Last week I took ALL my clothes out of the closet and drawers in order to count them and start a Fall capsule wardrobe. This week I’m separating my pieces seasonally and getting down to a “feels right to me” number for the season.
If you missed Part 1 explaining what a capsule wardrobe is, you can read it here!
Separating the Pieces
After counting my clothing (roughly 90 pieces – not counting shoes and accessories), I divided them into Summer/Spring and Fall/Winter. I debated about whether I should just have 2 capsule wardrobes and not 4. I really don’t have that many items so I could technically just split it in two and have a capsule wardrobe of 50 items for 6 months versus 3.
Here are my Summer/Spring items ready to be stored:
Fall/Winter Closet and Drawer
Here’s how things look after I separated out the Spring/Summer clothing:
My closet after
My drawer after. I took a couple of turtlenecks out to save for the Winter capsule after I took this.
Here are the shoes that I plan on wearing this Fall and Winter. My other pair of flats are black flats that I keep at work. Yes, I only wear one pair of shoes on the days that I work and I change into them from my sneakers when I get to work. (I know I’ve just horrified some of you shoe lovers!)
Brown winter boots, black leather boots with a 1 inch heel and flats
Fall Capsule Wardrobe Basics
From what I’ve read about capsule wardrobes from people like Courtney Carver of Project 333, people tend to have a neutral base color that they gravitate towards. As you can probably see from the pictures above, I gravitate towards black! I have a lot of black in my wardrobe and use it as the base for all my outfits.
My main color accents are maroon, turquoise and blue. I do have a few things in red that I like too. I took Cladwell’s color quiz and it confirmed my pull towards black and maroon (I’m a Deep Winter if you were curious!).
You should also consider what roles or settings you’re in. I need work clothes for 3 days a week, and casual clothes for the rest of the week. Most of the clothes in my closet are for work, and my casual clothes are in my dresser drawer.
I tend to wear the same combinations of outfits to work every week on a two week rotation. I have no idea if anyone notices, but I don’t really mind. It makes getting dressed super simple so I don’t have to think about it.
Adding Staples to my Capsule Wardrobe
My plan when I started this capsule wardrobe project was to form a capsule from the items that I already possess. There is one basic, however, that I need sooner rather than later.
I need a pair of black work pants that are comfortable and fit. I have two pairs of black capris that I wear in Spring and Summer, but they’re obviously not appropriate as the weather cools off.
I plan to order a pair from thredUP, an online consignment store. I ordered a “clean out bag” from them and am sending in a few nicer athletic pants from my oldest son (that my middle son won’t wear), my two black pants that are too small, and a like new pair of black boots.
The black leather boots above are a classic example of holding on to something too long because you paid a lot of money for them. I tried to wear these boots with 2-3 inch heels (different from the other boots above) but I’m just not comfortable in them. I tried selling them locally online but there were no takers. So I’m giving one last attempt to sell them and then they’ll be gone for good.
Next time I’ll separate into a definite Fall capsule wardrobe with some photos of my combinations! Let me know if you’re making a capsule for Fall too!
I’ll be sharing this post with these great link ups.
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I love that you’re doing this! My closet definitely needs a good purge, but I’ve got to get the rest of the baby weight off (and then some) before I can accurately decide what fits.
It’s hard when you’re having babies Abby! There are so many sizes you go through.
This is a great idea. I actually have a couple of out fits that I have held on to because of the price I payed for them. But they really aren’t practical nor do I have a place to wear them. I probably need to donate them along with a few other things in my wardrobe.
Do it Kelly! It will be emotionally freeing – AND free up space in your closet. 🙂
I have been rolling around the idea of a capsule wardrobe in the back of my mind. I definitely need a closet/dresser purge, even if I don’t do the capsule.
That’s a common theme Gaye! We all have more than we need or use in our wardrobes. Thanks for reading!
I like the idea of capsule wardrobe. I hope I can start the purge.
Good luck Camille! It’s been interesting trying to narrow down by season. I think in the long run I’m going to get a lot more mileage from my clothes!
The concept of separating clothes for seasons is a little foreign to this Californian. It was 90 today and we are predicted to drop 20 days by mid week, and then it may go back up. Ha ha!
I am slowly developing a capsule wardrobe, not by purging but by adding. I really do not have clothes. 😉 Thanks for sharing on #FridayFrivolity
Hi Audrey – I’m a Californian transplant so I understand! I’m looking forward to adding quality and ethically made pieces as I slowly add to mine too.
Love these posts on capsule wardrobes. I’ve been interested in trying tha for myself and/or my kids, but haven’t gotten to the point where I feel I can totally let go. Reading all your progress is so inspiring, though!
Thanks Leslie! I’d like to do it with my kids too once I’m done. They’re pretty decisive about their clothing preferences.
I love this! I packed up a lot of my prepregnancy clothes pretty early on to get them out of sight and mind, and it has been such a revelation. Now I’m left with very little, and I am continually surprised at how much better I feel having only a handful of items to choose from and knowing exactly how they fit together. I used to routinely try on five outfits and still not feel great about what I was wearing, and this seems a horrible stressful waste of time for someone who doesn’t have any particular interest in fashion. I see now that I was never honest with myself about the silhouettes and color schemes that work for me. Something about my pregnant body being temporary made this honesty a lot easier, but the range of options for my non-pregnant body probably isn’t all that much broader after I take size, taste, climate, and lifestyle into account.
Thanks for sharing that Rachel. It sounds like being pregnant has really freed you from a certain pressure you were feeling. What a blessing! I hope that the new revelation carries over into your post-pregnancy wardrobe.