The Insider Edit is a curated list of pieces worth buying once and wearing forever. Auctioneer and tastemaker Kimberly Pirtle breaks down her wardrobe investments and philosophies, which she describes as building her personal authority and career credibility. 

Kimberly Pirtle knows a thing or two about building a wardrobe—and a career—with intention. Her professional journey has taken her from private wealth management to strategy at Prada Group and Miu Miu, then into the auction world and, most recently, to founding Gabriel Advisory Group, where she consults with communities at the intersection of culture, art, and luxury. Across each chapter, fashion has remained a throughline, informing not only how she presents herself but how she understands value, craftsmanship, and collecting.

Her relationship with fashion began long before her career in luxury. Growing up in Detroit, Pirtle watched her mother prepare for church in St. John knit suits, absorbing the rituals of getting dressed and the importance of presentation. By the time she was a child, Pirtle was choosing her own clothes, treating every opportunity outside of her school uniform as a chance to express herself. “Growing up Black and in the Midwest, it was important to have the proper tailoring, ironing, and grooming,” she says. “It was essential.”

That early lesson in presentation has evolved into a more discerning approach to consumption. Over the last decade, Pirtle has moved away from overconsumption and toward a wardrobe built around quality, longevity, and pieces that feel distinctly her own. As an auctioneer and someone frequently in the public eye, dressing with consistency is part of the job, but so is understanding how clothing can communicate authority.

Her approach is highly contextual. For conservative gala audiences, she gravitates toward elegant, covered silhouettes, while younger crowds might call for the color and energy of Christopher John Rogers. Still, her ultimate wardrobe uniform remains remarkably simple: a crisp white button-up and denim. With roughly 50 pairs of jeans spanning different cuts, Pirtle keeps the formula fresh through accessories and footwear, rotating everything from Celine loafers and suede wedges to her preferred Manolo Blahnik slingbacks.

Jewelry is equally central to her style language. Vintage brooches sourced from European flea markets and her Cartier Panther watch add personality and polish, while she dreams of eventually adding a Cartier Panther bracelet to her collection. For black-tie dressing, she recommends finding a color story and silhouette that works, and repeating it. For Pirtle, that color is white: timeless, regal, and endlessly reimagined through jewelry.

Ultimately, Pirtle approaches fashion much like she approaches art: as a collection rather than a constant rotation of newness. She encourages shoppers to look beyond the biggest names and consider craftsmanship, rarity, and meaning. “One of one” is the goal, pieces that reflect who you are, not simply what everyone else is buying.

Author: Mecca Pryor

Read the original article on Essence.