My Fall Capsule Wardrobe {an experiment}

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Okay, so I’m definitely not a fashion blogger. However, I do love to look cute AND I have a limited clothing budget {and what I do have typically ends up being spent on my girl … can a momma get an “amen” on that??}.

Fall Capsule Wardrobe || TeriLynneUnderwood.com

I mentioned last week my interest in developing a capsule wardrobe.  I have several reasons I wanted to give this a go — but the biggest one is this: There are so many big and complex things happening in my life right now that I really {really!!} need my clothes to be simple. There’s enough drama about what to wear happening with my girl, I need to be the calm one.

And, since we’re on that topic, can I take a little detour here? Thanks …

Our girls are watching us to see how we dress and how we feel about our appearance and how we manage our wardrobe. I want my girl to see my owning my clothes not my clothes owning me. I want her to see that I don’t have to have a closet bursting at the seams and I want her to be confident in how to dress comfortably and stylishly without breaking the bank.  Those things won’t happen because I made Pinterest boards or bought a ton of items on clearance at Target because they were cheap. Just like everything else I want her to know, teaching her to comfortable in her body and with her clothes will happen because I’m intentional about it — and, as with most things, it will start with me living that way myself.

Okay, back to the capsule wardrobe thing. 🙂

It all started with Hayley‘s book, The No Brainer Wardrobe: Feel More Like Yourself. Truthfully, Haley rocked my world! I had never considered I could have more outfits with less pieces if I was intentional. But, honestly, it all seemed like work. So, I kept doing what I was doing {filling up my closet with random good buys and impulse purchases}. Along the way I started pinning posts of capsule wardrobes and reading more about the idea. And then, last week Erin posted an Instagram photo about beginning her Fall Capsule Wardrobe plan and how she was using the free {woot!} planner from Caroline at Un-Fancy.com.

And, as they say, it finally clicked! I read a ton of posts Caroline had written about her journey and her philosophy of clothes. And every word made sense. For the first time, I really thought, “I can do this!” And so last night, clipboard in hand, I emptied out my whole closet. My girl helped me evaluate every single item and we came up with my capsule wardrobe.  {Mine is just a little larger than Caroline’s 37 pieces but it’s still well under 50 items.} It wasn’t easy — September to November in the south can be a mixture of all four seasons.  But I did it. {I will share all the items in my capsule wardrobe in a later post. I promise.}

Since I put all my other clothes away, I had to choose from the capsule wardrobe for what to wear today.  Here’s what  I came up with:

trying out a capsule wardrobe || TeriLynneUnderwood.com

tank – Zulily || scarf – Dayspring || Jeans – Simply Vera from Kohls || bracelet – Mercy House Shop || shoes – Corkys

I have a feeling that adorable navy tank from Zulily is going to be one of my favorite items. It is super comfy and long. And where would I be without my adorable scarf from the Redeemed collection at Dayspring. {FYI, this scarf is just $12.99 right now and I literally wear it at least once a week.} So, here I am in day one of my experiment with a capsule wardrobe and so far, so good.  Just for fun I thought I’d share the outtakes from my attempt to get a photo of myself. Seriously, full length selfies are not simple for the over-40 crowd.

full length selfies are harder than you might think!

Anyone else tried the capsule wardrobe plan? Advice? Fears? Doubts? Questions?

Leave it all in the comments and I’ll keep sharing my journey to a simplified closet.  Maybe we can form a support group or something. 🙂

xo,
Teri Lynne

Linking up with Lindsey for the first time — joining all the loveliness I’ve been following for years at What I Wore Wednesday.

 

Read the Psalms this summer with Scripture Dig!

Comments

    • Well, I figured if I didn’t jump in and do it, I’d never get it done! I did give myself permission to leave out all the game day wear from my capsule. Otherwise, I’d spend the next three months wearing Cheer Mom and RHS clothes! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Wish you had been here to hel me.

  1. OK. OK. I’m in! Next week. And, I’ll report back in. One question – can you have a capsule wardrobe for several different sizes? Or perhaps it’s just time I say farewell to those vanity sizes I keep hanging onto “just in case.”

    • Ha! Feeling you there, too, my friend!! I had to bid a few things farewell. It hurt for a minute. But this morning when I put on an outfit without ending up in tears over having “nothing to wear” … worth it all!!

  2. Love this!! I also recently did this, a little differently, and you have challenged me to post about it!!
    And PS? You look BEE-YOU-TIFUL!!!!

  3. I love that scarf and get compliments on it every single time I wear it. Plus, it’s comfortable and not itchy.

    I like this idea… I downsized my clothing this summer, but I don’t necessarily have a capsule wardrobe. Neither is my closet bursting, so I think until I leave Alaska and half my sweaters behind (because let’s face it, I wear sweaters 11 months of the year), I am good.

    • I really think there are seasons of life when this isn’t such a big deal … I’ve always been a twice a year closet purger so my clothes have never been particularly out of control. I think right now, with so many other big things going on, this felt like the right option for me.

      And if you have to wear sweaters 11 months out of the year I think you deserve to have as many non-sweater items in your closet at you want!! 🙂

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