WINTER CAPSULE WARDROBE

I attempted a capsule wardrobe for the first time last fall (see more details here) and I loved it so much that I'm continuing with a winter capsule this season. 

I first heard of a capsule wardrobe via Caroline of Unfancy, but it's become somewhat trendy recently among bloggers. I enjoy seeing the differences in everyone's wardrobe and especially the differences among climates and regions. Since the weather in Seattle is pretty much the same from October through April (read: cold and rainy), my fall capsule looks very similar to my winter capsule. I switched out about 10 pieces, but for the majority, it's the same items on rotation as before. I'm rolling with it until I get bored of it. So far, so good. I'm continuing to get rid of SO. MANY. CLOTHES. and declutter and simplify my wardrobe and ideally, all areas of my life.

Here are my winter pieces:

The breakdown: 

36 pieces

18 tops: same total as fall, switched out a few but mostly sweaters with a few button-downs & silk tops

7 bottoms: 1 light denim, 2 dark denim, black denim, black jeggings, 2 pairs of black Zella leggings

7 pairs of shoes: snow boots, black booties, brown booties, wedge heels, rain boots, glitter heels, and my beloved Tory Burch flats that were a Christmas present from Daniel two years ago. Those wedge heels were a fall find (from Target!) and are my current favorite cold-weather shoes.

3 outerwear: a black faux leather jacket, denim jacket, and black pattagonia puffy vest.

(Not pictured: a long down puffy black jacket. A winter staple here.)

Also, typically scarfs and accessories aren't included in capsule wardrobe totals, but I gathered a few of them in one of the photos as an "item" so you could see what I have on rotation. Love how scarfs can quickly change an outfit. 

I decided that these are my "everyday" pieces. I obviously will need something very different for a wedding or other fancy occasion. I think eventually, the goal will be to have an "everyday capsule" and a "fancy capsule," so that I have a few dresses that I truly love and not 25 that I just like. I'm sure it will take time to build that fancy capsule, but for now I'm happy with my everyday pieces. 

A few favorites to highlight:

My black Patagonia puffy vest. Found on sale at REI, I wore this almost daily last fall as an outerwear layer. So versatile, functional, and warm.

Forever 21 denim chambray. Such a staple. Wear it at least once a week with black leggings.

Forever 21 faux leather jacket. Love. Adds edginess to any outfit, obsessed with the side zipper and wide collar, and the price can't be beat.

J.Crew black and white gingham button up. Fits me like a glove with just enough stretch. Worn through so many seasons and washes and still hold it's structure and shape so well.

Mark Garments sweater. Hands down, my favorite sweater in my capsule. This company was started by my friends, who only made this one sweater design, and make it exceptionally; the quality is out of this world and the large loop fabric is amazing. On top of that, they employ people with special needs to help with letter-pressing the tags, creating jobs and giving back to the community. Unfortunately they aren't currently selling merchandise, but I adore them and their product. 

Forever 21 denim. As a recovering denim-snob (in college I would only wear Seven For All Mankind and Citizens For All Humanity) this was new for me. But, they come in long lengths (a must for tall people), have a great dark wash, and at SEVEN DOLLARS A PAIR I am a believer. 

Excited about my winter pieces! Are you also doing a capsule? Link to yours in the comments!

Capsule Wardrobe Update

It's 8 days into my capsule wardrobe for fall, and so far I'm really enjoying this project. I often get asked questions about it, so I'm fielding a few FAQs here.

How's it going? Great! I love the simplicity of it, streamlining my morning decisions, and knowing I have only my favorites to choose from.

Have you kept to your 37 pieces? Yes. I did make one change, I switched out one sweater I hadn't worn yet for a tank top because we've been having unseasonable warm weather lately. 

What's your favorite part about it? So many things. Probably ditching the phrase "I have nothing to wear" from my vocabulary. 

