Capsule Wardrobe Shopping

Back in August I wrote this capsule wardrobe update post where I talked about how I'm trying to limit what I buy. I haven't given myself a set number of items but instead am focused on making sure I have my basics and that I love everything I own (which means replacing some things I have).  So far I have been sticking to that quite well!

I definitely find it a lot easier to get rid of stuff now. I used to really hang onto things especially clothes but right before we moved I donated a TON.  I went through my wardrobe again last week and have even more to give away.  No emotional attachment.

My list of basics looks something like this:
Jeans: white, distressed, high waist, dark, black, light wash
Pants: black leggings, leather look leggings, jogger
Blouses: white, black, bright color, plaid, chambray, peasant
Shorts: white, black, distressed, high waist, pattern, lace/crochet
T-shirts: black, white, oversized, stripes, tunic, olive, bright, graphic
Tops: long sleeve, striped long sleeve, black tank, grey tank, white blouse, graphic tank, muscle tank, striped tank
Dresses: sweater, shirt, bodycon, maxi
Skirts: black pencil, striped pencil, midi, skater, maxi
Sweaters: oversized cardigan light + dark, black cardigan, tunic, red, fishermans, bright pullover, grey vneck
Outerwear: puffer vest, trench coat, anorak, peacoat, down (alternative) coat, denim jacket, black blazer, colored blazer
Shoes: brown riding boots, black tall boots, rainbows, black ankle boots, brown ankle boots, white sneakers, black runners, black flats, leopard flats, bright flats, black pumps, printed pumps, black sandals, brown sandals, heeled sandal, bright sandal, espadrilles

Do I own more than that? For sure. That's just a general guidelines of my "must haves".

Currently, for Winter, I'm looking to get a down alternative coat, Winter boots, a trench coat (well, that could wait until Spring), a black skirt and new white jeans.  When the warm weather arrives, I'll re-asses. I'm sure a lot of what fit me last Summer won't fit anymore since I was almost 20lbs heavier then.

1. AE leggings in white 
2. Native Shoes Jimmy Winter boots
3. Just Fab Long Trench in taupe
4. Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket (not exactly in my price range ha!)
5. Mod Cloth En Pointe Accompanist Skirt in Black

Capsule Wardrobe Update

So... capsule wardrobes. Remember when I was pregnant and thought "hey, I'm gonna try a capsule wardrobe!" hahah I don't know what I was thinking! A maternity capsule wardrobe is totally possible but to try and do it in the middle of your first pregnancy... a bit ambitious.  That said, while I did not stick to it, I did learn a fair bit. I think being forced to only wear a small portion of my wardrobe really made me realize that I had way too many clothes. It made getting rid of stuff a lot easier. I thought I would be SO excited when I could fit back into my clothes and have more options but you know what I found? I wasn't excited about everything I owned. There was stuff I didn't really care to wear! That's what really made me realize I needed to scale back, give more thought to my purchases and figure out what I really loved.

I still love the idea of a capsule wardrobe and may give it another go but right now I'm focused on just pairing down. I move soon so that's extra motivation to get rid of things! My goal is simply to have less but wear more. I want my clothes to work together better, make me feel confident and still be practical to my lifestyle. I really love how Unfancy sums up a capsule wardrobe...

a mini-wardrobe made up of really versatile pieces that you totally LOVE to wear.

Here are some realizations I have come to...

- If you know what you love, don't be afraid to stick with it! I think my love of fashion makes me want to try all sorts of trends but if I really think about it, I know what I always love and I should stick to that a bit more. I used to think it was wrong to own more than one striped shirt and I'd try to buy items that were unlike anything else I owned... only to find myself reaching for that same striped shirt again and again. I now own a few more striped shirts and they ALL get worn.
- Don't be afraid to define your style. I was always afraid of this! As if defining it would put me in this box that I couldn't get out of. Not true. Defining your style just means embracing it and honestly it makes it a lot easier to shop. When you know your style, it's easier to know what you will still love a year from now. My style does tend to lean classic. That doesn't mean that everything I wear fits into that category, just means it's what I gravitate to most.
- Think before you shop. I'm definitely guilty of buying stuff on a whim. Sure, once I've tried it on and liked it I'll think about what items in my wardrobe will work with it...  but I think a better idea is to think about what you want to buy BEFORE you shop. Think about it while you're at home, looking at your wardrobe.  Then think about it while in the store BEFORE you try things on.  Once you try something on and are like hey girl, you look awesome, it's a lot harder to put that item back if you know you don't really "need" it. Right?
- Be practical but also fabulous. What I mean by that is buy items that you know work for your life but that also make you feel really great!  Don't just choose one and not the other.  The fact that I'm breastfeeding and hope to for a long time has made me re-think what I buy. Tops and dresses have to be nursing friendly! But that doesn't mean I'm settling. I still want to feel confident and beautiful in my clothes and you should too!

More on this soon. I plan on making some inspiration boards, writing down my "must have" items, organizing what I do have etc.

