Hi All!
Here marks the beginning of my style search. *deep breath* I have to say that I’m a little nervous for this, and I feel a little vulnerable. I’ve felt this style crisis coming on for a couple years now, and although I feel like I have a fairly strong sense of what I like and what I don’t like- I still have no idea how to translate that into things that actually look good on me, and that will work in a wardrobe for my lifestyle.
To start all of this off, I thought I would take you back to the beginning, so you can see my real style start, and the eclectic mix of my childhood wardrobe as a 90’s baby.
These photos are both from my first year of kindergarten. As you can see I was the little girl who wore the shirt with salamanders and snakes, but then was also the girl in my pansy dress climbing the jungle gym, clearly my style inconsistency started from a very young age haha.
From this photo you can clearly see that I was destined to be into bra making at some point 😉 haha, also I was pretty good at rocking a sweater vest.
Next you can see the influence of the early 90’s neon (I’m the one on the right, sister on the left). Â We look pretty proud of this snowman, and I think it’s because there is almost no snow on the ground.
Then I went through a bit of a 90’s phase, with my three-daisy t-shirt, little side ponies, and a rainbow choker (pretty sure I was wearing a little bit of glitter on my eyes too). But I was also a bright leggings, and big oversized sweater kind of kid (who liked to see how many stuffed animals I could balance on my head).
I have to say, after that as I got to be a teenager, I went through a ‘don’t take my picture phase’ and there was a computer crash and lost photos along the way too- so I couldn’t find my good teenager photos for you guys, and in my later teenage years and earliest 20’s it would have been fairly boring, because it’s usually yoga pants and a t-shirt, because that was the easiest thing to wear, and I always knew it would fit me as my weight and hormones bounced around in a frenzy!
But now that we have my back story out of the way, and I feel like I’m finally settling into a stage of my adult body, I can get onto the style I want to have now!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot since my ‘Style Crisis Post’, and I’ve been doing lots of reading of all the amazing style resources out there.
I’ve read through Wardrobe Architect (which is AMAZING!)
I’ve browsed through an amazing site recommended by Sofia called UnFancy
I’ve scrolled pinterest endlessly, finally making myself another board!
And I’ve decided that …… I want a capsule wardrobe.
The more I look at them, the more I crave them. There is something so perfect about them to me, and as difficult as it will be to actually do it, it’s a challenge I’m excited to take on! And I’ll be starting with a Capsule Wardrobe for fall!!
This is my starting point, my closet as it is right now:
I have the hanging clothes, sweaters and cardigans folded above, in the drawers I have work out clothes, bras & panties, Â as well as some shorts, t-shirts and tank tops. Even though I feel like I have nothing to wear every morning, I still have too many clothes!
So, now to the important part, what am I going to do? Well here’s the plan:
Mid-week I’m going to do a post about the colour palette that I want in my wardrobe, and some of the key words that I feel describe the style that I want to achieve, along with some pinterest inspiration and few of my outfits that I really like.
Next Saturday I’m going to:
– pull everything out of my closet
– take out all the spring/summer clothes and put them away somewhere
– go through the rest of my things: try them on, critique them, and pick only the things that would work for a capsule wardrobe
– The things that don’t make the cut- I’m going to keep them to the side for now, but once I prove to myself that this capsule wardrobe will work for me- they will be making their way to a thrift store. (yes I am way too chicken to do it right away lol)
After the sorting and critiquing process is done, I’m going to show you guys what I kept and what I didn’t.
I’m also going to talk about all the gaps I found in my wardrobe, and the pieces that I feel like I need to add, and if there are any patterns and ideas that I have about what to make to fill those gaps!
Anyways, it’s going to be quite a change- and I’m feeling very excited and motivated by it!
As always- I love to hear your feedback and ideas. This is one of those areas where I feel a bit like ‘Bambi on ice’ and any ideas, tips and thoughts are very appreciated!
I hope you’re as excited as I am!!
xo
erin
Erin, I know exactly how your feel. I have a full closet, but usually feel I have nothing to wear too. A friend of mine did a capsule wardrobe last year and she loved it.
That's so great to hear that it worked for your friend! I'm just dreaming of the day when I can look in my closet and see lots of outfits that I love instead of a jumbled mess of things!
