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February 4, 2016

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016 on Shutterbean.com!

I’m glad you liked my Closet Organization post! Thanks for the feedback. Some of you wanted to see what I picked for my capsule wardrobe for this winter. Here it is!  Let me walk you through it.

Wait? What’s a capsule wardrobe?  <—-read this

I started off by going through my favorite pins on pinterest and compiled them onto a new board called Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016. <—-that’s it!

Once I had my outfits picked, I printed out the photos from pinterest and went through my closet to find all of the items I already had to create these looks.

Around the House- Closet Organization- Before & After Photos on Shutterbean.com

In doing so, I realized that I was creating my own color story and here it is.

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016 on Shutterbean.com!

As you can see from my color story, my neutrals are black, gray, white, army green & denim. I want to add a pop of color/statement with my accessories through a red flannel print, leopard print and accents of cognac colored leather. Having this color scheme has made getting dressed so much easier because everything I picked pretty much goes together.

Here’s a little glimpse of how the color story looks in my closet.

I paired down a few items since I took this photo!

Around the House- Closet Organization- Before & After Photos on Shutterbean.com

I wanted to do a capsule wardrobe because I want to make deliberate choices of what I keep in my closet. I wanted everything that was in there to be something I loved/something useful. I honestly had too many wildcard pieces that made it hard for me to put outfits together because I lacked a solid foundation & good basics. Like…I would have a really cool dress but didn’t know the right shoes/jacket to wear with it. Then my dress was just sitting there…unworn and ignored.  I found that I am more creative when I have less stuff to work with.

Making a capsule wardrobe is just like packing a suitcase for a trip. But imagine your trip is 3 months long and you don’t really worry about all of your clothes fitting in a suitcase.  You have to think about your essentials. What are your basic needs? What are the things you love that make you feel good in?  Since I live in California, I don’t have a ton of cold weather clothes. It’s all about layering here in the Bay Area, so my winter capsule reflects that. I work in an office twice a week and from home the rest of the time. Most of my outfits are casual but can be jazzed up if I need to them to be more professional.

These pieces make up my foundation. All my outfits are built off of them:

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016 on Shutterbean.com!

And now we move onto the tops. Before I paired down my closet I had SO MANY TOPS. To tell you the truth, I was super overwhelmed by having so many options. I have 13 tops in my capsule compared to the 35+ tops used to be in there (YIKES). They all can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the bases & accessories. Each t-shirt works with all of my pants. Each shirt works with my skirt and all the button ups can go well with pants and my maxi dress.

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016 on Shutterbean.com!

Because it’s winter, I need some jackets. I have one main black coat that I LOVE! There’s  a blazer if I need to a business lady or dress up jeans. The green army coat is more of a casual coat. I like it because it polishes some of my more casual outfits. I’m pretty sure it will being in my Spring Capsule.

I also have three dresses in my collection right now. That denim dress I got from GAP a few months ago has been one of my uniform staples. They unfortunately don’t have it at GAP anymore 🙁  I’m currently wearing it with a black sweater on top.  I’m pretty sure it will come with me when we move onto Spring because I can throw it onto run errands with some leggings  and not look like a slob.

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016 on Shutterbean.com!

To make these staples come alive, I rely heavily on my accessories. I like having some statement pieces in my arsenal. Here’s all the fun/subtle pops of color that I’m incorporating into my looks this winter.

 

Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016 on Shutterbean.com!

There you have it! If you don’t count the accessories & shoes, I have about 25 pieces in this capsule. 29 if you include the shoes. So far it’s all working out well. I am not tempted to go into my guest bedroom closet (where the rest of my clothes are) to cheat. I’m also not tempted to go shopping because I have everything I need.

This project is also forcing me to look through my jewelry collection to enhance my outfits (must purge a few things from my stash). Another side effect is that I am clearing out all of my makeup and getting rid of what I don’t use anymore. I’m only one month in….so I’ll let you know what happens when we move onto spring!

Have you done a capsule wardrobe before? Do you have any tips or tricks? How many seasons did you make it through??!

TELL ME EVERYTHING.

  • Colleen

    Inspiring! You were smart to do the photos to provide direction. I think this is like putting your wardrobe on a diet.

  • Meaghan

    Loving your capsule wardrobe!! Inspired to try one myself!

  • Kimiko

    This is AWESOME! I don’t have a ton of clothes, but there are definitely things I don’t wear. Ive gotta try this!

  • Byanca

    Thank you so much for sharing! Like so many people, I have been thinking about trying a capsule wardrobe myself, but feeling rather lost as where to start. Your step-by-step is definitely going to help me!

  • Michelle

    Awesome, thanks for sharing! I’m on my 3rd season of a capsule wardrobe after being totally inspired by Caroline’s Unfancy blog. I love it. I’ve actually written down all my outfit ideas for each season, which reminds me of the looks I’m going for – but I love your idea to print out Pinterest pictures! I actually have space for all my clothes now and getting dressed is so much easier/quicker. It’s also helped limit my shopping by focusing on a few items that are “missing” each season.

  • Talia

    Wow! Very inspiring. Clothing is my love language so this would be an incredibly hard project for me. However, I am often overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices I have. Ugh! Love your discipline!

