I struggled a bit with this capsule. The weather has been more than usually all over the place in February here in Georgia. I never really know if it's going to be cool outdoors or 80F which is most assuredly not cool and can be downright unpleasant if you'd made the mistake of going out in a pullover sweater with a blouse and cami underneath. And it's no use saying to watch the weather because I do and I've found the forecast changing remarkably from hour to hour at times. There's no planning ahead. I'm finding it best really to just dress lightly and then add layers accordingly when I step to the door and discover what the weather feels like.
In the last two capsules I've made up I had problems. I found pieces I seldom wear and noted why. Quite a few things went into the donation pile. I have a lot of empty hangers at present. When I started this capsule journey every hanger had an item on it, so that should tell you how I've reduced and eliminated items.
I've also been looking at the capsule wardrobes of others. I found a new YouTube vlogger, Mirror and Thread. She is not a capsule wardrobe person but what she does do is buy pieces from various sources and shows them in her videos. She does feature possibilities for capsule wardrobes. I especially liked this work wardrobe which she bought at Walmart and I was very surprised at her high end look...Proof positive that it's not how much you spend but what you buy that really does set the pace for a workable capsule wardrobe. I also noted that she might spend less on clothing and more on shoes and bags or outer wear, which reminds me a great deal of the way my grandmother approached her wardrobe.
I finally set myself to just go through my clothes and pull a few items. I have deleted the black jeans at present. I lost weight to get into them, they remained a little snug. Over the last month they've only gotten increasingly snug and uncomfortable. I tried on the Olive green jeans and realized that they fit very well and are far more comfortable. This became one of my base pieces. I chose these tops to go with the olive pants.
What I am not showing is my black t-shirt. I think I'd rather wear that instead of the olive green shirt but I have worn that olive green shirt only once. And part of my purpose in pairing up capsule versions within my closet is to use what I haven't worn in the past. All but the shirt on the lower left will go nicely with blue jeans, too. So I'm getting a lot of mileage out of these pieces which is my main goal when creating a capsule.
While I added necklaces and a couple of scarves to pair with these pants I felt I pretty much played it safe with my choices. I could have tried other pieces and likely will go that further step in the next few days when I am feeling more myself.
The shirt in the left front area is a thrift store purchase and is a silky knit fabric. Directly behind that is the ruffled sleeve self belted floral blouse you all liked so well. The next shirt is a pale grey which is shown often on Pinterest with this color jeans. The olive green is next to the grey and on the right front is a white t-shirt. This particular shirt has a knot tied front that is okay looking but I'd really like a good classic white t-shirt.
I paired the grey paisley scarf with the grey and white t-shirts. The scarf atop the white t-shirt is a Target purchase that has evergreen, teal and olive mixed along with the mustard yellow on the background. I think I could pair that scarf with my black tee as well.
As light outer wear for this set of clothing I'd used the tan sweater cape, black cardigan or blue jean jacket.
I included the really dark wash jeans and the skinny leg medium wash jeans in this capsule. I also included this navy paisley shirt which is fairly sheer and paired it with an orange tank top to be worn underneath.
I also noted as I was digging in the closet that the teal cardigan played well with the floral print top. I love the color of the cardigan but dislike the long tails in the front of the thing. I'd like to see if I might alter this cardigan in some way. I do like having an option to use the shirt with this cardigan though and look forward to wearing this.
Last I decided to pull out the maxi skirt I purchased from an online clearance sale at Cato last spring. This skirt is heavier than the black maxi and if it's a truly cool day I could easily wear a pair of capri length athletic pants underneath.
I paired the skirt with four different tank tops, though I'm showing only two. I'd wear my jeans jacket with this skirt over the tank tops. If I had a very snug fitting short sleeved t-shirt I'd wear that on it's own if it were really warm.
I'm showing my grey and white tank tops with this skirt but black works well as does a stormy gray blue tank that I have in my closet. I have even contemplated using my pale grey crew neck pullover sweater on a cooler day. I think it would look rather nice but need to try the two pieces on together. What I've already mentioned pairing with this skirt definitely works together well.
I opted to use this skirt because I can wear either my athletic shoes with it or my black ankle boots, or a pair of grey suede pointed toe flats depending upon the pace of the day and occasion.
I have the option of both wearing more layers or decreasing layers with most of these outfits so they should suit our all over the place weather in the weeks ahead.
I will say that while I got frustrated with last capsule having based it largely on the black jeans which were increasingly uncomfortable, I gave myself a break from wearing capsule pieces for two weeks until I finally pieced this one out. I found myself often staring at the rack of clothes, unable to make up my mind, feeling I had nothing to wear. Once I took the time to piece these things together, I realized yet again that I have plenty to wear. Narrowing down my choices actually increases the wearability of the pieces I have.
More and more I'm discovering that sticking to a classic silhouette is also the most long lasting and often more flattering look for a long term wardrobe. So as I go to replace pieces, I'll look for classic lines that don't go out of style and leave the accessories as my trending pieces.
