Fall Capsule Wardrobe
Fall begins on September 23rd so I was going to wait until then to switch over to my fall capsule wardrobe, but ever since I was a little girl after Labour Day weekend was back to school time. The time that we finally got to wear our new back to school wardrobe and the year started off feeling fresh and full of potential.
It is exciting when we transition to another season and it allows us to wear something we haven’t worn in a while. I consider this weekend to be technically the start of fall since the mornings are a little crisper, and the nights a little cooler…usually. Except this weekend which happens to be in the middle of a heat wave and about 38C in Toronto.
To be honest I am kind of getting sick of the word capsule wardrobe because very few of us actually follow what it truly means. Traditionally a capsule is a small set of high quality, well fitting clothes that you you slowly curate over a period of time. Because in reality not many people can drop thousands on a new wardrobe all at once. I have seen some really incredible examples of true capsule wardrobes that make me wish that I could be that extreme in cutting things down and loving what I have. Paris to Go is a great example of this, she has 10 pieces per season that she wears. I am envious of her ability to do this and admire the simplicity and the quality of her wardrobe.
So instead of calling this my capsule I am going to refer to it as my fall and winter wardrobe. It is 37 pieces (one down from last season) and I was able to carry over quite a few pieces from last season so you are going to see a lot of repeats from my spring and summer capsule. I wear a lot of the same things all year long with less layers in the summer, but this season I added a bit more colour variation. I picked up the newer pieces over the last few months as I saw them in stores so it has been a gradual expense rather than an all at once splurge which can be tough for many of us to do. Above is the total capsule wardrobe as it currently stands (not counting my winter coat) and below is the breakdown of where I got each piece. A lot of my items are older so the links may be to similar items if they are sold out in the stores.
What is the piece you are most looking forward to wearing this fall? I think I am really looking forward to the blue kimono jacket and dressy blazer.
White T-shirt | V-Neck | Blouse | Pullover
Light Blouse | Kimono | Dolman Sweater | Animal Print Cardi
Open Front Cardigan* | Casual Blazer | Poncho | Distressed Denim
*The link is to the same cardigan but in a different colour. I bought mine at Winner’s.
Kimono Jacket | Mid Denim | Dark Denim | Grey T-shirt | Baseball Tee
Black Denim | Long Sweater | Black Tank | Band T-shirt* | Black T-shirt
*This is a link to a similar shirt and this one is a link to the same shirt in larger sizes.
Black Sweater | Oversized Blazer | Dressy Blazer | Leather Jacket
Shift Dress | Fitted Dress | Wrap Dress | Black Pants | Leather Pants
Rainboots | Moto Boots | Converse | Slip-ons | Flats | Booties
If you liked this post you can find more capsule wardrobes here.
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Love the post, Sara. It’s inspiring to see someone getting so much joy (and use) out of their clothes. What was your motivation for going the capsule wardrobe route?
Lesley
workinglook.com
Thank you! I guess my motivation started when every time I looked in my closet I got overwhelmed and uninspired. I know it is totally a cliche but I had a lot of clothes with nothing to wear. When I cut it down significantly I found myself becoming more aware of what I was buying. If I try something on and don’t love it right away I don’t buy it. I use to talk myself into it. I also make sure that it goes with more than 5 things in my wardrobe before I buy it otherwise it won’t get much use. I wear everything I have now vs before when I had a lot of filler (if that makes sense).
I love this. I think so many women have closets stuffed with “filler”. We often buy clothes for the sport of it, or the perceived bargain, without any clear sense of our own personal style or understanding of our wardrobes as a collection.
There is great value in buying less things that bring us more joy!
Sara, I was very excited to find your Rome packing list on Pinterest and am using it as a guide for my two-week trip to Rome and Tuscany this fall. Now, when I return, I will use your fall-winter capsule wardrobe as a guide. I do some substituting as I’m a bit “senior” to your years, but I’m loving your ideas. And I hope it saves me hours from standing and staring at my closet!!! I’ve also passed your website on to my daughter who is about you age! Thanks so much. Lynn
Thank you Lynn. A few years ago I became obsessed with the idea of packing light and could never find lists that worked well for me, so I decided that I would try to make my own. It became a sort of hobby of mine to put together light packing, suitable travel wardrobes. It seems to have carried through to other aspects of my life like my full wardrobe because I find myself using the same thought process for each. It makes me feel good that people find them useful so thank you for telling me. I hope you have a amazing, memorable trip to Rome and Tuscany. It will be a beautiful time to travel.
Hi Sara, i am a breastfeeding mom and i am looking for a wardrobe with the necessities. Can you put together some outfits that will be suitable for a gal like me. Thanks
Hi there, I have been in your position before so I understand what you mean 🙂 I will start to gather up some ideas. Thank you for the suggestion.