(Do you like my rack?)
A 30-ish Piece Capsule Wardrobe for Fall/Winter // An Example
It's strange actually attempting this concept again, since every other time I would try it I would get stuck. I realize now, though, that what I was getting tuck on was trying to think about my ideal capsule wardrobe in the terms of 'what do I already have? how can I fill in the gaps?' when I should have been thinking 'what's the best combination of items, no matter if I own them or not?'
When thinking along those lines, I realized that I don't actually really love a lot of the pieces I have. A lot of them are just place holders right now until I can get something "better," by which I mean an item in a different style, fit, or fabric (usually). Not the best realization to come to! It's a problem I've always had because I, like many other people, do not have access to an unlimited income with which to buy clothes whenever my heart desires. I always wonder when getting rid of clothing if I will want this item in the future, be it because I'll fit in to it again or my style may change back. However, by starting to think about what I really want in my closet, I was able to make an un-biased list, so to speak.
I took a good, hard look at the clothes I currently have hanging on my wardrobe rack. These are the clothes I reach for more often than not, and are all clothing I consider stuff I really enjoy wearing. Not all of these, however, fit in to what I like to think of as my "ideal wardrobe." Now that I've graduated college, I want to shift away ever so slightly from t-shirts, for example. I have a lot of t-shirts, and all of them have the dreaded crew neck that I'm not a big fan of. Why should those be on my clothing rack if I don't love them 100%?
(If you were wondering, I went through a huge band phase in high school. I still have almost all of the T-shirts bought during that time, all of which are band shirts. I've weeded a lot of them out and put the ones I don't like in storage, but some are so nice! Hard life for a "grown up" pop-punk fan.)
Those clothes on the rack do at least one thing: help me realize what sorts of cuts and colors I enjoy. The outfits I create are usually mostly basics with one or two statement pieces. By basics, I mean I own a lot of black. By statement pieces, I mean I wear a lot of red, and enjoy patterns quite a bit. This enables me to think about outfit building, and wardrobe building, along the lines of "statement pieces" and "basic pieces." INTO-MIND has a great post about method dressing here, and I realized after reading the article that the way I dress is a mix of basics&statements and modular dressing. My outfits are usually a neutral and a statement item, but I also want a balanced wardrobe where all my tops go with my bottoms, etc.
Now, down to the nitty gritty. My neutral items are mostly black, but I do like grey and would like to add a couple of grey items. My statement and regular color choices kind of mix together, which always confused me a bit when I tried to think about my wardrobe in the way that the internet has been loving recently. All I know is that I love red, and I also really like a sort of navy/midnight blue. Maroon is also good (though that's kind of red, isn't it?). Other than that, I don't really gravitate towards any other colors. I love purple, but the purple shirt I own gets almost no wear time, which if I'm honest with myself is probably due to the cut. I don't like earthy colors (orange, yellow, green, brown) or lighter, pale colors (white, ivory, cream, pale pink or blue). Dark and bold colors stand out against my pale, cool-toned skin and make me feel a lot more striking and a lot less like a washed out photograph. I'm just lucky that society's "normal" bold lip color is red, or I'd be lost. Not that that really matters, since I've been eyeing up OOC's bright pastel blue lip tar. Who cares if it makes me look like I've died!?
Another thing I noticed were just a few "ideas" about the clothes I wear. I have to have cotton tops or I die, because I overheat very easily. Long sleeves and turtlenecks are no-nos for the same reason. I like to layer sweaters because of the overheating because I can take them off and then put them back when necessary. I always put comfort over a lot of things, so clothes can't be high maintenance. I hate when skirts or dresses flip up in the wind! If they do that, they're not worth it, especially in windy Buffalo. I also have very picky feet, which is why a shoe purchase is so important to me. I've wasted so much money in the past making hasty shoe purchases, only to not be able to wear them because they're uncomfortable! There's nothing worse than hurting feet, so flat shoes are pretty much an every day item for me. I love heels, but they have to be between two to three inches. I hate kitten heels, but then if the heels are higher than 3" I'm suddenly over six feet tall! Also why wear super tall heels (and be uncomfortable) if there's no need?
