Back again with another capsule wardrobe. This is my fourth time through and I've learned a lot. Mostly that it takes very few items of clothing to keep me dressed and happy. And also that there is no reason to make this more complicated than it needs to be. This time around, I built a capsule to ideally get me from June - August.
If you're unfamiliar, here are my autumn, winter and spring capsules.
Couple things to note :
- this is a maternity friendly wardrobe. I am 17 weeks pregnant today and will be 30 weeks at the end of August when this capsule ends. That's a huge jump in size for one season. I kept this in mind and some of the pieces (like the chambray) will most likely not be used by the end, while others, like the maternity dresses won't add to the rotation until early July.
- I've said this before but my daily life is very casual and so I dress for that. If I worked in an office that required more formal business attire, I would most likely build two capsules: one for work and one for weekends.
- there are more pieces this time around than usual. Again, this is to account for the fact that I'll be growing a bit, but also because our weather has been insane lately. It's May Gray (followed by June Gloom) in San Diego which makes for some cooler evenings and mornings. I can't get by with just tanktops.
- still not a lot of color. I prefer neutrals mostly and very simple patterns for everyday wear.
- not a lot of new pieces this time around. In fact, you are basically looking at my spring wardrobe with some maternity pieces thrown in. I have a few new items that I picked up for our trip to Hawaii that made it in, but not much else. Everything with an * is new.
- last month I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and thanks to that book, I no longer am storing un-seasonable clothing in bins. Everything is hanging in my closet / in my drawers but my capsule takes up one side / one drawer.
Let's get into it.
TOPS AND DRESSES : loose-fitting white dress from madewell last summer (similar), white "workshirt" (similar), madewell v-neck, everlane vneck, casual white tank, everlane drop shoulder tee*, mama bird tee*, xhileration kimono*, chambray pull-over (super old from j.crew factory), denim vest, fox print dress, madewell v-neck, gray t-shirt dress, gray maxi (similar), gray cardigan (similar), american apparel v-neck, old navy gray tank, alternative apparel baseball tee, gray tank maxi* (same dress in wrong color), liz lange tank dress*, striped maternity dress (similar).
More tops and dresses this time around because I want to account for the weather and size changes. Most of this stuff should work. Layers are great and helpful with maternity (or at least they were last time). I remember wearing a ton of Old Navy tanks because they were a great stretchy fit and I liked that they were long. Oddly though, I don't like them when I am not pregnant because they are so clingy.
Only wildcard this season is that white kimono type top. I bought it as a coverup for Hawaii, but it's actually pretty cute over plain dresses. We'll see if I wear it enough. That fox print dress I bought late last summer and love! Hope it works for a bit with a bump.
BOTTOMS AND SHOES : old navy maternity shorts (similar), longer gray khaki shorts (similar), brown shorts, patterned pants, red alternative apparel maxi (various colors), gray alternative apparel maxi, black maxi, rainbows, tan sandals, gold sandals, leopard print slip-ons (same style, different pattern), sneakers (similar).
Not too many choices here... mostly just maxi skirts and a pair of shorts that still fit plus a pair of maternity shorts from Ellerie's pregnancy. I wear a lot of dresses and maxis (on that alternative apparel maxi be sure to size up for better fit) so I am hopeful this is enough to get by. Shoes are the same old, same old, casual flats that I wear constantly. I threw in my sneakers to round-out this one. Hoping to get a lot of walks in again.
Every time I get dressed in the morning I am reminded why I do this ... it's so nice to put on clothes that I know I like and that I know will fit. In the past, getting dressed has been an exercise in "ehhhhhh" and I wind up with four discarded outfits on the ground. Now, my choices are limited, but all of them I like. I know it's going to fit. For the most part I know it's going to match. Win. Win.
Anyone else changing up their wardrobes this season?
links throughout are affiliate.
