I'm Elevating My Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe With These On-Sale Basics

18 under-$100 finds I'll be wearing on repeat this summer.

a new york fall 2025 fashion week attendee wearing black sunglasses and white tank top
(Image credit: Launchmetrics)

I tend to stick to simple, elevated basics that don't take too much effort to style. But because I wear these tried-and-true pieces so often, I could always use a refresh, especially whenever we're entering a new season. Thankfully, this weekend is Memorial Day, and there are tons of sales across the web to upgrade my minimalist capsule wardrobe while sticking to my budget.

Nearly every major retailer I can think of is throwing a sale event this weekend, making it the perfect time to build up my online shopping carts. I'm hitting up J.Crew's Memorial Day sale for the label's best-selling linen pants, which are over 30 percent off. Nordstrom's current Half-Yearly Sale is a goldmine of discounted staples to complete my summer outfits and vacation looks. Then there are the basics hiding in Gap's Memorial Day sale, including the white T-shirt Marie Claire's e-commerce Editor, Julia Marzovilla, calls the "best one on the market."

That's only a couple of the sales I'm eyeing this weekend. With all the other discounted pieces I've found, I could do an entire wardrobe overhaul. So, if you're curious about the under-$100 summer basics sitting in my shopping carts, keep scrolling.

Brooke Knappenberger
Associate Commerce Editor

Brooke Knappenberger is the Associate Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she specializes in crafting shopping stories—from sales content to buying guides that span every vertical on the site. She also oversees holiday coverage with an emphasis on gifting guides as well as Power Pick, our monthly column on the items that power the lives of MC’s editors. She also tackled shopping content as Marie Claire's Editorial Fellow prior to her role as Associate Commerce Editor.

She has over three years of experience writing on fashion, beauty, and entertainment and her work has appeared on Looper, NickiSwift, The Sun US, and Vox Magazine of Columbia, Missouri. Brooke obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism with an emphasis on Magazine Editing and has a minor in Textile and Apparel Management.