(By that, I really mean I can't and don't want to wear those 6" platform heels that are so in right now. Like, dang, I know they make your legs look amazing but I don't feel like being 6'4" or breaking my ankle. Nah. For those who do wear them, though, dang. Mad props.)
Finally, with all this self reflection in mind, I put together my Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe concept. Some of these items I have, and some I don't. After this list was finished as well, I realized that some pieces I own aren't included, but they're the type I'm never going to get rid of. I know that goes against the whole idea of the thing, but they're all investment statement pieces, which should be my middle name as that's almost my whole wardrobe as of now, oops (see: American Apparel Disco Pants, Modcloth's Lady Love Song Dress, Drive Jacket, I can go on). Either way, it was super fun putting this list together, and it really helped me reflect on what I really want to look like.
At the top of each section, I listed the proportions, themes, or just general items I don't like applying to that type of clothing item. These were drawn from just general aesthetic enjoyment or past experience. The items with a star (*) next to them are items I already own, or are on the way. The items in italics at the bottom of the list are items that are part of my spring/summer wardrobe that can apply to fall but probably won't be worn as much as the other items on the list, therefore they don't get to be a part of the overall count. I enjoy having my wardrobes work for me almost the whole year with only a couple of new or stored pieces, so layering is my best friend. Because of this, I can include things like cami tops in my winter wardrobe since I plan on layering them under other tops.
So that's that! I realize that this is just a giant post ranting about my trials in finding an entire wardrobe of clothing I love. Isn't it strange how the internet is in love with this concept and I've wanted to do this for forever? I've always had the feeling of wanting to par down my wardrobe and that I owned too much stuff I didn't really like. Life is too short to wear clothes you only like!!
// tops (9)
Don't like // long sleeves, turtlenecks, crew necks, non-breathing fabrics, see through fabrics, too loose items, boob pockets
Do like // short or 3/4 length sleeves, wide/boat/scoop necks, cotton/silk
black boat neck/3/4 sleeves* needs to be replaced soon
black boat/scoop neck
grey shirt (longsleeve with navy&white polkadot elbow patches)*
red shirt
blue shirt (silk?)
white fish patterned button down* just bought this weekend, I love it.
red&white striped boatneck*
white&black striped boat neck/three-quarter sleeve*
black&white striped boat neck/three-quarter sleeve tunic top*
black cami*
// bottoms (7)
Don't like // loose around the butt and thighs, waist hitting right below belly button (high-rise style), mini skirts
Do like // starts at natural waist
disco pants*
high waisted blue jeans
black jeans*
black circle skirt* just ordered!
navy polkadot circle skirt*
midnight blue pencil skirt
skinny black trouser
red maxi*
high-waisted jean shorts*
// dresses (3)
Don't like // long sleeve, non-breathing fabrics
Do like // fit and flare, three-quarter/elbow length/short sleeve, cotton
black fit and flare* long sleeve and shorter length aren't ideal
...
...
maroon maxi*
(Dresses are hard. I have a couple but I don't love any of them for "every day wear." Maybe I'll eventually find one. Argh.)
// sweaters/jackets (7)
Don't like // huge oversized, too hot/thick, wool
Do like // light, breathable, able to layer, skimming & erring on the side of oversized, cotton/merino wool
red cardigan*
cropped black cardigan* just ordered!
black skimming pullover (merino wool?)
grey knit jumper
(p)leather jacket*
wool peacoat*
...
//shoes (7)
white chuck taylors will buy after electric blue ones wear out*
dr martens oxfords (1461s)
combat/lace up boot* two yrs old, will probably need to be replaced after this winter
no heel bootie/ankle boot
blue suede (!!) lace-up heeled ankle boot*
red patent T-strap pumps*
black oxford heel*
black TOMS*
loafers
//statement pieces
Pieces that aren't a part of the daily wardrobe, but are still worn every once in a while.
