3/12

Elsie’s Spring Capsule Wardrobe

Fashion, Style, Window Shopping
By Elsie Larson

Hello, beautiful people! As you know, last year I completed a year-long “used shopping only” challenge. It was an incredible experience and changed my perspective forever in terms of how I shop. Since the start of the new year, I have begun shopping a mix of new and used. So far, I’ve found quite a few gems on ThredUp and Poshmark and I’ve also added some pieces from new shops. The key for me is to shop slowly and consciously. I don’t think it’s bad to shop new (although used is better!) and my goal is to be more thoughtful and careful with my shopping habits moving forward.

A resource that has helped me a LOT is The Curated Closet Workbook. I am about halfway through the homework currently and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who wants to clean up your shopping habits, curate a more useful/wearable closet- or both!

*The dress I am wearing above was purchased used and it’s a linen dress by Reformation.

Alrighty—well, let’s hop into ideas for each category! This is a mix of pieces I own and love and items that are currently added to my shopping cart. I’ll add some more notes at the end on my personal philosophy for capsule as well.

Tops

Shop Tops:

 

Bottoms

Shop Bottoms:

 

Dresses and Jumpsuits

Shop Dresses and Jumpsuits:

Shoes

Shop Shoes:

My Everyday Uniform

Shop My Everyday Uniform (AKA “Mom Clothes”):

 

OK … so a bit about what capsule means to me! I am fully aware that the extreme version of what a capsule can be is a 35-40 piece wardrobe where the person wears ONLY those items during the season. If that is useful or inspiring to you, there are a LOT of great posts (just search Pinterest) from other bloggers. But that is not how I do capsule wardrobe.

My version of capsule is this:
-Shop once per season. So, take a week or two every three months to evaluate your wardrobe, try on items, shop, return, etc. Then don’t shop until the next season. I love this! Although I am not 100% strict (you make your own rules), the thing I “abstain” from during my non-shopping times is online shopping because it can waste a lot of time. I love reclaiming all that mindless scrolling time for something else—like working on ideas for our new home!

-Shop carefully. My main goal is to only buy items I really want, have planned on, and will wear a lot. I personally have not been able to transition to 100% sustainable brands (would love to hear your suggestions though). However, I still believe that reducing waste and overshopping is a worthy goal and a big step forward. I believe so strongly that if we all do our best and keep trying, that is so much better than trying to adhere to a perfect standard, but not actually doing it. This attitude works for me in ALL areas of my life, by the way. Consistent steps forward > Perfection.

-Slowly build a closet you love. The reason I started all of this and the best thing I have gained from it is that I LOVE my closet. Everything in it fits, everything makes me feel good and like myself. I clean out stuff I am done with and I add a few new things each season.

Once you have a closet you truly love (this took me about two years of cleaning out, trying new stuff, putting in more effort and doing The Curated Closet program twice, by the way!), it’s so easy to maintain. Each season do a clean out, evaluate what you need more of or holes in your wardrobe and only shop for those things. It’s so freeing. I spent a lot of time on it, but it was a worthwhile project and felt like a creative outlet at times.

xx- Elsie

Credits//Author: Elsie Larson. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.

10 Comments

  • One thing I never see bloggers consider or comment on, is having a color analysis done of what looks most flattering for your skin and hair color. While Iove all colors wearing certain colors can make me appear ill and some garner compliments from strangers. Now that I know my most flattering colors, I shop with a lot more confidence. An unexpected bonus is that everything I own can be mixed and matched easily and all of it is flattering. I know I will never look good with a mustard yellow color near my face, and fuschia will always make me look great no matter what current color trends are. Does this ever come into play when you are choosing your wardrobe?

    Reply

    • Hi! Yes- for sure. My best colors are red and white (kind of random!) and the colors I basically never wear are very faded pastels- especially anything close to my skin tone. But this is completely different for everyone- my sister hates to wear red!

      Glad you found your colors- that is so helpful!

      Reply

    • I agree that colour is really important. One book that completely changed my perspective on this (although it’s pretty old now) is called something like “What you wear can change your life” by Trinny and Susannah (from the original version of What Not to Wear). It has all these colour charts in it relating to finding what colours suit you and how to put them together in interesting ways. It completely changed my attitude to colour and how to wear it. Anyway, for readers interested in this topic, I highly recommend it, although other parts of the book are somewhat dated (especially their advice on clothes to keep and chuck!).

      Reply

  • I really like how you laid yours out with pictures— I’ve been trying written lists for years and it doesn’t do the trick. Going to try a more visual reference like this. How do accessories (bags, jackets, jewelry, hair stuff) come into play? Do you have a miscellaneous category?

    Reply

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