I’m obsessed with capsule and packing wardrobes. I started truly downsizing my closet little by little, phase by phase in early 2015. I’ve done quite a few rounds of purging and analyzing, but until now I haven’t really done the “capsule” part of the whole deal.
I decided to begin my capsule journey in Fall/Autumn for a few reasons:
- You guys, I just really love Fall.
- All of my favorite clothes are thick layers and scarfs and booties and oh my god Fall is the best.
- I live in the north-east of the USA. Fall is amazing here. I have such a clear idea of how I like to feel in my clothes with this kind of weather and how to achieve that feeling.
- My Fall “uniforms” are easy peasy pumpkin squeezy.
Without further ado, here is my current capsule wardrobe for Fall/Autumn 2016:
Chambray shirt (H&M, old) // White shirt (Target, old) // Olive shirt (Target) // Buffalo plaid shirt (Target men’s dept) // Black blouse (Charlotte Russe, old) // Dotted blouse (Old Navy, old) // Beige batwing tee (Charlotte Russe, old) // Grey batwing tee (Charlotte Russe, old) // Black batwing tee (Forever 21, old) // White tee (Target) // Striped tee (Target) // Black tee (Target) // NJ Graphic tee (Scoutmob) // Gray tee (Target?, very old) // Suede tee (Laila Jayde via Stitch Fix) // Maroon tee (???, very old) // HP Graphic tank (gift) // White sweater (Target, old) // Black sweater (Charlotte Russe, old) // Gray sweater (Charlotte Russe, old) // Camel sweater (Old Navy, old) // Gray cardigan (Target) // Black cardigan (Target, old) // Olive cardigan (Target, old) // Rust orange cardigan (Target) // Maroon cardigan (Target, old) // Aztec print cardigan (Charlotte Russe, old) // Denim vest (Target, old) // Black high-waist jeans (Charlotte Russe, old) // Black pull-on jeggings (Liverpool via Stitch Fix) // Dark blue jeans (Charlotte Russe, old) // Light blue jeans (Target) // White jeans (Jessica Simpson) // Olive jeans (Charlotte Russe, old) // Black pixie pants (Old Navy) // Black pencil skirt (Charlotte Russe, old) // Floral shirtdress (Target) // Black dress (Modcloth) // Denim shirtdress (Charlotte Russe, old) // Black chelsea booties (Target, old) // Tan western booties (Target) // Cognac booties (Target) // Suede stacked heel boots (Steve Madden, very old) // Oxblood leather boots (LL Bean, thrifted) // Black moccasins (Target) // Maroon New Balance 373 (eBay) // Floral slip-on sneakers (Charlotte Russe, old) // Leopard print flats (Target)
I’m trying to upgrade my most frequently worn items with higher quality (read: more expensive) versions as I can afford it. This is a slow process.
Yes, I am aware I spend too much time at Target, but I’m okay with that. When they stop reading my mind I’ll stop buying their stuff. I usually try new styles or trends with their items first and if I really really love it and wear it to death, I look for a higher quality twin of that item.
Full disclosure: I have so many damn items from Charlotte Russe because I used to work there and get a hefty discount. While I’m thankful for my time there as it helped me discover my true sense of style and allowed me to experiment, I don’t really shop there since I left the retail business. Again, I’m slowly replacing those items with better quality versions.
(App used to achieve the somewhat cool-looking layout above: Stylebook. Worth every penny. A co-worker once saw me using it and said, “Oh hello, Cher Horowitz.” I’ve never felt more awesome and lame at the same time.)