The Capsule Wardrobe Experiment: Spring Capsule Reveal

I thought that putting this one together was going to be a lot harder than it actually was. Spring clothes have never really been my favorites. Although it's nice to wear fewer layers and to be able to feel warm sun and a cool breeze on my skin, I've always been self-conscious about how those limited layers look on my body and would much rather hide under a sweater or two. Add to that the fact that I would also prefer to wear some combination of black, white, and grey everyday, and it's not hard to see why spring clothes just don't really appeal to me.

I started this capsule the same way I started the last one: by pulling all the spring clothes I already owned out of storage, trying them on, and realizing that I hated most of them. Sad, but true. That body image issue I was talking about up there? Let's just say that nothing helped. Most things fit strangely and there were only a few things that I really liked.

My purchasing process this time around was a lot different than last time. I initially ended up buying more than I really needed, and it was only through sticking to my rule of 3 and physically putting together outfits (more on that later) that I realized I didn't actually need as much as I originally thought. I had some basic tees that needed replacing and was in desperate need of a pair of lighter-colored jeans, but beyond that I only picked up a couple completely new things.

The Capsule

After going through what I already had, buying, returning, and making sure I could make plenty of outfits with what I wanted in my capsule, I landed on 24 items:

• 10 tops
• 5 sweaters
• 5 bottoms (3 pants + 2 shorts)
• 1 romper
• 1 dress
• 2 jackets

Twenty-four items! That's it. A much smaller number than my previous 37. There are a couple of reasons for that: first, I wanted to make sure that I actually planned to wear every item, and wasn't just throwing it in "just in case." Second is the noticeable absence of shoes. I definitely plan to wear them, don't worry. I have 7 or 8 pair that I think will make a regular appearance, plus another few that I might bust out when I'm feeling fancy. I decided not to count them in my official capsule this time around (and maybe not in future capsules) because honestly, having a lot of shoes isn't a problem for me and it's not why I started a capsule in the first place. I wear the same shoes most of the time already, but I like having some fun ones to spice things up every now and then.

As far as variety, there's not a lot, but that works for me. I thought about adding in a skirt or two, or maybe another dress but honestly, I think those things are better for me in theory than in practice. I'm definitely open to the idea of adding in more/other things though - another reason I went with fewer items rather than more this time around. I'm not going to completely rule out doing some shopping and adding a new item if I really have a need for it. The whole point of this experiment in the first place was to figure out what I liked, what I didn't like, what I had too much of, and where the gaps in my wardrobe were. I feel like having so many items last time made me feel like I couldn't add anything else, even if I wanted to, because I knew I was already neglecting several things. This time, I know for a fact that I'll get plenty of wear out of the 24 items I already have, and if I find a few more things that I can add in and get good wear out of too, I'm totally open to that.

The Budget

Let's talk numbers. I'll be honest with you: nearly 50% of the clothes in this capsule are new (of course I ran the numbers - I'm an engineer). I spent an average of $33/item this time around. That figure includes a new pair of exorbitantly-expensive-but-so-perfect jeans (seriously, this little capsule experiment has led me to my denim holy grail and you can't put a price tag on that), which means that the other, normally-priced items averaged out to just under $23 each.

The Outfits

One of the biggest lessons I learned from my first capsule is that I really need to plan my outfits better. With my winter capsule, I had a general idea of how I could mix and match things and what outfits I could make, but I never planned them out further than that. For the spring, I wanted to make sure I could wear each item at least 3 times, and the only way I could think to do that was to make a visual representation of all those outfits. I know it seems crazy, excessive, obsessive, and tedious but trust me, it was a necessary step for me and well worth the time. For about an hour's worth of work, I got 40 days worth of outfits planned. Obviously, the idea that I'd stick to this schedule perfectly is a little unrealistic and I'm sure I'll change some things up here depending on the weather, my mood, etc., but it's a guideline I'm happy to have (and yes, I do have a copy hanging up in my closet for easy reference).

Things of note:

• The only thing I didn't include is the maxi dress because, honestly, it was an impulse buy. I plan to sub it in whenever I just don't feel like wearing what I had planned that day and/or feel like wearing the dress instead. 
• The white halter and black cami aren't in here either since I only included them as possible substitutions in place of the outfits that have a white tank or black tee. 
• These are Monday-Friday outfits only. My weekends usually involve more spandex than real clothes, so when I need to look presentable I'll just pick whatever outfit I feel like wearing. 
• Also jackets and pullover sweater aren't included because hello, I can't predict the weather that far in advance to know which days are going to be cooler than others)

(Click to enlarge)

So what happens after 40 days? Good question. I've only planned that far because by then the weather is going to be basically summer, and that that's just about when I'll need to start wearing work clothes more than everyday clothes anyway. I don't think I'm going to end up needing a full summer capsule, so rather than one for each season, spring and summer, I'm thinking the lines between the two will be kind of blurred. I'll go with these items until late May(ish) at least, then I'll keep some out and add them in with some maxi dresses for summer and call it a day. But that's getting a little bit too far ahead. My spring capsule may only last 2 months instead of 3 like my winter one, but I'm really excited about what I've come up with for those 2 months!

For more about my capsule wardrobe journey, check out my Capsule Wardrobe tab!