try, or taking a hot cycling class.