It’s been about a year and a half since I’ve done an official capsule wardrobe and blogged about it. Starting with fall of 2015, I did a few rounds (see all my capsule wardrobe blog posts here, including how to do your own) and I learned so much from doing it that I thought I’d give it another go and see if I could apply any of the knowledge I acquired.
As a quick refresher, a capsule wardrobe is a limited number of pieces that can be easily mixed and matched and that you wear for a determined length of time. Capsule wardrobes have been around since the 70's, but have experienced a resurgence in recent years. I usually go by the rules outlined by Courtney Carver of Project 333 (33 items for 3 months).
I haven’t ever done a summer capsule, which seems like a unique challenge. It’ll be easier than a cold weather round because you need fewer overall pieces of clothing. It’ll be harder because since there’s not much layering, you have fewer combinations you can make.
This is what I've been wearing since the beginning of June and will continue to wear until the end of August. As always, you need to be realistic about the ways you’ll be spending your time in this season. I know that in this three month period, I’ll be momming or working from home approximately 75% of the time, seeing clients 24% of the time, and dressing up 1% ;) Since I can assume that it'll be blazing hot in St. Louis for most of that time, most of my clothes need to be comfy, kid-proof, and cool. I marked the mom-appropriate items in the list with an *, and it works out to about 81% of my capsule. No surprise, most of my items are black, white, or denim, with a few patterns and a bit of rust and blue.
There are lots of different ways you can adapt the capsule wardrobe “rules” to fit your needs. For this round, I’m including clothing items and shoes, but not accessories, and I've ended up with 32 items. If I came across a great jumpsuit or go-anywhere dress, I still have some room to add it, so I'm not adhering to the "no shopping during the capsule" rule.
From top left:
*1) Black tee: thrifted, similar ethical version
*2) Rust top: thrifted, similar
*3) Black and white ikat print top: gift from a friend
*4) Ivory crop top: ethically made, Elizabeth Suzann
*5) Indestructible poly blend black top: Forever 21 from several years ago, knockoff of this one
*6) Blue and white striped boxy shirt: thrifted, COS, similar here
7) Drapy white top: James Perse, no longer available
8) Embroidered white top: Joie Mahan blouse (on ebay in blush), similar
9) Boxy white blouse: Vince, no longer available, but two similar options, plus one ethical option
*10) Patterned cropped top: Eileen Fisher, no longer available
*11) Drapy black dress: ethically made, Hackwith Design House, also available in plus
*12) Black shift dress: Michael Stars, purchased at consignment
*13) Blue and white striped dress: thrifted, similar
*14) Black linen tunic: ethically made, Elizabeth Suzann
*15) Linen dress: Eileen Fisher, no longer available, similar ethically made version
*16) Light wash skinny jeans: ethically made, AG Jeans, similar on a budget
*17) Rust culottes: Old Navy, similar
*18) Denim cutoffs: vintage from Otis and Maclain
*19) Black culottes: Madewell, no longer available, similar, similar on a budget, similar plus size
*20) Boyfriend jeans: Madewell
*21) Brown flat sandals: mine are old from LOFT, pictured from Old Navy, ethical version
22) Nude wedge sandals: Earth, also search "Earth Coriander Sandal" on ebay
*23) Black thong sandals: Birkenstock "Gizeh"
24) Black wedge sandals: Nine West, similar, similar on a budget
*25) Black stacked heel sandals: Madewell "Marie", no longer available, similar
Not pictured:
26) Crop top: Living Collective
*27) White top, similar to Vince top pictured, but kid-friendly: The Limited
*28) White tee: thrifted
*29) Black and white patterned shorts: old via Rack+Clutch
*30) Brown ankle boots: Blondo
*31) H&M red patterned tank top
*32) Thrifted patterned caftan dress
The best part for me about doing a capsule wardrobe is looking in my closet and just seeing these few options. Hardly any decision making necessary! Would you do it?
Want your own capsule wardrobe? Go here to sign up for my 5 day capsule creation challenge! You'll get my capsule planner and emails leading you through the process of setting up your capsule!
If the thought of having fewer clothes sounds dreamy to you, but you've had trouble paring down, go here for more info about my online course called making space. The course is 4 weeks long. It's for anyone who’s ever opened their closet and thought “I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear” or who’s tried cleaning out their closet on their own and wasn’t able to make decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of. The four modules are: 1) Defining your Style, 2) How to Edit, 3) Overcoming Stumbling Blocks, and 4) Continuing the Momentum Mindfully. I'll walk you through all the hard parts and you'll end up with a closet full of only things you love and wear.
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