Hey friends! I’ve been following Gillian @Uncomplicatedspaces and stalking her capsule wardrobes. Then I thought that I’d try one of my own this summer.

What is a capsule wardrobe?

There are many types of capsule wardrobes, the fundamentals are to pick a number of clothing. It could be anywhere from 5-30 pieces. Then pick a length of time you’d like to wear them anywhere from 7-90 days. And lastly wear them! The idea is to wear the pieces you choose for the length of time you choose in different ways. You get to dress up or down. Wear it casual or formal. It’s fun to see how many different outfits you can make with just a few pieces of clothing.

Fun Fact: Most clothes you have or will purchase will get less than 30 wears in its lifetime. This challenge is to also raise awareness and get you to #wearitagain so you can get the most out of your clothes.

Why am I doing a capsule wardrobe?

As I said in the intro I’ve been creepin’ Gillian’s instagram and I found it fascinating that she could make all 5 different outfits with 5 pieces of clothing or 7 outfits with just 5 pieces. After months of looking at her instagram I decided that I was ready. Plus I’m more than sure that there are some pieces in my closet that I haven’t worn in a while and I don’t even own that many clothes. It’s also great practice since I want to travel lighter in the future aka carryon only for trips more than a week long #travelingminimalist. The end goal is to one day own less than 100 pieces of clothes. Right now I’m at less than 150. 

Which capsule wardrobe did I pick?

@Project333 “Project333 is the minimalist fashion challenge that invites you to dress with 33 items (including clothes, shoes, jewellery and accessories) for 3 months.” I decided to go extreme with this and pick 3 top, bottoms, dress, shoes, and bages. I realized with this project, I could have picked out jewelry and accessories but since it is my first capsule I wanted to keep it free and fun and not limit myself in those areas. For me it was more about exploring my closet rather than giving myself a strict challenge. I always forget to wear accessories anyways. Right now I’m sitting here without earrings because I keep forgetting to put them on after I took them off a few days ago.

What pieces and length of time did I pick?

I started off with 15 pieces but then I quickly found out that I wasn’t drawn and did not want to wear a few of them so I took them out and brought my capsule down to 9 pieces (not including shoes and bags). I started on July 18th and did it all the way until September 22nd which is 68 days in total. I want y’all to know that I didn’t count active wear, lounge wear, sleep wear or anything I used as a layering piece i.e. leggings, shawls, jackets, sweaters etc. Nor did I leave the house everyday. 

I picked these pieces with green and gold in mind since they were my colors for this season.

“Gold,

I am pulling the gold out of you this season.

You are being refined

A flowing substance, liquid gold

Always fluid, free flowing, effortless 

Always fired, heated, warm

Like seasons change, so do you 

The leaves change from green to gold.”

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Picture Time

Here are a few of my favorite outfits.

Blue top + Jeans + Converse + Chakem Cardigan

Red top + Jeans + Converse + Chakem Cardigan

Yellow Top + Jeans + White Sandals

Red Top + Long Skirt + White Sandals + Gold Flat Earrings

Yellow Top + Long Skirt + Converse 

Blue Top + Black and White Pants + Converse

Blue Dress + Converse + Chakem Cardigan + Leggings

Green Dress + Black Sandals + Chakem Cardigan + Leggings

Mid way through the summer I crocheted a top that I had to add to my capsule. It made sense since we were in the middle of a heat wave. But I ended up giving it away because it was a bit too small for me.

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Yowm + Jeans + Black Sandals

Cold Editions 

These are the outfits I put together when the temperature dropped.

Red Top + Jeans + Black Sandals + Chakem Cardigan
(with a long sleeve base layer and knitted socks)

Green Dress + Black Sandals + Chakem Cardigan + Leggings (with a long sleeve base layer)

Blue top + Jeans + Converse + (with a long sleeve base layer and knitted socks)

Blue Dress + Converse + Leggings (with a long sleeve base layer)

Not Pictured

These are the ones I didn’t get to take a picture of but I’m hoping that one day I’ll be able to get them up on here.

Yellow Dress + Beige belt + White Sandals + Gold Heart Earrings + White Shawl

Green Dress + Jeans + Gold Necklaces + Black Sandals + Sweater

Red Top + Long Skirt + White Sandals + Gold Flat Earrings

Red Top + Jeans + Black Sandals + chakem cardigan

Yellow Top + Black and White Pants + Black Sandals + Chakem Cardigan

Yellow Dress + White Sandals + Gold Necklaces + Gold Heart Earrings + Beige Shawl

Blue top + Jeans + Converse + Chakem Cardigan

Red Top + Jeans + Black Sandals + Chakem Cardigan

Haven’t worn:

These are the ones I didn’t get to wear because I gave my bralette away.

Bralette + Jeans + White Cardigan + Converse 

Bralette + Long Skirt + White Sandals

Final thoughts:

I loved this challenge. It was very easy to pick out what I wanted to wear each day and I found myself excited to mix and match what I had to make an outfit that would fit my destination. I also found myself gravitating towards my tote bag and shoulder bag more than my backpack. The neutral colors just fit my needs more I guess. I’d encourage you to #wearitagain. It can be whatever comfort level you are at. Whether you pick out 30 pieces or 10 just start. It may turn out to be more life changing than you’d expect.

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Read More: On Our Way to Malibu | Redwoods Journal