8/8 - When I find myself starting to feel like I have tons of clothing but nothing to wear - I use a capsule wardrobe trick to help me get more creative with what I already own. My "trick" is that I pick out a small number of clothing pieces that mix and match with each other and try to see how many different outfit combinations I can come up with. Many times I get stuck thinking that certain items go together like they are almost a permanent set - "that blue shirt goes with that floral skirt" - and forget to look for other less obvious outfit possibilities. When I start to think beyond my normal routine I get to the new fun outfits I wouldn't have considered.
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:
- Clothing Pieces - Fall/winter business casual capsule wardrobe
- Outfits 1-5
- Outfits 6-10
- Outfits 11-15
- Outfits 16-20
- Outfits 21-25
- Outfits 26-30
Basics - First I picked some basics pieces to lay the foundation for the capsule wardrobe. For basics, 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 a neutral palette of greys & blacks.
The basics in this capsule wardrobe I chose are a black suit, black wool dress, grey jacket, grey sweater and white shell.
- Black sleeveless sweater dress - Ann Taylor
- Black suit jacket - Ann Taylor
- Grey jersey blazer- H&M
- Grey sweater - Banana Republic
- White shell - Ann Taylor
- Black suit pants - Ann Taylor
Interest - Second, I added a few interesting pieces to compliment the subtle basics. For interest pieces, 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 purple, burgundy and navy.
For this set of interest pieces I picked one polka-dot blouse, two textured blouses (a tie & a ruffle), a print skirt, a print dress, purple ankle pants, a lilac/purple cardigan and a boucle jacket.
- Purple plaid printed cami dress - Old Navy
- Purple/lilac cardigan - J.Crew Outlet
- Mosaic full skirt - Ann Taylor
- Boucle jacket - H&M
- Polka-dot blouse - Express
- Pink bow blouse - Mossimo Target
- Navy ruffle blouse - Old Navy
- Purple Editor Cropped Pant - Express
For this capsule wardrobe I chose three necklaces, one gold bracelet, two scarves and two belts. For shoes I chose grey pumps, snakeskin pumps, black pumps and brown flats.
- Black pumps - Nine West
- Camel "Reva" Ballerina Flat - Tory Burch
- Grey pointed toe pumps - Shoe Mint
- Snakeskin 'Gemini2' pointed toe pumps - TopShop via Nordstrom
- Grey plaid scarf - JC Penny
- Black scarf - Target
- Gold, silver, pearl multi-strand necklace - Ann Taylor
- Gold Christina link necklace - Stella & Dot
- Gold Christina link bracelet - Stella & Dot
- Rebel pendant necklace - Stella & Dot
- Brown belt - Target
- Black belt - Target
I love your capsule posts! They really help me to see the possibilities in my own closet.
ReplyDeleteYay! Glad you like them! :)
DeletePinned it- hope you don't mind. Thanks so much for your time, talent, and thought of others. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and that the new year is full of blessings for you.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found it pinnable! Happy New Year to you too!
DeleteI love capsule wardrobes, I'm going to start investing in better quality clothes again and building a capsule wardrobe. Thank you for the inspiration
ReplyDeletexx
Around the World in 80 Pairs of Shoes
I'm so happy to hear to found inspiration from the post! Good luck in all your fun travels this year! (I went to Seville in October and it was lovely!)
DeleteThank you so much... really helpful to read how you decided. Your ideas will help me figure out my outfits and decide what to purchase to round out my closet. Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteYay! Thank you! Glad you liked it!
DeleteLove your blog! I'm often on Pinterest looking for work wardrobe inspiration, your tip for creating a mini-capsule for style inspiration is great!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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