I
love the idea of a capsule wardrobe. A
handful, usually 40 or 50 pieces, of mix and match items you can pretty much
wear for just about any occasion.
Simple, functional, affordable, organized and stress free. All the things that really click with me. You can tailor your capsules by season -
Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter equaling four capsules or you can do
Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter and do two capsules. The idea being that the season you aren't in
goes into storage and only the current season is in your closet.
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| Basic pieces to mix & match Black & gray slacks with black, gray & magenta sweaters Three tops - 2 print, one solid |
While
that all sounds wonderful the idea of rotating clothing and putting things into
storage doesn't work all that well for me.
I honestly do not have the time or the inclination to put that much
effort into my wardrobe. I need it to be
really easy. So my capsule is a four season wardrobe -
Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter. That is just
how I roll.
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| Same pieces mixed give me three more outfits |
 |
| I swapped out the orange top with a solid black one and mixed again to make three more outfits |
To
make a four season capsule wardrobe work I layer my clothes. I work in an office environment that is
pretty much freezing all the time. The heat
is never warm enough and the A/C works overtime so I'm always cold at
work. I literally wear my sweaters year
round. But since I'm not always at work
layering makes the most sense for me.
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| The versatility by adding in two more tops and a blue sweater |
 |
| Mix it up and 2 more outfits are created |
I
start with the base, from the waist down.
Since I have difficulty distinguishing between navy and black I don't
buy anything navy and stick with black.
It's my favorite color anyway. I
have two pair of black slacks, one pair of gray slacks, two pair of blue jeans
and a pair of gray casual pants. I wear
black dress socks to work and sport socks on the weekends. I have a good pair of solid black leather
work shoes and two pair of sport shoes - walking and cross trainers.
 |
| Another top and a red sweater along with my black top and a hot pink sweater |
All
of my color is from the waist up. I have
a variety of solid and patterned sleeveless and short sleeved tops. I pair my tops with a set of colored sweaters
- red, purple, fuchsia, black, gray, royal blue and magenta. I can mix and match the tops and sweaters to get
a ton of different looks, which I love.
Accessories are limited to a handful of earrings and a few scarves. I keep it pretty minimal.
 |
| More mixing creates more options |
I
own a black suit that I wear to funerals and job interviews. Fortunately I don't need to wear it very
often. I also have a little black dress
and a pair of heels for dressy occasions.
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| Layering pieces gives me variety and allows me to dress seasonally with all of the same clothing |
I
think capsule wardrobes are a fantastic idea.
The keep things simple and they are very thrifty as it doesn't take much
to put one together. I encourage anyone
to give it a try. Whether you do a four
season wardrobe or one for each season, capsule wardrobes can be a great way to
pare down an overstuffed closet and add some simplicity to your life.
I do the exact same thing! I was just telling a coworker the other day how I only wear neutral bottoms - black, grey, etc never colors. I use sweaters like you and use color in my tops.
ReplyDeleteYou and I have so many similarities, it cracks me up!
DeleteI am planning a capsule wardrobe for the spring/summer. I have lost weight doing keto and nothing in my summer wardrobe fits so I literally gave everything away. I will most likely still not be at my goal weight by summer, so I plan on buying minimal clothes.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Anne. That is fantastic!
DeleteI can't really have a one season wardrobe here. We need all season's of clothing all year due to our climate. That said, I keep my bottoms limited to about 4 denim skirts, two knee length, two long, and two pairs of jeans I really like, with black leggings. My tops are mostly t-shirts--a nice sweater if I have to be presentable. I also utilize the swing top over leggings, either long legged or capri look. My shoes are black slides, sandals or boots. For working out, I wear skorts, leggings, t-shirts and running shoes. I have a couple of pairs of shorts as well. My entire wardrobe can fit in one small dresser, and 1/4 of our walk in closet. Years ago I culled my wardrobe, and I don't think I am ever going to expand it much again.
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like you have a great setup Meg.
DeleteWhere do you find your tops? I really like them.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lee Ann. I usually hit the clearance racks at Dillards and JC Penney. Some are from thrift stores. They are all designer too and I don't pay very much for them.
DeleteYour wardrobe is like mine, in that it's all-season basically. It would be too much hassle to have to pack away clothes in storage each season! I use layers when I need to be warm. I live in So. Calif., so the weather is never very extreme - well, I take that back - it does get very warm in summer (114* sometimes and no humidity ... yuck).
ReplyDeleteWe're also similar in that all of my color is kept near my face, so I have plenty of colorful scarves and lighter color tops. I know exactly what I have, my wardrobe is that small I guess. I've never subscribed to the enormous closet/wardrobe, even as a teenager when I was more interested clothes. I think I've always had a capsule wardrobe, it's so much easier when everything goes with everything else!
D.
Sounds like our wardrobes are very similar. And like you I have no interest in packing things away and rotating by season. It just isn't my thing. LOL
DeleteYour wardrobe is very like what mine was when I worked in a business casual office. Now I have a work "uniform" of logo tees & cardigans. A much more casual office in a service company. My bottoms are demin and my shoes are athletic.
ReplyDeleteFor non-work outings, I do have a capsule wardrobe. I've purged over 5 garbage bags of clothing, shoes and purses over the past year. So freeing!