An Easy Teacher Capsule Wardrobe for Fall and Winter

There have been many back-to-school type ads over the last week, which is funny since school literally just finished, but it inspired me to put together my yearly teacher capsule wardrobe post.

I am very aware that shopping for a teacher wardrobe involves a strict budget, so I will give a 5 step process of building a teacher capsule wardrobe with ease, starting with your own closet.

As always when you start the process of building a capsule wardrobe you begin at home.

It kind of defeats the purpose of developing a smaller wardrobe if you buy a whole new wardrobe every season.

So if you are a teacher looking to build your work wardrobe and are low on funds, you might find the following five steps helpful in your capsule wardrobe process.

How to Build a Teacher Capsule Wardrobe

Step 1: Take inventory of what you own.

Go through your entire wardrobe with a fine-tooth comb and put aside anything that you can use for your work wardrobe. You may be surprised by how much you already have when you look through your closet with a different mindset.

This step may have to be repeated several times. The first go through should be anything you can maybe wear, then each additional time you will be a little stricter with your decision making.

After you complete this step keep these pieces separate from everything else while you move on to the next phase.

Step 2: Based on what you pulled out, have a quick look through to see if there is any kind of colour theme or palette already in place. If not, then this is the step that you will decide on colours.

You can’t have a capsule wardrobe without some kind of cohesiveness because all of your pieces need to work well together to make it a true working capsule. Otherwise, you just have a small collection of clothes that won’t mix and match.

I tend to keep the wardrobe base fairly neutral and then will add colour through various pieces and accessories. A neutral base is very easy to wear and will take out the guessing work of getting dressed.

Whatever pieces do not work with your colour palettes choices can be removed and put back with your other clothes.

This step should be streamlining your initial wardrobe pulls very nicely.

Step 3: Take into consideration your climate. You need to figure out what kind of items you need to include in your capsule wardrobe that will make it fully rounded and work for where you live.

In this instance, I have included a trench coat, but since it is a fall and winter capsule wardrobe I would switch out the trench for something heavier, and add a pair of winter boots as the weather got colder.

I didn’t include those winter pieces because while stores are transitioning to fall, the new winter gear is not out yet so I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

That’s okay though because a capsule wardrobe doesn’t have to be finished or complete. It is a continuing work in progress that you are tweaking to evolve with you and your current style and lifestyle.

I am a pen and paper kind of person. For some reason, my brain can process things better when I write them down, so in this step, I would make a rough list of the items I want to have included in this seasonal capsule so I have something to refer back to when I am trying to fill any wardrobe holes.

Step 4: This is the point in which you will have a general idea of what your capsules wardrobe includes/will include and now you are going to narrow it down even further.

You need to determine how many of each category you want.

Do you think 4-5 bottoms are a good number? Now you need to go through your pile of black pants and see which pair or two you want to include.

Can you wear jeans? Which is the most appropriate pair for work?

Anything extra or not needed should be moved aside.

Step 5: This is the step where you will determine the wardrobe holes. You should have a very condensed selection of clothes right now.

Filling these holes will be what rounds out your capsule wardrobe.

This can be done slowly, over time to find the right pieces. A capsule wardrobe is a small and intentional wardrobe so taking your time to find what you are looking for is a normal part of the process.

This step is the creative one because to determine what your wardrobe holes might be you are going to plan out as many outfits as you can with the pieces that you have set aside.

Having a visual layout of these will help you determine what extras you may want to add to make the looks complete.

Let your creative juices flow and when you come across a wardrobe hole write it down. Something that you wished you owned or a piece that you think would work really well in the outfits that you are compiling.

This whole process from steps one to five should only take a few hours to complete.

Once you have determined the wardrobe holes, now is the time to try to fill some of them.

Because I know that most teachers are on a budget I would suggest starting your search secondhand. I have had a lot of success on Poshmark (Poshmark.ca in Canada) lately. I found a beautiful Zadig & Voltaire blazer for a steal.

eBay and Thredup are also great choices. Madewell has actually teamed up with Thredup to form Madewell Forever where you can find used Madewell jeans for a fraction of the price.

Check out your local thrift store, vintage, and consignment shops because there are always treasures to be found.

Sales racks aren’t just about last seasons trends. You can always find a ton of classic pieces that won’t go out of style on them. Blazers, button-ups, loafers, sweaters are all wardrobe basics that you will wear season after season, and if you can find them for a bargain and you are looking for one then grab it while you can.

I put together a bunch of outfits so you can get an idea of how versatile this wardrobe is.

I tried to steer it away from the traditional pieces that are often included in teacher capsules that you see online. Many of those looks are getting dated. Especially the alimony cardigan.

There are so many other options, you can find something better.

I hope that this post gave you some ideas on how to build a work capsule wardrobe starting with a foundation of pieces that you already own.

Stay safe.

Teacher Outfit Ideas

You might also like:
A Teacher Capsule Wardrobe Built From Your Own Closet – Second Edition
A Simple Teacher Capsule Wardrobe in 5 Steps
How to Build a Fall Work Capsule Wardrobe
A Starter Teacher Capsule Wardrobe 40 Outfit Options

I am now offering digital styling guides, and personal styling services. If you are looking for some styling help that is inexpensive and easy, check out my digital styling guides. If you want some one-on-one help shopping, building and editing your wardrobe, or packing for a trip, I can also assist. Check out all the styling services that I offer here.

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This post contains affiliate links. By using my links to shop I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you). Thanks for supporting what I do 

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Amazon
• Link

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Amazon
• Link

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