My Capsule Wardrobes

How To Plan Your Perfect Capsule + How I'm Planning Mine

September is finally here and that means fall is only 21 days away!! Even though the temperatures are still into the 80's here in Charleston, I'm in full-on fall mode. So much so, that as I type this I'm drinking my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. I guess you could say, I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it. 

Anyway, in preparation for the upcoming season change, and some exciting travel Jason and I have planned I have been busy sorting out the pieces I want to include in my 2016 fall capsule wardrobe.

To help you plan yours and get on board with all things autumn, I will be sharing the inspiration behind this season's capsule as well as some tips that I hope will help you as you plan yours. Plus, in the next week or two I will be filming my fall capsule wardrobe for YouTube and I can't wait to share it with you! 

 

The Color Palette

 

Before selecting the pieces I want to include in each capsule I nail down a color palette that inspires me for the season. 

This fall is no exception and I have found myself dreaming of deep navy, rich rust and luxurious ivory.

To play off of these three colors I am choosing accent pieces like blazers and boots in moss green and soft brown. 

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Color Palette

The Pin-spiration Behind My Capsule 

Once I have my color palette selected I head to the mother of all inspiration - Pinterest! Once there I carefully curate a series of looks that convey the outfits I hope to wear, the various pieces required to recreate them, and the mood I want those outfits to convey.

This year in particular I have been addicted to pinning for fall and have saved tons of new inspiration daily. You can follow along here if you love all things pumpkin and cozy as much as I do.  

My Top Tips For Planning A Well-Rounded, Versatile Capsule 

Now that I've shared the direction my fall capsule is headed I want to share the tips that I rely on when planning each of my capsules. 

Choose Your Color Palette

As I mentioned above, the first step I take each season is choosing my color palette.

This step is pretty self explanatory and just includes me looking through my closet at the pieces I have and want to include (what is the main color theme?), as well as researching the pantone colors for the season. After doing both of these things I like to consider the colors that work best with my skin tone, hair color and lifestyle. 

Scour Pinterest, Your Fave Blogs and Real Life

Once you have your color palette selected, scour Pinterest, your favorite blogs and magazines and even the individuals you see every day for inspiration. Take note of the images and outfits that catch your eye and why.

Do you love the simplicity of a plan white shirt, dark denim and bold accessories? Or, do you love how someone has tied their scarf a little differently or even layered their pieces in an unexpected way? By breaking down these points you will not only begin to understand your own style better, but you'll also start to see the pieces you have in a new way.

Who knows, you may even find a million different images for how to wear and style a white shirt that inspire you so much that you opt out of including any other button down. The most important thing about this step is to have fun and remember that you can always add or remove pieces from your capsule if they end up not working out.

Just remember that the objective of capsule dressing is to eliminate stress, not cause more because you feel panicked to commit for fear of being stuck.  

Consider Your Location, Weather and Lifestyle

My final tip is to honestly consider your location, the seasonal weather for your location and your personal lifestyle. As I'm sure you've heard a thousand times, each person's lifestyle is different and your capsule should suit your actual life - otherwise you may end up never wearing half of the items in your closet.

For example, if you live in the southeast, work from home and prefer casual nights in to fancy soirees, then your fall capsule will likely include more flats and casual tops than blazers and chunky knits.

Alternatively, if you live in a major city with cool temps, you work in a very corporate office and have a packed social calendar, your fall capsule may include loads of gorgeous cashmere and sleek boots. The most important part of this step is to be honest with yourself and have fun so that you can come as close as possible to your perfect capsule.

 

Until next time,

Audrey 

My Summer Capsule Wardrobe + What's Inside My Closet

Summer-capsule-wardrobe

As I mentioned in my last post, I want to take the content on this site in a slightly newer, more purposeful direction. The first part of this new goal includes seasonal capsule dressing that includes sharing my entire wardrobe with you. Rather than only offer glimpses here and there, below I have outlined every article of clothing, pair of shoes and accessory I own.

These pieces are broken into categories based on season and frequency of wear, and moving forward I will indicate which items I am wearing to recreate each look I feature on this blog. Additionally, beginning today I will outline the summer pieces I intend to use the rest of this season (my 2016 summer capsule as it were). 

I have planned out these pieces with the goal of maintaining a capsule each season of about 20-30 pieces not including accessories, outerwear or shoes. For me, this is the magic number that feels both manageable and versatile but it might not be for you. Experiment here and there until you find the number that works for you and don't hesitate to make that 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 or more! Just make sure your closet never becomes unmanageable. 

That said, the goal of this exercise should be to free yourself from the stress of getting dressed, not add to it so don't limit yourself too much and remember to have fun with it. After all, it's just clothes and if we are lucky enough to have clothing that we love then we shouldn't take it for granted. 

Summer 2016 Capsule Wardrobe

  1. Chambray shirt

  2. White long sleeve cotton shirt

  3. White long sleeve silk shirt

  4. Black short sleeve silk shirt

  5. Blue ruffle shirt

  6. White peplum shirt

  7. Blue and white embroidered shirt

  8. White peasant top

  9. Striped tee

  10. V-Neck tee

  11. Crewneck tee

  12. Striped shirtdress

  13. Black dress

  14. Pink midi skirt

  15. Black midi skirt

  16. Short black skirt

  17. Printed silk skirt

  18. White denim skirt

  19. Green lace skirt

  20. Striped skirt

  21. White chino shorts

  22. Navy chino shorts

  23. Striped shorts

  24. Denim shorts

  25. White denim shorts

Outerwear - Blazers, Jackets etc.

