Autumn 2019: A Possible Capsule Wardrobe.

The weather is finally being autumnal here in our area.  Next week we've the promise of sweater worthy weather.  So I finally settled into figuring out a few outfits for the season.   Up till now it's been summer repeats.

I've been watching a number of capsule wardrobes and honestly I'm interested.  I just happen to have a good number of clothes on hand that I really like at present, so I won't be culling just yet, but the idea of a 10 piece wardrobe (which isn't a hard and fast number) does appeal to me.  The Daily Connoisseur relies on a small wardrobe and I'm impressed with how well it works.  It reminds me a great deal of the wardrobes that I see featured in my vintage magazines, where they start with a suit and overcoat and two or three blouses and a pair of slacks.    It would be a very economical wardrobe and any fear of boredom with so few pieces isn't really a valid concern as the pieces are incredibly versatile and accessories and sweaters and such are additional pieces to the major players.



Well, I'm NOT going minimalist just yet, but it's certainly something I am going to work towards as pieces wear out and need to be replaced.    However, I do have a foretaste of what a minimalist wardrobe might be like with a few pieces that 'play well with others'.

Here's one example of what I mean:  I am featuring three pairs of pants in these photos.  I have black jeans, straight leg blue jeans and a pair of olive green pants.

First I am using a mustard LulaRoe  tunic that Katie gave me.

 I'm showing a combination of necklaces here that I really like wearing with this top.  I've combined green glass beads, a sort of jade looking pendant and a glass leaf on a gold chain.   This looks especially nice with the olive pants.

Here I am showing two scarves.   The one to the left is a silk scarf with a hunt scene I found at a thrift store. It goes really well with the tunic and the olive pants. The other is a scarf that came with an olive green shirt so it goes well with the olive pants.  Because it also has black in it, it's a nice match for the tunic with the black jeans, also.

In this photo, the same tunic with another silk scarf, this one says 'Souvenier of Paris' as well as a plaid shawl I bought from the dollar spot at Target ($7).  Either will work with the blue jeans.

So potentially I have 8 outfits with those four pieces of clothing and the accessories.

 The hunt scene scarf has khaki green, hunter green, maroon, mustard and tan details with some black on a creamy background.  So you can see how well that scarf with the blouse will go with any one of the three pairs of pants.

In the above photos, I've paired a Dress Barn long sleeved t-shirt with the plaid scarf, the hunt scene silk scarf, and in this photo, two different necklaces I might wear as well.  The necklace on the right side of the photo has the same red accent as well as olive and brown beads so I thought pairing that with the olive pants would work well.  As well the silk scarf has olive green in it so there's a second possibility for an outfit.  I have  a tan sweater poncho if I need an extra layer.  The plaid scarf works well with the blue jeans and that shirt.  (I've just noted that the olive pants appear to be tan in the above photo.   It's been very cloudy and dreary and it was hard to get a true color reading on those pieces this morning.)

I thought the oatmeal colored shirt with the Paris Souvenir scarf would do well with the olive pants and my jeans jacket.  Again this same scarf and shirt would go just as well with the black or the blue jeans.  I likely would not wear the jeans jacket with the blue jeans however but use the poncho sweater instead.

I think it will make a lovely outfit with the sweater don't you?

Again with this shirt and jeans I might use any of the green/brown necklaces I've featured so far instead of the scarf.

This floral blouse is so comfortable.  I wouldn't say it's my most flattering piece...The sleeves are wide and end about elbow level and then have a ruffle attached.  The waist has a drawstring gather.  All in all it's a bit full at hip level, where I least need extra volume.  However, I do like wearing the blouse for it's easy fit and comfortable weight.  I thought pairing with tank tops would make it a little more cool weather friendly.

I bought this shirt because of the colors it contains.  I have khaki tan pants like the olive ones that I can also wear with this shirt, so there's an added versatility to it.

The necklace in the photo above was purchased when Kohl's first opened in our area.  I have worn it for ten years now and it's showing no signs of wear.

 Here I'm using an olive tank and the olive drab pants and the jeans jacket.  I've paired this with the green glass necklace.

I realized in looking at this photo that the long sleeved marron shirt would likely be something I could layer under the floral blouse and create still another look with. Note: I tried that combination and the maroon is too far off the more red color of the flowers in that shirt.

As I said I have a load more clothes in my closet, all of which I like quite well and which flatter me at present.  I won't be limited to just these few pieces but if I were to build a capsule wardrobe for fall/winter, these pieces would be a great start.

From three pairs of pants and five tops, 1 jeans jacket and 1 sweater cape I can easily style 17 different looks which is a lot of mileage from my clothes overall.  I also have very light weight tan and black and even a red cardigan that I might wear with some of these pieces and a black trench coat as well.  It's unlikely I'd need to do more than layer lightweight pieces for our moderate fall temperatures.

About the other pieces shown in these photos:  The sweater cape and the maroon Dress Barn shirt were thrift store purchases.  The floral blouse came from Zulily last spring.  I think the jeans jacket came from Dress Barn quite a few years ago.  The black jeans were a passalong item from Katie.  The skinny jeans and olive pants were from Cato about a year ago.  There's not a thing truly new in the bunch, except that the sweater cape and maroon shirt were bought this fall, so they are new to me.

As I wear these outfits I'll try to remember to take a picture of myself so you can see how they look on me.  It's not my most favorite thing to do but I do realize it's a help in seeing things better and understanding how they work together.