What's your least favorite? So far, nothing. Minus the switch for the tank top with the weather being kind of a curveball, it's been easy and predictable. I'm anticipating that the monotony of it all might be my least favorite in the end, but so far it's been great. 

Where are all your other clothes? I had an instagram sale just before I started my capsule wardrobe, so I got rid of a lot of items then, and the rest are shoved in the back of my closet. After October, I'll reevaluate and see what I need to switch up so I can continue in some way for the rest of the season. At that point I hope to either give/sell/store the rest. It feels kind of like wearing a life-vest by still having tons of clothes in my closet, and I think come October, I'll see if I can really go all-in by not having access to all of those clothes.

Would you recommend this? Yes! Wholeheartedly. 

More updates to come. You can follow along with my capsule wardrobe adventures on Instagram @allieseidel #alliesfallcapsule #alliewearsthat

My Fall Capsule Wardrobe

I had heard about the idea of a “capsule wardrobe” through a few bloggers. (see here and here). The specifics and details can vary but the concept is the same: wear only a few pieces for a specified period of time (usually a month or a season). The idea is to think minimal, 30 pieces or so for your entire wardrobe. Some people include shoes and accessories in this total, some don’t. The tiny rules don’t matter to me as much to me as the overall idea – to simplify your wardrobe.

Even though it seems counterintuitive, I’ve heard people say they experience greater freedom, creativity, and flexibility in their wardrobe by being forced to work with fewer pieces. Another upside is that you’re choosing the pieces you truly love and doing without the thousands of ones you just kind of “like” and are cluttering your wardrobe and your morning decisions.

I jumped on the bandwagon for this trend and coerced/asked my friend Erika of Rouge and Whimsy to join me on this adventure, since I knew I was going to need some moral support. We’re each choosing 30-ish pieces for the month of October. You can follow us both on our blogs and Instagram to see the outfits we're putting together. We're considering this month our trial period, and at the end, I hope to evaluate and possibly tweak my wardrobe only slightly to continue for the rest of the season.

Here are my pieces!

Details from top left: gray sweatshirt (target) // beige silk top (thrifted) // floral silk top (urban) white tee (michael stars) black lace top (forever 21) // white sweater (forever 21) // gray sweater (mark garmets) // black open shoulder top (nordstrom rack) // black and white checkered shirt (j.crew) // black top (forever 21) // army green silk top (TJ Maxx) // navy long sleeve (forever 21) // red dot silk top (nordstrom rack) // beige long sleeve (forever 21) // striped long sleeve (j.crew) // denim jacket (forever 21)

Details from top left: leather jacket (a fave! forever 21) // black LBD (nordstrom rack) // black skirt (h&m) // striped skirt (h&m) // black zella leggings (nordstrom) // black jeggings (TJ Maxx) // distressed denim (forever 21) // dark denim (forever 21) // black jacket (lululemon) // burgundy leather jacket (forever 21) // tan booties (forever 21) // brown booties (forever 21) // black booties (forever 21) // tan booties (forever 21) black hunters (nordstrom) // tan flats (payless)

Details from left: Tory Burch flats (nordstrom) // gray marbled long sleeve tee (forever 21) // black open knit sweater (forever 21) // navy striped sweater (ella moss)

36 pieces total, plus two outerwear items (a black patagonia puffy vest and a long black puffy jacket, and a denim chambray not pictured because I forgot it was in the wash, typical). This is the breakdown:

18 tops (mostly sweaters plus a handful of fancier silk tops)

2 skirts

1 little black dress

4 jackets 

4 pants 

7 pairs of shoes 

I picked my favorites, and mostly neutrals, both for ease of mixing and because I can add scarves or whatever accessories I want, which aren't included in the total count, and these can really change the feel of an outfit. 

I'm so looking forward to this project! Will be posting updates throughout. Are you also following a similar capsule wardrobe idea? Link to yours in the comments! I love seeing the variety in people's wardrobes across the country, especially with different climates and styles by region. Make sure to check out Erika's blog and follow along there as well!