The capsule wardrobe experiment
Here are the 24 pieces that will make up the basis of the capsule wardrobe I’m going to try to wear all September.
Last week I wrote about capsule wardrobes, why they look great but don’t quite work, and how some of these problems can be addressed. Now I’m going to put my money where my mouth is and give it a go in real life.
They’re nearly all old clothes, as I was hoping to avoid buying anything new for this. I did have to pick up a pair of flat shoes (£12.99 at TKMaxx) and a pair of tights (£2 from Primark) to make the fashion maths add up, but they’re both going to get plenty of use and it’s allowed for lots of extra combinations so they’ll earn their keep.
The rules are as follows:
- Wear the wardrobe for the whole of September without duplicating outfits
- Every item needs to be used at least three times during September
- It doesn’t need to cater for special events, business meetings etc
- I get to wear high heels on a night out (yeah, and you can’t stop me)
- Can add in a few extra plain vests and t-shirts in neutral colours where needed
So here we go, two jersey tops:
Shirt and jumper:
Two cardigans:
Waistcoat and jacket:
Two pairs of trousers:
Two skirts:
Two dresses:
Two scarves:
Shoes and boots:
Trainers and baseball boots:
Two bags:
Two belts:
That’s it. Let’s see how it goes…
Do you have a capsule wardrobe of your own? If so, please let me know if you have any useful advice.
Oooh Penny – it’s great! I’m lovin that orange dress you’ve got there – where is it from? Can’t wait to see how you get on – will you be posting pictures of each outfit every day?
Hi Jackie, and thanks very much. The dress is actually red, but the colour didn’t show up too well in the pic. It’s by Closet, and if you do a quick internet search you might find a few in the last of the summer sales. I’ll be doing a fashionmaths pic for every outfit to give you a rough idea of how things look. x
Thank you! This is the best blog I’ve seen detailing a REALISTIC Capsule Wardrobe and I’ve been at it for days. Can you tell me anything about the green dress?
Hi Grace, thanks for commenting! The green dress is cotton with sequins on the front, with a scoop neck and a tie waist. Great for layering and styling up or down. I bought it in the sale at Dorothy Perkins for about £15. Think they’ve sold out now but they do have similar designs in other colours from around £10.
Penny x