Winter Capsule Wardrobe
Dolly Parton T-shirt | Turtleneck | Blouse | Black Shirt | Sweatshirt | Oversized Sweater | Turtleneck Sweater | Striped Sweater | Blue Cardigan | Blazer | White Trousers | Jeans | Brown Trousers | Joggers | Black Dress | Coat | Beanie | Plaid Scarf | Face Mask | Necklace | Small Purse | Tote | High Boots | Short Boots | Sneakers | Converse |
Building winter capsule wardrobe can be an easy way to find your style. If I sit back and reflect on my personal style over the last 2+ decades I see a lot of changes, but the core seems to have stayed the same.
I also notice this same trend when I am building my capsule wardrobes.
There are a certain set of items that I always include because I personally feel they are wardrobe staple pieces.
Focusing on the last 10 years is where I have seen the most evolution, after really honing into my style around my mid 30s.
I am comfortable where I am at now.
I know that a lot of us still really struggle with trying to find our style or identity (which also affects style) when we reach certain points in our lives.
For example: having children can really throw you for a loop.
It is a crazy mind game when you have kids and this is often the starting off point of when we as women start to lose ourselves.
I know I did.
At 25 I had my first daughter and the havoc it played on my mind was crazy.
I was 25 and I still wanted to dress young. But then you constantly hear that you need to “dress like a mom” phrase. Whatever that means.
This was a weird period of time and I ended up spending (and wasting) a lot of money on clothes that were not who I was, but who I thought I was supposed to be.
This internal and external battle carried on until the birth of my second daughter when I was 31.
There were several things that happened at that point of time that brought me to where I am today.
Finding My Style
First, the internet was getting better and better. The access inspirational sites like Pinterest and Polyvore came into existence which really allowed me to dive and explore my fashion tastes in a way that I couldn’t before.
The second thing was that we hit a financial brick wall. In other words, we were really broke…like steps from going to the Food Bank broke.
That doesn’t leave room for frivolous spending on clothes.
This forces you to learn to appreciate what you have and figure out how to make it work for the style you are trying to achieve.
This time period was when the idea of building a capsule wardrobe first started to take root for me.
It was built from what I already owned and items that I thrifted.
It also forced me to hone those thrifting skills. To see the potential of a secondhand item that may not inspire on the rack.
I purged my closet massively when I started in order to get rid of everything that I accumulated in my lost “must dress like a mom” stage.
There were some unfortunate casualties to this purge so I caution you to proceed carefully and not emotional purge.
You can’t get back those items once they are gone. (Goodbye Doc Marten’s, band tees, and my favourite jacket).
I stripped it all down to the basics, and started to build from there.
It has been a LONG process…and it should be.
I had a starting point, but I don’t think this is something that actually has a finish point.
You will continuously add too, take from, and alter your wardrobe for the rest of your life.
There will always be your favourites, but you may also look to replace those as they wear out, or are in need of an upgrade.
Making sensible choices is the route that you want to take.
When you put a lot of time and thought into selecting pieces, it cuts down on impulse shopping and unnecessary spending.
It also makes getting dressed each day easier, and a pleasure instead of a chore where you just end up wearing the same handful of things on repeat because you are overwhelmed.
This winter capsule wardrobe includes examples of a few small areas where my tastes have changed over the years.
Two colour choices that I tended to avoid were blue (except for denim), and white. Now I have so much blue and many some of my favourite pieces are blue.
I also embrace white. For many, this is easy in the summer, but don’t underestimate winter whites.
A nice oversized white sweater paired with white wide-leg trousers is such a classic, and chic look.
I also thoroughly disliked turtlenecks. Now I can’t get enough of them…slim fit or bulky knit sweater. I love them all.
If you are feeling completely lost is trying to figure out your style, then start small. Work one season at a time and carry over what works into the next season.
It is almost winter here so I focused on that, but if you live in the southern hemisphere and are heading into summer I have a lot of examples of summer capsule wardrobes that may come in handy.
This post has a large list of summer capsule wardrobes in it.
After all four seasons, you should have a really good idea of what you like, and have built a nicely curated little wardrobe for yourself.
Stay safe.
Capsule Wardrobe Outfit ideas
Easy Winter Outfits for Women
Dolly Parton T-shirt | Turtleneck | Blouse | Black Shirt | Sweatshirt | Oversized Sweater | Turtleneck Sweater | Striped Sweater | Blue Cardigan | Blazer | White Trousers | Jeans | Brown Trousers | Joggers | Black Dress | Coat | Beanie | Plaid Scarf | Face Mask | Necklace | Small Purse | Tote | High Boots | Short Boots | Sneakers | Converse |
You might also like:
The Realistic 2020 Winter Capsule Wardrobe
The Essential Capsule Wardrobe for Winter
How to Build a Winter Capsule Wardrobe
The Ultimate Winter Capsule Wardrobe.
How to Build a Winter Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget.
A Work From Home Winter Capsule Wardrobe – Plus 18 Work From Home Outfits
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe – Sale Edition
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aahhh, RIP Polyvore, such a shame it’s no longer around. i know some people use apps like cladwell to keep track of what they’re wearing, but i just try to make a mental effort to remind myself that it’s pointless for me to buy certain items like tank tops, because those are not the items i’m reaching for over and over.
you bring up a lot of good points, especially about not necessarily needing to have a finish point. in the past it was so easy to get sucked into thinking you had to have a, b, and c in your closet in order for it to be complete, or go super hardcore into the capsule wardrobe when it really started becoming its own trend a few years ago, and then all your style issues would resolve themselves. i know i felt pressured at one time or another to have certain colours in my wardrobe, not taking into account that it may or may not work with my colouring or other items already in my wardrobe. i’m 36 and i still find myself staring at my clothes and drawing a blank sometimes! i don’t utilize pinterest like i should, but if i take a look at what i’ve got saved on poshmark or the realreal, then i notice a trend straight away of what i’m drawn to.
btw, i saw that green zara coat on your stories, i hope it works out for you!
Polyvore was so much fun. It got me through the nights of not sleeping when my youngest was born. It also started me blogging weirdly enough.
And I totally agree with feeling like you had to follow certain rules at the beginning of the whole capsule/downsizing your wardrobe journey. I think a lot of people need rules to get them started and that is fine, but it can also cause issues within itself. I found myself thinking I needed 38 items, and I stringently stuck to that for a bit regardless of how difficult it made things. Then I realized that doesn’t quite work for me. My wardrobe needs to be more 365 days VS seasonal since our fall and spring temps are so short here. That forced a mental shift in how this would work for me. Also, I don’t have anywhere to store seasonal items which also causes issues.
My first capsule was very bland in colours because I felt it easier to get dressed when everything was black and darker neutrals. I actually really like colour though so it’s been a happy journey finding things and fitting them in.
I don’t do tank tops either unless it’s for layering or exercise so I only have a couple of those as well. It’s a good basic to have at least one in hand but it will never become a summer staple for me. I’d rather wear t-shirt.
I use Poshmark the same way as you. I wish ours was as big as the US market because I think I could easily get 90% of my wardrobe from there.
I hope the jacket works out as well. I don’t need it to be oversized but I definitely don’t want it fitted, so I’m not holding me breath. I really hate returning things as well which is another reason I hope it fits. The colour is so good. A coat in this colour was my seasonal item I was hoping to find, either secondhand or new. Coats are the only way to show some personality in winter here since your clothes are covered all the time 😂 I’m a coat person though, and would love to wear them all year.