Outfit: Black and White

This is the sweater I swapped out the other black and white one in my capsule wardrobe for. So cozy! I love a printed sweater.  I also bought another pair of these leggings since mine were pretty faded and because I'm wearing them to death. haha

Also, these socks are SO comfy. I found  them in store at Target in the active department. They are the C9 brand. I bought them for our upcoming trip to Canada because I don't own many pairs of warm socks but find myself wearing them  a lot here just because of how comfortable they are.

Victoria's Secret leggings, Target sweater

My Capsule Wardrobe (Nov-Jan)

Alright! Let's take a look at the items I've decided to include in  my capsule wardrobe! Some items were a no brainer for me where as others I really had to think about.  It should be interesting! 

You can see my original capsule wardrobe post here.

BOTTOMS

 Boyfriend jeans (Old Navy), leggings (Victoria's Secret), liquid leggings (similar), midi skirt (similar), black maternity jeggings (Target), dark wash jeggings (America Eagle)

Note:  Since I'm 15 weeks and the baby is about to double in size, I realize some of these items are going to have to be replaced. I will just tackle that as it happens!

OUTERWEAR

 Grey blazer (Target), varsity jacket (similar), denim jacket (Old Navy), red blazer (similar), utility jacket (similar)

Note: A lot of people don't include outerwear in their capsule but since it's not super cold where I live, I figured I would. I do have a heavier Winter coat but it'll probably only be worn if we head to Canada for Christmas!

SWEATERS

Sweater cape (similar), black sweater  + pink sweater (pink not pictured oops) (Old Navy), black tunic sweater (Target), dark grey hoodie (similar), black cardigan (Target), grey sweater (similar), black patterned cardigan (similar), chevron cardigan (Target), white cardigan (similar), yellow sweater (similar), green sweater (similar), blue tunic sweater (similar), green cardigan (Old Navy), white cable-knit sweater (not pictured oops) (similar).

Note: Sweaters are how I plan to layer plus cardigans are great with a growing pregnant belly! 

TOPS

Plum tunic (Target), grey long sleeve (similar), short sleeve sweater (similar), white graphic tee (similar), baseball tunic (Victoria's Secret), burgundy striped tee (similar), green tee (Target), black tee (similar), black blouse (similar), chambray (similar), white blouse (Old Navy), gingham blouse (Target), buffalo plaid blouse + green plaid blouse (Old Navy), red plaid button down (similar), striped tee (Old Navy)

Note: Most of these should fit for quite a while! I do plan on replacing the striped tee with a long sleeve one eventually. 

A few things to add...

• I will allow myself to shop for the next few months but clothing wise I'm sticking to maternity must haves. I actually placed an order with Old Navy (I look like I'm obsessed with that store haha They just have the best deals! Especially now that I work there and get a discount) for some maternity stuff but I don't think it'll fit yet so I'll have to add/replace that stuff later on.
• I currently have 42 items. My plan is to keep it under 45 so that I keep the maternity shopping to a minimum!
• You'll notice I didn't include shoes. I know that's kind of a big one but I'm in the process of getting rid of a LOT of my shoes so I need time to wear various ones and see which I really want to keep.  Some I love but they just aren't the most comfortable, y'know?

Capsule Wardrobe

Some of you may be familiar with the blog Unfancy and the idea of capsule wardrobes. If not, now you are and you're welcome! Seems she has really inspired a lot of people as may bloggers have jumped on the bandwagon for Fall.  Well, after thinking about it for a couple months, I've decided to join in as well. I've done 30x30 challenges before (where you choose 30 items you can wear in a month) and really enjoyed that but I like that this is a little more of a long term plan.

Basically, the idea of a capsule wardrobe is that everything in your closet can be mixed and matched, especially during one particular season. I like the idea of doing one per season but the weather in Southern California is a little different so my capsule time line will be as well. I figure I'll blend Fall and Winter together since it doesn't get THAT cold here and it's only starting to cool down now. Anyway, you can choose any number of items but generally you try to stick to that number. I'll probably go with about 40 but not include heavy coats/accessories or shoes. I mean, you make the rules! Do what feels right to you. A lot of people also choose to shop for their capsule ahead of time and then not during (if that makes sense) but I will be shopping during just with a strict budget and everything must fit into my current capsule wardrobe!

I have a pretty good idea of what my capsule will look like but this week I'll go through my wardrobe and really narrow it down. I already have a lot of clothes and shoes to sell but I'm sure I will add more! I may leave a few "maybe" items out but out of season items will go in storage (aka under my bed/in a box).

I created this collage to really narrow down my look for Fall/Winter. It was pretty easy because I find my style very clear during that time of the year (I struggle more in the Summer. I'm not a SoCal native!). Still, it's helpful. I got all the pictures from my Pinterest boards. I have one titled "Outfits to Recreate" where I repin outfits featuring items similar to ones I own and it's SUPER helpful when recreating looks.

My reason for wanting to do this is really just to simplify my wardrobe and the process of getting dressed. I obviously love fashion and shopping but I've noticed lately that I really do own some things that hardly get worn and sometimes I buy something that I love the idea of but in reality it doesn't really work for me. My hope is to shrink my wardrobe somewhat and be a more focused shopper. 

In a future post I will more clearly lay out my own "guidelines" and share the items I've chosen to include in my Fall/Winter capsule!  I just figured I'd share the concept with you all now. Anyone else participating?