xo

I'm Lisa Kirk, a wife, mama, writer, and founder. Since 2010, Something Pretty has been home to my favorite memories, reflections, and inspirations. Thanks so much for reading!

Planning My Fall Capsule Wardrobe

Style

The idea of a capsule wardrobe may not be anything new in the blog world, but even so, I always love following along with people who give them a go. My fingers are crossed that y’all feel the same way, because I’m excited to be planning a capsule wardrobe for this fall and to share about it here! But let’s back up a little, shall we?

What it is: There are a few variations on what a capsule wardrobe is exactly, and I don’t think the specifics matter much, but the general principle is this: a closet made up of a select group of versatile, seasonal items, all of which you really love. A closet consisting ONLY of pieces that you love (and that fit perfectly) simplifies your life, pushes you to mix/match/accessorize creatively, and let’s be honest, many of us already go to our full wardrobes every day, only to spend ten minutes sifting through them and ending up in one of our favorite shirts again (guilty–hello, chambray button-down). I’m following Caroline of Unfancy’s plan most closely, which you can read more about here.

trenchSource unknown

Why I’m trying it: There are a few reasons! 1. As I mentioned, I’ve been so intrigued over the past year or two by the idea of a simpler, more specific wardrobe–I followed along with it on Unfancy since day one, and also really enjoyed reading Cuyana‘s series on the Lean Closet Movement. 2. Every season, I try to shop intentionally by making a specific list of things I want to add to my closet, and then sticking to that list when considering buying something new. However, now that I’m married and do my best to love Dave through respecting our budget (the best motivation!), I knew it was time to take things a step further and cut out shopping for awhile. If for nothing else, I hope this gets me out of the habit of thinking I need things, when honestly and truly, I have so much more than I could ever need. 3. It’s a fun challenge! I love outfit planning and have always thought fall was the most fun season to dress for. I’m excited to get outside of my comfort zone a little and wear things from my capsule wardrobe in new ways.

When: I’m planning to use my capsule wardrobe from September 8 (right after Labor Day) until November 30, with a few intentionally planned exceptions (namely, work events that require a specific outfit that doesn’t fit into the rest of my wardrobe).

How: Now for the fun part! I started on Pinterest–I have a board for fall and winter fashion, so I went through it and re-pinned my favorite looks for this coming fall in a separate secret board (sneak peek below). After gathering that initial inspiration, I went to my closet and pulled out anything I know I want to wear this fall–my field jacket, trench coat, gingham button down, and beloved chambray shirt, to name a few. I was pleased to have a pretty solid start after that step! Next, I worked my way through the Unfancy Capsule Wardrobe Planner, referring to my Pinterest board for textures, colors, and styles I was particularly drawn to, and combining that with the pieces I had. I ended up deciding to only purchase two new things to round out my fall wardrobe, making my fall shopping total $115–surely much less than if I were to make smaller, more frequent purchases throughout the season. Altogether, I decided on 18 shirts, seven bottoms, three dresses, four jackets/cardigans, and eight pairs of shoes, for a total of 40 pieces. (Note: accessories, jewelry, workout clothes, and cocktail attire don’t count toward that total.)

capsule-wardrobe-ideas

Now I’d love to know–what would you be most interested in reading as I try this out? Regular outfit round-ups? My favorite looks? Any pros and cons that arise? I’ll be sharing my 40 final pieces next week, and other than that, I’m totally open, so let me know!

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  1. Jadzia says:

    I’m excited to see this!!

  2. I love that you’re doing this. I also followed Caroline since day 1, and my husband and I started with capsule wardrobes for the first time this summer! I’ll be curious to see your take on capsule wardrobes as somebody who goes into work as opposed to Caroline who works from home. Remember to have fun with it and best of luck! It’s really quite refreshing :-)

    • Lisa says:

      Thanks so much–so cool that your husband tried it with you! Full disclosure, my office is on the casual side, but I’ll be sure to share! :)

  3. Mary says:

    I like this idea! I’ve been meaning to do something similar since I parted ways with a bunch of clothes a few months ago. I have recently replaced some things since, but I’m trying to get away from my hoarding ways. haha! I’ll have to check out that wardrobe planner.

    • Lisa says:

      Let me know if you decide to try it! I found the wardrobe planner really helpful once I got around to narrowing everything down and seeing it all on paper!

      • Mary says:

        I think I’m going to do it. The hard part for me will be to narrow it down to 30 items. I do tend to gravitate to the same clothes for periods of time so maybe I’ll just need to plan better with those and come up with more combinations.

  4. Victoria says:

    I’m so excited to follow along with this! Caroline photographed our wedding, so naturally I adore everything she does! :) Basically, you had me hooked at trench coat. Ha!

  5. Dana says:

    Haven’t heard of this before! Sounds like something you would enjoy though due to outfit planning. The whole not shopping thing= :(
    Good luck!

  6. Jennifer says:

    I’m so excited to see how this turns out, Lisa! I’ve considered trying out a capsule wardrobe (and probably should for my wallet’s sake) but I am not sure I’d be able to resist a purchase if something catches my eye! I’d love to hear the pros and cons, as well as seeing your favorite outfits!

    • Lisa says:

      Thank you so much! I am definitely a little nervous about that haha, but I think I can do it! I am planning to shop on Black Friday though–I figure it’s okay since it’s only a few days before the end of November ;)

  7. Candice Forster-Heke says:

    Excited to follow along with this! I have almost zero wardrobe space, so I feel like I unintentionally ma forced to do this. Would be interested to see what I can do better!

  8. Katie says:

    Yay! I’m so excited to follow along! I’d love to see some outfit posts. Your style is lovely :) I stick with an ‘almost’ capsule wardrobe and I love it. It’s amazing how many creative outfits can come from a few great pieces. P.S. Autumn is also my favorite season to dress for. I could wear boots, jeans, and cardigans everyday!

  9. Lisa — it’s so fun when my life partner is also willing to try new things with me. He’s really embraced the capsule wardrobe, honestly! He specifically notes how much easier it makes packing and the clarity it provides on what we actually need to purchase. :-)

  10. […] wardrobe is, why I’m doing one this fall, and how I brainstormed the pieces to include here. And without further ado, here they […]

  11. […] has been two weeks since I started my capsule wardrobe (read more about it here and see the pieces I included here), and so far, so good! I think I’m in the easiest part of […]

  12. […] you’re new to Something Pretty, you can read about why I decided to do a fall capsule wardrobe here, see the pieces I included here, and find two outfit round-ups here and here.) This post is long, […]

  13. […] nervous to help at my first wedding this month. 3. Successfully complete my first month of my fall capsule wardrobe. 4. Stay under our food budget. Travel/a little bit of laziness led to too much money spent at […]

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