It feels odd to be talking about what I plan to wear throughout the spring when it’s the last few days of April… So late! Oh well… We did have a colder than average spring so far. It’s a shame because spring is my favorite season. (In fact, my azuelas that are usually in full bloom for my April 15th birthday are just starting to think about blooming now. It just isn’t spring in Maryland until the azuelas bushes bloom.)
I wanted to cultivate a capsule wardrobe because I’m interested in only owning what I need, love and actually use. I like the idea of narrowing your wardrobe to a limited number of select pieces. Being choosy and only using your best means you can always look fabulous. Furthermore, my closet would truly reflect me, just as the rest of my apartment does. I feel that you can’t even see and appreciate your beautiful clothes in a packed “American” closet, let alone choose what you want to wear in the morning with delight and ease.
Those who create capsule wardrobes tend to just have ten items in them. This usually does not include t-shirts, tank tops, camisoles, accessories, outerwear, special occasion dresses, things like that. Without a washer and dryer inside my home as well as having two jobs and a life, ten simply would not work. I narrowed it down to 32 items. This would give me enough clothing to wear to my workplaces, patronize my favorite coffee shop, meet with friends, daytrip, date, and otherwise live my life while only doing laundry once every seven to ten days.
While I am fully content with my decisions, I hope that readers are not overly offended that I’m calling a 32-item wardrobe a ‘capsule’ one. Geez, I guess I can’t call it my ten-item wardrobe! I suppose I could call it a small wardrobe, but I simply prefer to say that I’m employing a capsule wardrobe. Most things do work together well and I made a decision on each item I own with the bigger picture in mind. Of my two bedroom closets, I only fill half of one with my capsule wardrobe, with space in between each hanger. I did recently receive some clothes for my springtime birthday so this particular season’s wardrobe may be slightly bigger than usual because I can hardly wait to wear my new pieces! Brand new clothes is unusual for me on my shoestring budget. With so many work hours during March, a bit before and after too, my winter-like early spring clothing consisted of many pairs of black pants and three pairs of dark blue bootcut jeans, far fewer pieces than my real spring one. So, I am ready for more variety. With further ado, I am delighted to share my spring options…
Michelle’s Capsule Wardrobe:
1. white wrap short sleeve top by Banana Republic Factory Store
2. white short sleeve shirt from Ann Taylor
3. white 3/4 sleeve shirt from New York & Company
4. dark pink sleeveless tank with vertical, central pleats from Ann Taylor Factory Store (ATFS)
5. printed pink short sleeve wrap top from ATFS
6. vibrant pink short sleeve shirt with pockets from New York & Company
7. white short sleeve shirt with lavender vertical stripes from Ann Taylor
8. cobalt blue sleeveless top with scalloped design from ATFS
9. blue ruffled neckline sleeveless shirt from ATFS
10. charcoal gray and white stripe short sleeve shirt rom The Limited
11. green and white printed short sleeve top from Ann Taylor LOFT
12. black lace cross-over sleeveless top from ATFS
13. black sleeveless top with sheer scalloped design from ATFS
14. black short sleeve top with extra fabric on v-neck and at waist from ATFS
15. black tailored top with sheer short sleeves and attached scarf from White House Black Market
16. black sheer v-neck short sleeve top with extra fabric around waist from JCPenney
17. dark gray pants from ATFS
18. black slim ankle pants from New York & Company
19. black bootcut pants from ATFS
20. dark blue bootcut jeans from ATFS
21. dark blue Levi’s bootcut 515 jeans from Kohl’s
(to be replaced by dark blue Levi’s 515 jean capris with the bottoms folded up once from Macy’s when it is warmer)
22. dark blue Levi’s jean capris from JCPenney
23. white capris with vertical line texture by Bandolino Blu from Macy’s
24. black dress capris with vertical line texture from The Limited
25. dark blue knee-length jean skirt by Liz Claiborne from JCPenney
26. white eyelet A-line skirt from ATFS
27. ivory and blue printed pencil skirt from ATFS
28. black and white printed pleated skirt by INC from Macy’s
29. black and white printed full skirt from The Limited
30. black pencil skirt by Banana Republic from a thrift shop called Second Time Around (Philadelphia)
31. black flirty skirt from The Limited
32. black wrap dress from Ann Taylor
That’s 16 tops, 15 bottoms and 1 dress. I am very happy with what I have. A lot of black and white clothing hang on my hangers, which I accessorize with pops of color. I list a lot of skirts, seven in fact. That’s something fairly new. I want to wear them more often and embrace my femininity. Maybe it’ll be more skirts for the spring, but dresses during summertime?
Additionally, I have extras, but I did not go overboard there either. I have…
– lots of camisoles (including many white ones from Kohl’s and beautiful ones from White House Black Market among others)
– 3 3/4 sleeve cardigans (black, ivory, reddish pink)
– 2 suit jackets (one black from The Limited and one charcoal gray from ATFS), jackets/blazers, trenches
– 13 scarves (recently decluttered, 15 total including 2 for winter, a very low number for me)
– lots of shoes and sandals (…and I only want more!)
– lots of jewelry (I at least wear a pair of earrings and my one watch daily.)
– 3 pairs of sunglasses
– 3 belts (1 black skinny for smallest part of waist from White House Black Market, 1 black wide for smallest part of waist from The Limited, and 1 everyday black/brown reversible to go through belt loops from Target)
– 1 new wine-colored everyday handbag by Coach as well as several clutches for evening
– 9 tees:
1. white scoop neck tee from ATFS
2. white v-neck 3/4 sleeve t-shirt from H&M
3. white cross-over 3/4 sleeve t-shirt from Target
4. Aegean blue tee with a few horizontal pleats below the neckline from Ann Taylor
5. navy cross-over 3/4 sleeve t-shirt from Target
6. navy boatneck 3/4 sleeve t-shirt with white horizontal stripes (my Parisian top!)
7. black scoop neck tee from ATFS
8. black v-neck tee from Target
9. black cross-over 3/4 sleeve t-shirt from Target