The Capsule Wardrobe Experiment: Part II

To recap from Part I, my motivation to try a capsule wardrobe stemmed from what I felt like was a lack of cohesion in my wardrobe, and an overall desire to simplify my life by having fewer things. My first step was to identify the (few) items already in my closet that I loved, and to purge the things that I no longer wore or cared for (as much as it stung to think about all of that wasted money). 

The next step was to work on my new wardrobe. I have to give credit where credit is due: Caroline from Un-Fancy writes an amazing blog detailing almost every aspect of her capsule wardrobe, complete with step-by-step guides and outfit posts. Finding her blog was a slam dunk for me, people. Normally I don't read or follow fashion blogs (I'm so fashion-challenged and just looking at the outfits takes all my effort and energy), but I really dug Caroline's style and saw a lot of potential outfit inspiration in her posts. Plus, the way she laid everything out made it look and feel simple enough for me to attempt a capsule wardrobe of my own.

So, armed with the items I had left in my closet and Caroline's capsule as a template, I got to work. I didn't want to copy hers completely so I looked through it to see what types of items I wanted for mine (and what I didn't), and I started comparing what I had to the revised template I came up with. I tried to fill as much of the template as I could with things I already owned (but I'll be honest: I ended up buying a lot of new things).

And then...I shopped. It may seem like I bought a lot (or maybe not, I don't know), but I don't shop very often and instead I tend to binge shop like this a few times a year. As I shopped I really wanted to limit myself to only the items I needed to complete my capsule. I saw a ton of things that I would have previously purchased on a whim, but when I stopped to ask myself questions like, "What will I wear this with? How many different outfits can I make with it? Does it fit the style of my other outfits?", by the end I usually decided against clicking "Add to Cart". The shopping experience wasn't totally limiting, though. I gave myself permission to buy things I really liked, even if they were all black and gray (thank goodness for my one red sweater!). 

When the items arrived, I scrutinized them a lot. Frustratingly, I ended up sending a lot of things back. Whereas before, "good enough" would have warranted keeping them, the whole point of this exercise for me is to not settle for "good enough". 

Caroline's capsule is made up of 37 pieces (no idea where she got that number tbh), and so far I'm working with about 20 pieces in my closet. Apologies in advance for my serious lack of fashion-blogger savvy (and photography skills), but these are some of the outfits I've put together with those 20 pieces:

Pictured:
1. Gray oversized sweater (H&M)
2. Black open cardigan (Target)
3. Dark wash skinny jeans (H&M)*
4. Colorblock tee (Loft)
5. Black pants (H&M)
6. Grey tunic tee (Loft)
7. Ivory chiffon blouse (old)
8. Burgundy cardigan (similar)
9. Dark wash straight leg jeans (Seven for All Mankind)
10. Off-white oversized cardigan (Target)
11. Striped tee (Loft)
12. Faux leather pants (H&M)
13. Polka dot blouse (J. Crew Factory - similar)
14. Red and blue checked shirt (J. Crew - similar)
15. Tan oxfords (Steve Madden - similar)
16. Brown combat boots (Target)
17. Tan booties (Madden Girl)
18. Black booties (Zappos)

Also in my closet (not pictured):
19. Chambray shirt (J. Crew Factory - similar)
20. White/gray/black sweatshirt tee (Loft)

Items on their way to me or that I plan to add:
21. Graphic tee (Forever 21)
22. Gray skinny jeans (H&M)*
23. Medium rinse skinny jeans (H&M)*
24. Blazer (H&M)
25. White and gray color block tee (Loft)
26. Red and ivory geo pattern cardigan (Nordstrom)
27. White striped tee (Nordstrom)
28. Burgundy striped tee (Nordstrom)

*I gave up on the search for perfect jeans. I made it to 2 stores before getting completely frustrated and heading straight to H&M. The quality is just okay, but I already knew they fit me from a pair I've had in the past, plus they're pretty inexpensive as far as jeans go. If I have to replace them every year, so be it - that beats jeans shopping IMO.

Even though they're not pictured and I don't tend to count them, I'll throw in my coats and jackets too:
29. Black wool toggle coat (Michael Kors - similar)
30. Black and tan puffer jacket (Zara - similar)

The guide I followed suggested one capsule for every season, but since I didn't start this until late November, and winter has pretty much already gotten here, I've made this into my fall-winter capsule. I think a lot of it will carry me over into the true winter season, but I can see myself having a need for a few more things, particularly more heavy sweaters (though that was something I'd need anyway now that I've moved somewhere colder than I'm used to). So I may end up adding a few things in the next month or so, but I hope to keep it to maybe 4 or 5.

In my naiveté, I thought I'd have a whole, perfect wardrobe to show you by now. It's not quite there, but it's coming together. This has definitely been more of a process than I expected, but I think that's a good thing. I wanted to spend more time and effort thinking about what I buy and, in turn, what I wear, and I have definitely done that. I'm excited to get more new things and work them in with what I have already!