  • Caitlyn @ Candid Cerebrations

    The idea of a capsule wardrobe makes me laugh! I don’t mean that meanly. I think they’re great. It’s just I have pretty much had a capsule wardrobe my entire life. I’ve never been big on statement pieces, or fashion, or shopping in general, All my pieces are simple and have more classic look and therefore always in style and pretty much all match each other. Getting dressed in the morning is so easy! Fun random fact, today I’m wearing a Gap cable knit sweater from high school. HIGH SCHOOL! I’m young but I’m not that young.

    I recently cleaned out my make up. Maybe you’ll find what I did helpful maybe not. But *gasp* I threw it all away and started fresh. They say that mascara should be replaced every 3 months, eyeliner 3-6 months, cream type stuff 1 year, powders 2 years to prevent microbial growth. Throwing it all away really simplified my routine, now I only wear eyeliner and mascara. I used to use blush, bronzer, and eyeshadow for special occasions but then I realized most of those special occasions were dimly lit so no one even noticed the extra effort I put in.

    I can’t wait to hear more updates on your project!

  • Ashley

    You are really inspiring me to try this! I have so many things in my closet that are cheap, don’t fit, etc, which is kind of why I’ve been holding off on trying this. I think a little bit of shopping will be in order to round out a closet of clothes I love, but it’s time to try!

  • Kristie

    Are the tee shirts you purchased through Old Navy, especially the white one, see – through? I really need some teex, but can’t find any that aren’t so sheer.

    • Tracy

      the white one is definitely sheer. I wear it with a black bra because I am a rebel.

      • Francisca

        Ha! I do that exactly! Its bad enought I can’t get away with lace bras at work (freezing, anti-girl empowering enviromment).
        I kinda got tired of the whole capsule thing before I even started. I have many clothes but apart a few pieces – about 10 maybe – love, fit and wear them all. Some pieces I made myself, some are from family, and I love to use them and add my stories to it. I would nevet let go of them for the sake of a minimalism of sorts. The mistakes I made while defining my style – love heels buts am top practical for them, office-y clothes when I get by with a silky tank and jeans… I’ve beem giving/selling/swaping as I evolve. I’m starting in the real, working force life and I love defining my style on the go – as a natural process rather than a trend.
        But thats me!

  • Aimee

    Tracy this is so inspiring! I detest shopping, and fashion, really, but I like looking put together- go figure. 🙂 Anyway, I need something like this to simplify the process for me – and keep shopping at a minimum.
    Fortunately, with my ‘homesteader’ style, I already have quite a few of these pieces, like an army green jacket, denim shirt, red plaid shirt, black denim jeans, etc. I splurged on this cute Canadian-made sweatshirt for a Valentine’s present for myself >> https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/254356116/true-north-womens-sweatshirt-camping?ref=shop_home_feat_3
    I know I’ll wear it a lot and it fits with my homestead/back to nature approach. 🙂

    Ok,onward!

    Hey, what do you bum around in? Or if you have a whole day of cooking/cleaning? Just curious.

  • Mara

    I would love to see a capsule wardrobe that used tan or navy blue as its foundation color with no black or gray items ( These colors do not flatter me).

  • Amanda Barkey

    I did a capsule wardrobe after I had babies because I felt like i had this mix of maternity clothes and pre baby clothes and my style had changed and it was life changing- I think I need to do this again. Well done Tracy!

  • Sarah

    I stalked Unfancy for a long time, and have tried to work on a capsule wardrobe for a about a year. I even went so far as to get rid of about half of my admittedly large collection of clothes last summer, but I’m going to do it this time!! You’ve inspired me Tracy. I’m culling the junk from my wardrobe this weekend. It’s capsule time!!

  • Eleni

    Great idea! Excited to give this a go and clean out / up my wardrobe. I love your visuals on all your posts. From start to finish they are so well organized and thought out!

  • Libby

    I’ve never done a capsule wardrobe before but I want to! We are moving soon and don’t have a lot of storage for clothing so I’ve been thinking about it but I don’t know where to start!
    So thank you for this. I’ll use it when I’m going through all of my clothes deciding which to keep and which to toss.

    • Tracy

      This is the best time to do it so you don’t have to move clothes you don’t need!

  • Nicole @ The Dirty Oven

    I have your black jacket in grey and love love love it!!
    Your post is inspiring.

  • Sarah

    I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe but work in an office 5 days a week. I have to dress pretty professional but not serious suits. How can I plan a wardrobe with that in mind. I am definitely more casual at home.

    • Tracy

      I’ve read that people branch out and create two capsules- One for work and one for not working. I’m sure there are tons of resources out there for work attire!

  • Kristen

    Thank you for posting! I’ve been looking for the perfect black booties and had no luck finding exactly what I wanted but then you linked to the Lucky ones above and I bought them straight away! Wearing them now and loving them!!

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  • Christina

    I absolutely love your color story here. Your post was a big inspiration in getting me to make my own capsule wardrobe this summer. Thank you! I linked to this and your spring capsule in my post.

  • Norma Zemlicka

    I love the the capsule warddrobe you put together with just the basic outfits I can put toghter for my spring and summer clothes Thank you.

  • Millett

    Ah, the memories of the Winter Capsule Wardrobe 2016! It’s always fascinating to see how fashion evolves over the years. Do you think any of those timeless pieces from 2016 are still rocking the winter fashion scene today?

    • Tracy

      I think fashion has been weird since COVID. More people working from home has made dressing more about comfort than anything.

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