  1. Navy blazer

  2. Rust herringbone blazer

  3. Green herringbone blazer

  4. Grey herringbone blazer

  5. Floral blazer

  6. Pink gingham blazer

  7. Denim jacket

  8. Short white tweed jacket with gold buttons

  9. Short white tweed jacket with brown buttons

  10. Plaid blazer

  11. Short black tweed jacket

  12. Short black wool blazer

  13. Tuxedo blazer

  14. Long blue and white tweed jacket

  15. Long white tweed jacket

  16. Barbour coat

  17. Camel coat

  18. Black wool coat

Seasonal Pieces & Extras (Nice dresses etc)

  1. Green and white striped oxford

  2. Plaid button-down

  3. Plaid ruffle shirt

  4. Cream cashmere crewneck

  5. Cream cashmere turtleneck sweater

  6. Cream cotton cableknit turtleneck sweater

  7. Black cashmere sweater

  8. Cream cashmere cardigan

  9. Black cashmere cardigan

  10. Black and white tweed vest

  11. Brown tweed vest

  12. Blue and white tweed skirt

  13. Plaid midi skirt

  14. Plaid short skirt

  15. Equestrian print skirt

  16. Floral short skirt

  17. Floral midi skirt

  18. Grey moto jeans

  19. Navy trousers

  20. Black trousers

  21. White jeans

  22. Classic wash jeans

Accessories (Scarves, Hats, Jewelry, Purses)

  1. An assortment of silk scarves (about 10)

  2. An assortment of large scarves and shawls (about 10)

  3. Faux fur stole

  4. Brown satchel

  5. Black top handle purse

  6. Brown top handle purse

  7. Classic day clutch

  8. Crossbody purse

  9. Black slouchy purse 

  10. Black wool fedora

  11. Green wool fedora

  12. Boater hat

  13. Straw fedora

  14. Black floppy hat

  15. Brown floppy hat

  16. Camel floppy hat

  17. Blue floppy hat

  18. An assortment of statement necklaces (about 5)

  19. An assortment of long necklaces (about 4)

  20. An assortment of brooches (5-10)

  21. An assortment of statement bangles (about 5)

  22. A few pairs of statement earrings

  23. Simple everyday jewelry (pearl studs, diamond studs, gold bangle, three gold rings) 

  24. Black and brown reversible belt with 3 interchangeable buckles

  25. Classic brown belt

  26. 2 vintage Dooney & Bourke belts

Shoes

  1. Ballet flats

  2. Black brogues

  3. Brown wingtips

  4. Black lace-up flats

  5. Black flats with gold hardware

  6. White Jack Rogers 

  7. Brown gladiators

  8. Brown loafers

  9. Brown chelsea boots

  10. Black chelsea boots

  11. Brown riding boots

  12. Brown heeled boots

  13. Black heeled loafers

  14. Burgundy heeled loafers

  15. Brown heeled booties

  16. Bean boots

  17. Brown peep toe heels 

  18. Black loafer mules

  19. Black and yellow Stubbs 


That's everything! As I mentioned above, I will be sharing the exact pieces from each category that I use to create my looks moving forward. My hope is that it will inspire at least one of you to see how I stretch a closet of 110 pieces across all four seasons. Also, I have put together a little capsule wardrobe video on my YouTube channel to go with this post. You can check it out below or here and I hope you like it! 

Until next time! 

On Change & Capsule Dressing: Minimizing My Wardrobe To Maximize My Life

capsule wardrobe

I don’t like change. As a notoriously routine-oriented person, I am usually pretty reluctant to change. In fact, despite having moved around a lot growing up (hello fellow military brats!) I am often weary of what a new routine will do to my day-to-day rituals. Rather than embrace any changes that come my way I have a tendency to avoid them at all costs, and often dig my heels in and resist until the last possible moment. 

This reluctance is in part responsible for my love of all things structured, simple and consistent.

During moments of change I like to tighten my grip on all things familiar, and navigate new terrain by implementing patterns and routines that I can control.  

      Now, how does this tie into capsule dressing you may be wondering? Well, since relocating to Charleston from NYC I have been faced with countless changes (some self-imposed and others not). While some of these changes have undoubtedly been for the better, a few have been harder to embrace, and have left me feeling slightly out of control. These feelings have not only caused me to dig in deeper to the routines I can maintain (waking up early, working out regularly) but to also look for new routines that I can use to assimilate to my new city and way of life. 

       One such routine is capsule dressing. As was the case when I first began this journey of minimizing my wardrobe to maximize my life, I have found comfort in whittling down my closet even further. I find the process to be freeing in so many ways and I love that it not only clears my closet of clutter, but my mind as well. In the last few weeks since moving I have been busy reworking the few pieces I brought with me, and removing anything that no longer works with my new life. Not only has this process been cathartic, but I have also taken great comfort in knowing that I am shaping my new life the way I want it to be- even if only in small ways for now. Sure it may seem a tad dramatic on the surface, but I truly feel that by eliminating the stress of what to wear I have opened my time and mind to embracing this new chapter in a whole new way. 

       What does this mean for the content here? Well, for starters I will be sharing a post later this week or next of the pieces I have chosen to keep and how I plan to rework them season by season. In the past I have offered glimpses here and there of the pieces I work with, but moving forward I want to be even more transparent and share the entire contents of my closet. My hope is that this will help you get a better feel for how I do more with less. I will list not only the core pieces I wear year-round, seasonally, and occassionally, but also the accessories that I rely on day-to-day.With this transparency in mind, my outfit posts will be taking on a slightly newer format. In each post I will clearly outline the core pieces I am wearing along with the add-ons and seasonal pieces I used to round out the look. 

        Finally, in keeping with the ethos behind my minimized approach to dressing I will also be sharing more lifestyle content including more of the things that bring joy to my life, my kitchen and my home. All-in-all, I am excited for what the future holds and I hope this new direction will help inspire you at least in some small way. After all, life is too short to not live every moment to the fullest.

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