Love it! I've got some posts on colour palettes: https://craftingarainbow.wordpress.com/wardrobe-colour-palettes/ My method is a little different than the Wardrobe Architect way (quick version: start by looking at what colours you already feel good in).
A capsule wardrobe sounds like a great way to get started!
OOHHHH! Thanks Gillian! I'll have to check that out. Even though it seems like a challenge I'm really excited to focus on my style 🙂 Thanks for all the encouragement!
If you haven't already, check out Into Mind. It's a blog on wardrobe planning and has tons of worksheets and ideas about capsule collections.
I haven't checked it out, thanks for the suggestion Meg!! I'm going to need all the help I can get 🙂
I am excited for you! And there is nothing wrong with keeping things aside until you're ready to say goodbye. Moral Fibres https://moralfibres.co.uk/build-ethical-wardrobe-scratch/ just posted an article suggesting just that. Good luck!
Thanks Chloe! I'll have to check that out, and I'm definitely going to take it slow, and gently ease myself into my new style and wardrobe 🙂
First up….you were cute as a button as a kid. 'Course, now you're gorgeous!
Your style journey is going to be exciting! I've bounced around with my style over the years…still do somewhat….but it was the Dressing Your Truth program that really helped me to understand what felt best on my body.
Oh…I love the idea of a wardrobe capsule, but I love to sew for myself too much, LOL.
Wow you guys all have the most amazing resources! I can't wait to read all of them! I feel like my capsule wardrobe will grow and grow over time, but right now when I'm starting at the bottom- having too many clothes doesn't seem like an issue! I think for me as well, I'm never going to limit the amount of bras and bathing suits I make for myself, so I'll never have to stop sewing!!!
I didn't follow the Wardrobe Architect but agree that it is very comprehensive and awesome!
I can't remember if they addressed this but you may find you need several capsules if the requirements of your work, play and formal activities are very different. I was almost always able to wear a work outfit for a formal event (funeral or company Christmas party – I'm not very formal) but rarely wore play clothes (jeans & polos) to work.
Something pretty that doesn't meet the capsule criteria gets a lot of extra thought and usually gets passed over rather quickly. It has to be very special to warrant adding chaos to my life (different shoes and other accessories just for that item, etc.) or has to be for a rather unique occasion.
Enjoy the process – looks like you've been given several good resources to help along the way. Looking forward to following along!
Thanks for all the tips Cheryl! It sounds like you have a really good handle on your wardrobe! *dream*
I feel like having my own business I have a lot of freedom to wear whatever I want all the time, so I don't know if it will be a huge problem, but it's a great thing to think about! Thanks!!
This is a really interesting idea, Erin. Especially when sewing your own clothes, you can sometimes realise that garments you thought you would wear to death sit unloved in your wardrobe. I'm looking forward to seeing your develop your style and find out what kinds of clothes you like, and why.
PS As a fellow 90s kid I identify with those photos so much!
Haha, weren't the 90's great! And I'm really excited for this new challenge, and I hope I don't make too many misses before I get a wardrobe that I'm truly happy with! There's so much to think about!
Well your smile hasn't changed! Good luck with this process.
Thanks Katherine!! 😀
I tried the capsule wardrobe thing last year, and it was a great starting point for figuring out what I actually wanted to wear. In the end, I found it too limiting for me and just identified silhouettes/garments I really liked and wore a lot and tried to replicate them. Excited to see where your adventures take you 🙂
Thanks Ashley! I'm excited too! I'm never overly strict on rules myself, so I feel like my capsule wardrobe will probably have a few little extras and things! I really just want to get some structure, and cohesion to my wardrobe and style, maybe I'll love a capsule, or maybe like you I'll just use it as a jumping off point- we'll see!!
Another one to check out is https://theviviennefiles.com. Even if the styles aren't for you, the way she lays out the wardrobes and colors is extremely helpful.
I just checked this out! So cool! I love looking at flat lays and seeing how outfits come together! Great link! thanks!!
There is also a capsule wardrobe sewing facebook group which you can find by searching "Capsule Wardrobe Sew Along"–it's a bunch of sewing ladies going through the same things as you! 🙂
Ohh! I need to look this up! Thanks Allie 🙂