Capsule Wardrobe Review & Winter 2015

Last fall after thinking about a capsule wardrobe for months, I decided to finally take action and just do it. I knew it wouldn’t be perfect, but I had to start somewhere…and I’m so glad I did. If you aren’t familiar with a capsule wardrobe, you can read more about it here and check out my first capsule wardrobe here.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM HAVING A CAPSULE WARDROBE

I have to say I love the concept, and I loved living it even more. This fall was my first capsule wardrobe. I went into it with the goal of stepping up my wardrobe game after falling into a strictly functional “mom wardrobe”. I was ready to put more effort into my appearance and, in turn, feel better about myself. In that area I absolutely succeeded. It’s true, when you put something on that you feel good in, you have an overall better day.

Shortly after I built my capsule wardrobe, I took Jess Lively’s Life With Intention Online” course and we identified my values in four areas of my life. For possessions (i.e., my capsule wardrobe), I knew I wanted it to be comfortable, livable, and put-together. Just saying those words makes me feel good – wearing those clothes made me feel even better. For me in the wardrobe department, I already had the comfortable and livable down. It was the put-together I needed to work on. The days when I wore my red dress or my white top and jeans I felt better about myself.

Overall, I loved having a capsule wardrobe in the fall. It was one less thing I had to think about in the morning and I loved feeling better about my appearance. I learned what I enjoyed wearing (bright colors, comfortable dresses) and what my go-to outfit was (a nice shirt and good jeans).

And then came the winter and with it my winter capsule wardrobe. It came and went and I’m perfectly ok with that. Oh man….the winter in Brooklyn is brutal. This winter wasn’t nearly as bad as last winter but, mentally, it’s challenging.  It’s hard to dress cute when you know you’ll have to layer up constantly. Combine those factors with wanting to save some money and you get my winter capsule wardrobe: a sea of black and gray ho-hum. It was so blah I never posted the photos. However, I feel that this blog has helped me grow on so many levels, that I am going to share my wardrobe with you today. (I know you’re on the edge of your seat!)

So without further ado and to put it all behind us….here’s my WINTER CAPSULE WARDROBE.

TOPS: 19

PANTS: 4 

DRESSES: 5 + 1 pair of overalls

SHOES: 4

TOTAL: 33

I am so happy I started a capsule wardrobe and I feel there’s many areas to improve upon - that also makes me excited. Looking at my four goals of my fall wardrobe, I am going to rate them for both my fall and winter wardrobes.

My four goals…

#1. I want to be proud of how I look. I want to put in the effort and not have to apologize for my appearance.

Fall: A-

Winter: B

On my Tuesdays and Thursdays I definitely succeeded when it came to this goal. Both my kids were in school so I had more time to dress myself (and put on make-up). I’d also often have meetings on these days, so that gave me another reason to look my best. Even on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays I felt good about the outfit I had on at The Little Gym or teaching Artists & Crafts. Many times I got compliments on my outfit and that would make my day and showed me that a little effort did go a long way! The reason my grade went down for the Winter Wardrobe is because I didn’t feel excited about any of my outfits. I didn’t go shopping to amp up my wardrobe – mainly because I wanted to save some money, but also because the winter tends to bring me down a little bit. In Brooklyn – especially when you spend most of your day pushing a stroller outside – you really need to layer up!! It makes it seem a little pointless. Although – on that same note, it’s probably the exact reason I should be putting on clothes that make me feel great. To help battle that winter blah head on! I will work on this next year.

#2. I want to get out of the “mom clothes” funk!

Fall: A

Winter: C

I think the moral of the story here is that the time I took to curate my fall wardrobe and really think about the pieces that built my outfits made all the difference. It’s what made this capsule feel “put-together” for me. In the winter, I simply edited down the clothes I already had. Many of my pieces were black, gray, or loose fitting. Let this blog be my reminder to put in a little effort next December.

#3. I want to put in the prep-work to curate a collection of clothing that makes me feel great.

Fall: A

Winter: C

This explanation is pretty much the same as #2, but I will give myself credit for editing my clothes down so that I could easily open my drawers. Plus, making the time to take the photos made me feel slightly better about my outfits. I mean, they are kinda cute when you look at them cropped and edited together on the computer!!

 

#4. I want to make it public & hold myself accountable.  

Fall: A

Winter: C

The winter came and went and I never even blogged about my wardrobe. I did take photos so that is at least a step in the right direction. And I did eventually share them, so that next winter I can really make some progress. My goal of this summer wardrobe it to take a selfie every day so that it’s documented what I wore every day. Don’t worry I won’t be posting it every day, but I will share it on the blog to hold myself accountable. I recently read Getchen Rubin’s book, Better Than Before, and identifying myself as an obligor has given myself permission to use what I need to in order to follow through.

 

Fall Wardrobe Retrospective:

My favorite outfit was definitely the red dress, especially when I paired it with my jean jacket. The bright color instantly cheered me up and it was comfortable.

Of the shirts, I could have easily edited it down a little more. I think there were four shirts I never even wore once. The same goes for the dresses. There were about three I never wore, or I’d put them on, not feel good about how I looked, and then change.

I’m not sure what’s with me and jeans this year! By the time the fall was over only one of those pairs of jeans were still wearable.

My overalls were and continue to be well worn! However, I think I only wore the black and white pantsuit once.

My shoes worked out pretty good, but it quickly became too cold for open toed sandals, so I just brought my boots out of the closet.

The biggest challenge of my fall wardrobe was the quick temperature change. I had many short dresses that I soon couldn’t wear because the temperatures got cold quickly.

 

Winter Wardrobe Retrospective:

My biggest takeaway is that I need to add color to next winter’s wardrobe. The rest is all a blur!

I hope this look into my closet has helped you decide if you also want to create a capsule wardrobe of your own.  I highly recommend it. I never once missed the clothes that I donated and I really enjoyed the ease of picking out something to wear every morning!! I’d love to hear about your capsule wardrobe and any tips you have for me, so feel free to leave a comment below.

 

 

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