I'm committing myself to six weeks of this capsule and will plan another at the end of March. I have purchased three tops and a scarf online at a clearance sale. I'll add that scarf to this wardrobe set but the tops will hold until I plan my spring wardrobe, I think. I plan to go to the thrift store and one other store to peruse the clearance racks and see what other pieces I might add for Spring and Summer. I do have a list to help keep me focused.
So there you are. My third capsule wardrobe for the 2019/2020 year.
9 comments:
I am in Ohio, sweat pants or jeans and tee shirt or thermo long sleeve shirt is it. I love seeing what you chose. My daughter ties her sweaters that have front tails together just under her waist line, like a knot in a tee shirt?
I found 3 elbow length sleeve, Tunic tees on clearance for $3 each while we were at the lake. When I got them home I realized all three can be worn with a beautiful print cardigan that I got on clearance for $7 about a month ago. We will be in Florida the first week of March and I think this will be great for changing temps there this time of year. I don't like those fish tail hems on me either. They look like they are calling attention to my belly which I hate.
This past weekend we attended a concert at the symphony. Since it was a rock concert, I wasn't concerned with being "dressy" and just wore a nice long-sleeved t-shirt with grey jeans leggings and a lightweight cardigan. I thought about how you always pick out your jewelry as you put together your outfits, so I did grab a long necklace as I packed my bag, and dressed up that t-shirt that way.
Juls, I've done the exact thing with this sweater. It hangs a bit lower than the waist but that suits me fine.
Lana, I must admit I really like three quarter length sleeves a lot! They should make more of those...What a happy coincidence that all three will match that cardigan. You will get lots of mileage from them combining them with that!
Tammy, basically my wardrobe is just a glorified tee shirt and jeans ensemble anyway, lol. Sometimes I wonder if I'm overdoing it by adding the necklace but truth it does take it up a notch and I like feeling I've done that little bit extra with basics.
Your pretty, long, bead necklaces look so good with the cute tops you are showing us. I love strands of beads like those you have. They dress up an outfit just enough, without being overdone.
I don't know when the fashion designers will veer away from all of the varieties of blouse hems. For me they are having too many tops/sweaters with shark bite,or very long, down low in front and hanging out from under my jackets in a weird looking way (if I tie them, it looks like I have a large lump under my jacket, and I also don't like hi-lo tops where the top is very long in back and much shorter in front. Those make me feel like I have a caboose behind my own caboose.
I know a lot of people like very long tunic length tops, especially for wearing with leggings. I don't wear leggings too often, but with regular slacks, tunic tops make my legs look too short, like looking in a fun house mirror. In the plus size tops that I wear, it has become a bit difficult to find plain regular hems.
I always enjoy your fashion posts.
Terri,
Love the orange shirt with the navy paisley. I just added an orange striped shirt to my wardrobe last summer. I hesitated as I don’t have any orange, but I really like the color! The floral shirt with the necklace is so pretty too!
There is nothing like an unexpectedly warm day and you only have a skimpy tank underneath the cardigan you are wearing so cannot take it off! Been there! When I lived in CA, I learned to dress in layers. Even in the summer when it was early in the morning, I would have to take a little jean jacket or sweater to throw on when I went to an appt. By the time I got out, it wasn’t needed. Here in Wisconsin, our transitional season from winter to spring seems to be so short. It seems like it is cold for sweaters and then there is 2-3 weeks of spring and poof!, it’s hot enough for short sleeves and shorts. I don’t wear my capris or lighter long sleeve shirts too much here.
I hope you have good luck shopping at the thrift stores to add to your wardrobe! I really like a few different sellers on Ebay and I know my size in Linea by Louis Dell Olio (my favorite line of clothing) so I watch and nab the low clearance prices with free shipping. This is the main way I have been adding to my wardrobe the past few seasons. I got a lovely new raspberry colored wool Linea dress coat for my mother last winter. It was only $29 with free shipping. That is an example of a higher priced item, but it was worth it as the wool coat was of high quality.
Well, off to make egg salad. My husband is taking me out on a date tonight in between dropping off and picking up our youngest son at his work. Have a lovely evening, Terri!
If I were doing a capsule wardrobe for the next 6 weeks it would have to be the heaviest things in my closet whether they matched or not. LOL. I was at a thrift store a while back and got 6 nice pairs of Alfred Dunner slacks for about 9 dollars. That along with my abundance of sweaters (have daughters that gift me sweaters and jewelry) gives me a lot of variety. One of my favorites is a pair of pretty silver gray. A lot of colors match. You are not old enough to remember but a number of years ago picking colors according to your complexion, hair ect. was very popular. I do find when I wear certain colors I do get complimented. Gramma D
Forgot to add! Love the scarves. My son brought me a shawl type one from Paris when he was there for vacation for a Christmas gift. Gotta figure out how to use it. Gramma D
Our weather is much the same. Glad you found Mirror & Thread! She lives in my town so her wardrobe is usually layered to fit our weather which is a lot like yours. I like the things you've put together.
My wardrobe, like everything else in my life right now, is overflowing with unecessary items. I'm spending some time this weekend culling it out. You always inspire me with your styles and your constant editing.
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