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My new ten item capsule wardrobe for July - December, 2016

My new ten item capsule wardrobe for July - December, 2016

Intentional Closet Creativity

July 20, 2016 by Tammy Wright in Creating

I am in the middle of a year long experiment. In an effort to live smaller and with intention, I've been experimenting with a ten item capsule wardrobe inspired by the book Lessons From Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott. 

Inspiration: Lessons From Madame Chic

Inspiration: Lessons From Madame Chic

In summary, the capsule wardrobe idea is to choose from only ten core wardrobe pieces throughout a season. The core pieces do not include things like shoes, jackets and t-shirts, but those items are to be limited as well.

I worked with a capsule wardrobe from January to June of this year and I learned so much about clothes and myself. Here's what I found out in the first six months:

  • Fast Fashion is not a good thing
  • I don't need as many clothes as I think I do
  • Layering is best for Florida weather
  • Fabric is key - I now look at tags and mostly go for 100% cotton or linen
  • Buying higher quality items saves me money
  • I should only buy what I know I will wear 
  • I love wearing ballet flats so I should make those an investment piece (i.e. spend more on a quality item that will last longer)
  • I have much more to learn so I'm repeating the experiment for the next six months
My investment piece this season is a nice pair of black ballet flats. I went with some simple, but classic, Sam Edelman leather flats. 

My investment piece this season is a nice pair of black ballet flats. I went with some simple, but classic, Sam Edelman leather flats. 

To kick off July, I built a new capsule wardrobe with more hot weather friendly pieces. I did keep one pair of dress pants and one pair of jeans from the first half of the year. The remaining items were stored away for the next winter season. I had one pair of old jeans that were worn out, thus they had to go. My ten item capsule now consists of the following:

  • 3 cotton tops
  • 2 linen pants
  • 1 dress pant (leftover from Season 1)
  • 1 pair of jeans (leftover from Season 1)
  • 2 dresses (1 cotton, 1 linen)
  • 1 linen skirt
  • Extras: 4 cotton t-shirts, 1 light cardigan sweater, 1 pair of black leggings
  • Shoes: black leather ballet flats, black leather sandals, brown leather sandals (I also have 2 pairs of heels I can pull out to dress up an outfit)
My extras consist of 4 cotton t-shirts and a cardigan

My extras consist of 4 cotton t-shirts and a cardigan

I'm excited to see how this all works out after a year. I must admit, I like the simplicity of a capsule wardrobe. It makes shopping much easier and my wallet very happy. 

 

July 20, 2016 /Tammy Wright
capsule wardrobe, Madame Chic, closet, organization, creativity, intention, Mindfulness, living small
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