Really. The alliteration. I'm killing myself here.
Just a brief post about my ongoing work on my wardrobe. Just in case anyone finds it useful.
I've decided that capsule wardrobes can err on the side of dull. Or that I need a lot more variety than I thought I did. Really, probably a dash of both.
I can see the use of a capsule wardrobe. Getting 30-plus outfits out of seven garments (or whatever) sure is a great way to save money. And I can certainly see the use for travel. I've looked at a ton of capsule wardrobes on Pinterest and in blogs (The Vivienne Files is an excellent resource for them) and have gotten some good ideas for how to organize my own shopping lists.
Lots o' color. White, yellow, mint green/turquoise (and one remaining dark green that I'm not putting away until the snow melts), purple, fuschia, coral, navy, gray, black...
Unfortunately, most capsule wardrobes are created based on severely limiting your color options or going all-neutral. And I really like color.
A lot of color.
And I really like options.
A lot of options.
I suppose I should've seen that coming. I've told my husband a number of times that I want our front garden to be "a riot of color," as opposed to the bank of solid color that he envisions (we debate which would be more striking). I like using a lot of colors in my quilts--I'm not an "all solids" quilt person nor, particularly, a modern quilter with lots of white (or gray) space and just a couple of colors sparingly placed. I can appreciate those quilts when other people make them--I've seen lots of them I really like. I just don't want to make them myself.
A riot of color. In my closet. That's my jam.
Look at that. Finally some light and color amidst all my dark wash jeans and black dress pants! And a touch of Lularoe on the side...
So now I've started to think in terms of "capsules within my wardrobe" rather than "a capsule wardrobe." Capsules can be very helpful when you're shopping, as you can more easily think through whether a new item will be able to fit into a multitude of outfits with what you already own. And you can identify gaps more easily. It wasn't until I started putting my individual clothing items into capsules using templates from Vivienne Files and Inside Out Blog (see this post) that I was able to identify that I had no light bottoms or light shoes whatsoever, which is a bit of a problem going into spring and summer. I've since rectified that.
Plus, of course, there's the packing thing. If I'm only doing a weekend, sure--I can limit my colors. But if I'm at a week-long event, I sure as heck don't want to be wearing combinations of the same two or three colors every single day. I'd go insane. I can limit myself to a certain extent, of course, but I like to look different every day, not just a variation on a theme.
All of this is to say, of course, that there's no real right or wrong, or hard-and-fast rules, about style. Do what works for you. I'm organizing my Stylebook app "looks" (outfits) into capsules by color combinations so that I know what I've got. I may also do a few that are "Weekend away" or "Work Week" that are just ideas of things I could pack that would give me the most options without splitting the seams on my suitcase. Really, it's all in the planning.
Do you have a capsule wardrobe? What do you think about them? What are your personal pros and cons?
(By the way, I've got Amber, my Trunk Club stylist, working on sunglasses for me. I have difficulty finding sunglasses that work with my face shape and are comfortable to wear for hours on end. Those stupid little angled mirrors that are usually all you get in sunglass displays don't help. So the idea of her sending me several options to try in the comfort of my own home, where I can actually see what I'm doing and maybe even take them out for a "test drive" --ar ar ar--to see if they'll give me a headache after ten minutes is hugely appealing. I'll keep you posted!)