one suitcase: summer business casual capsule wardrobe

on

Post 7/7 -
Between my job & my love of seeing new places around the world I spend a fair amount of time living out of a suitcase. From all the experience I have gained from hauling myself & my stuff all over the place I have learned just how valuable packing smart & packing light is to your sanity. And I think I have gotten pretty good at selecting just my few favorite pieces of clothing to bring and stretching their use though multiple outfits for multiple activities as I travel.

This philosophy of looking at a limited number of clothing items and seeing beyond the obvious combinations to all the possibilities for outfits can be applied to a normal everyday wardrobe not just for packing a suitcase. I have learned that by picking a few favorite & versatile pieces of clothing I can mix and match the items into a surprising number of outfit options. You just have to do a little planning up front. Hopefully the posts this week will show you my method and help you find the potential of the clothes you already have in your closet!

In case you missed - it the previous posts in the series can be found here:
Here's how I put together my summer business casual capsule wardrobe-

The method:
Basics - First I pick some basics pieces to lay the foundation for the capsule wardrobe. I try to pick my favorite go-to clothes. Clothes I know I wear over and over. The ones that go with almost everything. For this capsule, I picked light neutrals and one pair of black pants.
The basics in this capsule wardrobe I chose are a grey blazer, white blazer, white tie-neck blouse, white jeans and trusty black ankle pants.








        Interest - Second, I add a few interesting pieces to compliment the subtle basics. I look for pops of color or fun patterns or even texture that will make the basic pieces more exciting. I try to grab items that will compliment each other or at least be somewhat in the same color scheme. For this capsule I tried to stick to purples, blues and greens.

        For this set of interest pieces I picked two print blouses, two print dresses, a bright aqua pencil skirt, a purple cardigan and a olive green shirt.






        Accessories & Shoes - Finally, I add some accessories to complete the outfits. Jewelry, belts and scarves can dramatically alter how an outfit looks. Unfortunately, shoes is the area I still struggle with. I always want to bring just one more pair.

        For this capsule wardrobe I chose three necklaces, one gold bracelet, a watch, and two belts.  For shoes I added two pairs of pumps and a nude pair of wedges.


        ***** 

        You can check out my previous One Suitcase features using the links below:
        • Work
          • Business Casual clothes here 
          • Spring Business Casual clothes here
          • Neutral Colored Business Casual here 
          • Maternity Business Casual clothes here  
        • Vacation
          • Beach Vacation clothes here 
          • Winter Vacation clothes here
          • Mini Getaway clothes here
          • Europe Vacation clothes here 
          • Paris Vacation clothes here


        Comments

        1. elizabethashleyphotoAugust 12, 2015 at 4:23 PM

          It's always so fun to see these come together at the end!

          ReplyDelete
        2. Jessica DAugust 12, 2015 at 6:08 PM

          I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I have been searching, and searching, and searching for the original source of all the (headless, lol) pictures that I've been pinning on Pinterest for ever!! I'm so excited that I finally found the original source. Every time I'd try to link back to you in the past, it would always direct me to someone else's site or to no where.. :( I absolutely love your outfits. I am a teacher and your style is professional yet still cute!! It's really cool that you post something here daily. I'll spend the rest of my summer break looking at your older posts so I can have plenty of ideas for back to work. I definitely need someone to help me figure out my outfits daily :)

          ReplyDelete
        3. UnknownAugust 13, 2015 at 7:31 AM

          Thank you for this awesome suitcase post! FYI Your H&M white blazer is currently on sale for $25! I just purchased it!

          ReplyDelete
        4. AnonymousAugust 18, 2015 at 6:58 PM

          Oh my goodness...I actually have most of these outfits! I MIGHT be able to do it. Thank you! These are the best posts.

          ReplyDelete
        5. CourtneySeptember 3, 2015 at 8:58 PM

          I love this capsule! It's my favorite one yet.

          ReplyDelete

        Post a Comment