My Capsule Wardrobe January 1, 2016

It is a living, evolving capsule. You can also see snapshots of how it has been in the past. I'm constantly seeking to play with and improve it. Clothing is a necessity, and style a passion to explore. 

 

Not pictured: exercise clothes, undergarments, jewelry

  1. purple velvet blazer
  2. coral cutout 3/4 sleeve jacket
  3. coral trenchcoat
  4. green wool coat
  5. grey moto jacket
  6. grey drape blazer
  7. green wool cloak
  8. red-orange blazer
  9. rosegold sequin mini dress
  10. cream stretchy sheath dress
  11. navy sparkle neck bodycon mini dress
  12. green double zip sheath dress 
  13. grey sheath dress
  14. grey maxi dress
  15. green halter maxi dress
  16. wine slip dress (got rid of)
  17. navy sparkle maxi dress (favorite thing)
  18. red-orange purse
  19. black purse
  20. gold purse
  21. black hooded dress sleeveless maxi
  22. aqua maxi dress
  23. green halter jumpsuit
  24. coral purse
  25. grey tote
  26. grey silk tie-dye cami
  27. grey split hem tee
  28. purple silk blouse button up
  29. navy ruffle neck sleeveless blouse
  30. navy silk tank
  31. grey midi tube skirt
  32. green maxi straight skirt (diy)
  33. red-orange slim pant
  34. grey wool trouser
  35. black wrap waist pant
  36. coral drape pant
  37. slight bootcut jeans (currently don't fit)
  38. silver clutch
  39. black lace up heels
  40. lime and aqua peeptoe booties
  41. coral wedges
  42. holographic belt
  43. sunglasses
  44. shoulder jewelry
  45. taupe snakeskin sandal heels
  46. gold skyscraper heels
  47. black and navy sandal heels
  48. black bow booties
  49. pewter loafers
  50. black oxfords

There are many items on this list that I know I want to send on their way, and many items I know I want to replace. My current ideal wardrobe is: suits, sleeved maxi dresses, straight midi skirts, blouses, flats/lows in: green, aubergine, royal purple, coral pink, and grey. Not terribly much on my list that aligns, but that's the plan, folks.

Reality Wardrobe Versus Fantasy Life Wardrobe

Do you dream of wearing princess gowns but find yourself wearing leggings as pants with baggy tees instead? These two can be brought closer together with a little work.

Step One: Track what you actually wear each day.

This should be a judgement-free exercise. If you don’t like what you’ve been wearing (which is likely if you’re reading this), don’t worry, because we’re going to improve everything. Identifying what you actually reach to wear will provide us with very important information about what is working for your current life.

Tops, bottoms, one pieces, shoes, outerwear, and accessories- write it all down for one week.

What do you wear to work? To workout? When you’re home during the week? On the weekends? To go out?

Step Two: Identify what you dream of wearing

For this exercise, let your mind roam entirely free of reality. Consider movies, magazines, runway. Think of your favorite celebrities and what they wear. Spend a few hours on pinterest. What would you wear if you could wear anything?

*Side note: If what you most what to wear is not a look that enhances you, we need to have a special talk. 

Step Three: Working toward bridging the gap OR isolating the two categories

If you wear leggings all day and you dream of wearing leggings all day, kudos. You can just focus on your best colors and the best way of making the variations in line possibilities work for your living fantasy look.

For the rest of us, we have some merging or isolating to do. If you reality and fantasy aren't far apart, it is best to merge and blend the two. For merging: Starting with our reality wardrobe, how can we take a step toward our fantasy wardrobe? This can be done with each item (moving from a plain tee to an embellished tee with a flattering neckline), or it can be done as a percentage, letting fantasy items take up 10% of your wardrobe and if it goes well (i.e. if you actually end up wearing it regularly), swap another 10%. If you work with a Basic 10 capsule wardrobe, that means having one of your ten items be fantasy. If you do choose a purely fantasy item, try to consider how it will work with the rest of your wardrobe. 

If reality and fantasy are too far apart, the goal is to accept and limit the functional wardrobe. If reality is that you're a yoga teacher, but your lines look rather bad in knits and you'd rather be in perky woven dresses- don't try to merge them- you'll only drive yourself mad and end up wasting money. Instead, accept that your knits, while unflattering, are a functional necessity of your working wardrobe, and do your best to limit them. Yes, you need a certain number of items, but not beyond, and when you're not teaching, put on something fabulous instead. Isolating means not letting functional creep into your life when they aren't absolutely required. You will feel better if you switch to flattering the moment that you're able to in your day or week. Because functional is, well, functional, you will need to devote a little of your time and money to it, but limit this to what you can. Focus the bulk of your time and wardrobe budget on the flattering items and live your fantasy.  

How far apart are your reality and your fantasy? Can you bridge the gap or is it more useful to isolate them? At what ratio? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

If you're still struggling to improve your wardrobe, consider the style services available.