Fall 2014 -The Capsule So Far

I am just about 60 days into my fall capsule.  I have learned a lot about my personal style and what makes me feel good.  The winter capsule is coming up, and I think it is time to reflect a bit on what worked and what hasn't.

(Yes this means I have already been thinking ahead to the next capsule.  I may have even done some shopping for it.  Ok. I did.)

 My Favorite Outfit So Far

The capsule experiment has definitely been interesting over all.  I am very happy with the concept and what I am learning, but it also hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be.  I still have those odd days where I feel like I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.  I still struggle with wanting to just wear the lounge clothes to run errands or pick up kids.  I do have to admit that those days are much fewer and are now much further apart than I expected.

That's enough babbling.

I am going to break this down into a few categories because I feel like a lot of my lessons learned fall into a category or five.

Camisoles
 I have really struggled with camisoles.  I love them as layering pieces, and I had intended to use them under cardigans a lot in this capsule.  I don't know what happened.  It might be because I limited my colors to black, white/tan, purple, and paisley.  Honestly, the black one was the only one I felt comfortable using as anything other than a layering piece. Now I am considering not including any camisole that is purely worn as a layering piece to not be a capsule item.  I am not 100% sold on this idea yet. It feels like a way for me to cheat, especially when I use those layering pieces as an integral part of my outfit.  It is very likely that I will split these up - layering camisoles don't count, but ones worn as tops do. It might mean that I start investing in some sleeveless blouses/tanks for the office.

Of course I love it, it is a polka dot. Now only if it was in a color.

Dresses
Before I started this capsule experiment, dresses were the first thing I grabbed when I went to get dressed for work. I had a huge variety in there and rotated them pretty regularly.  Only having 2 in my capsule, and one of those being a patterned dress, has left me not going to my dresses as often.  I am going to try adding in an extra dress and sticking with solid colors to see if that helps.

Color
This has probably been my biggest struggle with the capsule.  I love color. I just need to have colors that work together.  That red pencil skirt and those red shoes?  They don't get worn much because I don't have a lot of other colors to go with them. I need color and I need colors that work together.  I need the right neutrals to go with those colors. My next capsule will be much less neutral heavy and only have three main colors.  Any other colors will only be brought in via accessories, or that tiny orange dot on my cream polka dot sweater. 

My Favorite Color Combo Outfit

Uniforms
I absolutely have a "uniform" - one for work and one for home.  I think that most of us do, actually. That word uniform just sounds boring. My uniforms are based on a pencil skirt and cardigan for the office and jeans and an awesome sweatshirt.  If you look back at my photos, you will see these themes a lot. These are also the outfits that I tend to feel best in.  I am hoping to build my winter capsule around this concept.  I will have several variations on the uniform and some non-uniform outfits to mix things up.    



Odd and Ends
I am so not a long flowy open cardigan girl.

I never thought I would love my skinny jeans.

I love bright colorful footwear, but it has work with the other colors.

The white shirt is still my nemesis.

I can't do hoodies and plain sweatshirts.  There has to be something interesting to them.

 I think I need another pair of work pants.