Recent thoughts & My winter capsule
a capsule wardrobe in progress
recent thoughts
Welcome to my third capsule wardrobe - my winter 2018 capsule wardrobe! This capsule has been and is still a bit of a work in progress. As you may know from my Instagram, I’ve been experimenting with capsule wardrobes since this past summer and have found some things that work for me and some aspects that don’t work as well because of various factors. Honestly during the fall I struggled to stay within my capsule and really found it to be a challenge mainly because of weather, transition into a corporate lifestyle, as well as just adjusting to Canadian winters again after living in Sydney for a while. I can’t handle these winters as well as I used to be able to, but not to worry, I’m slowly getting more adjusted! I started a hashtag #capsuleconversations to hear more of your thoughts and see where others may be at with their capsule wardrobes. Some other challenge areas with capsule wardrobes that others have mentioned were about feeling limited by rules and numbers, not being able to define and express their style through a capsule, and capsules not fitting in with different areas of life. I completely hear you all on these challenges and am trying to find a way to balance these problem areas and tweak the capsule method to make it work for me and my lifestyle.
the core capsule concept
A new method I will be testing out this season is more of a fluid capsule built around a core capsule. This is not some new ground breaking method, but I hope to share my thoughts with you as I experiment. I thought of creating a core capsule that is solely comprised of the basics. It’s like the skeleton of my wardrobe. I took a look back at the past seasons and pinpointed the pieces I gravitated to a lot or just simply got a ton of wear out of. I decided that those pieces were probably my most well-loved garments and made the most sense to be the “skeleton” if I’m finding use for them all year round, while living in a country that has four distinct seasons.
You may be wondering, “why the core capsule?”. What sets it apart from the regular capsule wardrobe? There are multiple reasons that led me to this method, but I realized that the main reason why I gravitated to this method of curating my capsule wardrobe was to tackle the challenge of adapting it to my lifestyle. I’m so thankful for all the wonderful conversations that were shared on #capsuleconversations over on Instagram and I realized that many of us struggle with capsule wardrobes because it simply did not fit certain areas of our life. Specifically for me, I found it hard to incorporate trend pieces, style around the weather, and style around my corporate and weekend life. I’m hoping that the core capsule will help me curate seasonal capsules that allow me to work around some of those challenges. Now, enough about the what, let’s get into the how!
what’s in my core capsule
As of now, I have a total of 17 pieces in my core capsule. Since I’m still experimenting, I may change swap items in and out as I live through this capsule. I gave myself a flexible range of about 15-20 pieces for the core capsule. Remember, numbers and boundaries don’t have to stop you from curating your own capsule! For me, it just helps to have a bit of a guideline.
Bottoms:
Navy Skinny Jeans
Black Skinny Jeans
Black Trousers
Cheap Monday Donna Jeans
Olive Trousers
Tops:
White Camisole
Black Tank Top
White T-shirt
Black T-shirt
Navy Shirt Dress
White Linen Shirt
Denim Shirt
Oversized Grey Cardigan
Long Navy Blazer
Black Turtleneck
Grey Turtleneck
Cream Turtleneck
core pieces explained
I tried to choose the most versatile and well-loved pieces to put into my core capsule. The selected pieces are great for layering under, layering on top of other garments, and can be styled up or down. Most of the pieces can also be worn in various seasons and make excellent transitional items. These are basically the essentials of your wardrobe and you could pack this wardrobe with you anywhere and feel comfortable and ready for different seasons and events.
Seasonal capsule wardrobe
Now to the seasonal capsules! The seasonal capsules are great for having fun with your wardrobe by including trend pieces, lifestyle pieces, and of course, incorporating seasonal items. For my seasonal winter capsule, I took a look through my stored items and pulled out my cozy, chunky knits, cardigans, and my pair of wool pants. I always recommend curating from your own closet to #createtorenew first. Doing so allows you to use what you have and also see the gaps that are in your wardrobe, allowing you to bring new pieces into your wardrobe!
curate from your closet
make space for new items
Being a fashion lover while also trying to be more sustainable can be a bit of a balance sometimes. Fashion in itself is a wasteful industry, but at the same time, I believe I am free to enjoy this beautiful art form and have fun doing so. I think capsule wardrobes are great for helping us to enjoy fashion, while being intentional with the whole process of shopping or thrifting. With that being said, since I’ve started sharing my journey online, I am privileged to get the opportunity to collaborate with brands and try sustainable and ethical garments to share with you all. I honestly only choose to work with brands I believe in and have looked into. Since I have this wonderful opportunity, I decided to fill the gaps in my seasonal capsule or try trendy pieces from new ethical and sustainable brands.
whats in my seasonal winter capsule
For the seasonal capsule, I set the same boundary of about 15-20 additional pieces, meaning my complete winter capsule including my core capsule would be about 30-40 pieces. I want to stress again, that if you aren’t about numbers and boundaries, feel free to ignore these guidelines. Setting a boundary for pieces I bring into my wardrobe helps me to intentionally consider products and brands, as well as make sure I really love a piece before including it in my seasonal capsule. Below I have listed the items included from things I currently own and a list of new ethical and sustainable pieces. I’ve linked all the ethical and sustainable pieces in case you were looking to add some new items to your capsule this season!
Curated from my closet
Black Wool Pants
Grey Light-weight Knit
Heather Grey Knit
Grey Chunk Turtleneck Knit
Olive Knit
Grey Chunky Knit
Navy Turtleneck Knit
Black Cardigan
Oatmeal Turtleneck
Newly curated
I love the Oatmeal colour in this cashmere crewneck sweater. This piece is super light-weight and great as a layering garment for the winter. It’s another one of those timeless pieces that will last many years. I also specifically chose a lighter colour to brighten up my winter capsule.
Everlane Cashmere Waffle Square Crew
I am absolutely stoked about the Everlane Cashmere collection! All the pieces are actually as soft as they look. I chose this classic, over-sized black cashmere crew knit to add to my winter capsule this season because I know that this is a style for me that will last years. I love the boxy fit of it that can worn comfortably with jeans or styled up for work.
I have been on the lookout for a pair of wool wide-leg pants for a while now and these are just the perfect piece to bring into my seasonal capsule. These can definitely be dressed up or down. SKYE makes beautifully unique garments and these pants are one of my favourites from their collection.
Everlane Cashmere Square V-neck Cardigan
This cozy cashmere cardigan is seriously like wearing a warm hug. Again, I really love a boxy fit and this cardigan is definitely that. It’s great to wear with all the buttons down up like a pullover “sweater” or undone as a cardigan.
I hope this post insightful and helpful for you as you work on your own capsule wardrobes. Please join in the #capsuleconversations over on my instagram @candicemtay. I’d love to hear your thoughts and read all about how you are tackling this capsule wardrobe concept. Have a great Christmas and enjoy your holiday season! P.S. stay tuned for another conversation about capsule storage.
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