This outfit may look strangely familiar … because it’s essentially this outfit, with fleece lined tights instead of Ponte pants, and a skirt tossed on to add some textural interest.
I didn’t think I’d love this silhouette — long sweater + short skirt + no defined waist. But it ended up surprising me. I’m thinking it works because of the monochromatic palette.
Speaking of, let’s chat for a second about neutrals vs. colors when it comes to capsule wardrobes.
Neutrals are my jam. My style. My favorite. And I don’t see that changing anytime super soon. So I haven’t experimented much outside the neutral range. But I’ve always held out that a colorful capsule wardrobe can be just as successful as a neutral one — even though it probably takes a bit more planning.
Someday, I want to try my hand at putting together a colorful capsule wardrobe.
But in the meantime, I’m curious if any of you have ever created a color saturated capsule wardrobe? What was your experience with it?
Sweater: old from Nordstrom Rack (similar here)
Skirt: old from Aritzia (similar here)
Fleece lined tights: Hue
Shoes: Charles David
Bag: old from Madewell (similar here)
xo
Hi Caroline!
I absolutely love your monochromatic neutral capsules. I say if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it, especially if neutral colors look great on you and are what you feel most comfortable in. Feeling comfortable in your clothes I’ve learned is the number one factor when it comes to you actually, 1.) wearing an item in your capsule, and 2.) feeling good in it.
My first capsule was very colorful (http://frugalfinery.com/how-to-create-a-capsule-wardrobe/). It had some neutrals, but not enough. I found myself not wanting to wear so much color after while and feeling self-conscious about “standing out”. I ending up really disliking a lot of that capsule by the end of the season. :-(
My latest capsule still has a few colorful pieces, but now the ratio is about 75% neutral and 25% colorful and I think that’s a ratio that works better for me (http://frugalfinery.com/winter-2014-2015-project-333-capsule-wardrobe/). I’ve also tried to keep most of my color in my tops and accessories. That way, I can do neutral most of the time and add a pop of color when I’m feeling it.
Jodie
I was surprised when I first shrank my wardrobe that all my clothes fit in to either black, grey, white, teal, navy and burgundy section of my wardrobe!
I’m like you – I love my neutrals (and probably always will) and found that teal, navy and burgundy really compliment neutral clothes well.
My (brand new) capsule has really similar color components. I totally agree with you!
Caroline,
First of all I look forward to reading your blog daily! I imagine how difficult it might be to put myself out there while remaining true to myself and feel like you’ve done just that. I admire you for that, and many other reasons, and thank you!
Second I have a few blogs that I read but yours has really helped me feel comfortable about pairing my wardrobe down. I had heard a speaker I like to listen to say something in passing about how some people have just a few items but always look great. I loved that idea and attempted it but wasn’t sure how to do that until I found your blog. I’m happy to say with a lot of thought, planning, window shopping, online browsing, trial and error, and TIME (years) I now enjoy my clothes (and my day now that I’m comfortable in my own skin) and don’t put a lot of effort into what I wear.
That being said I have 2 capsule wardrobes with about 30 items in each. Both wardrobes have about 20 core, classic items that I wear year round. Each capsule is broken down into work wear, weekend wear, and evening wear. My work wear has about 5 blouses that carry over into evening wear, but I swap out my pants, cardigans, and dress shoes for jeans, fun jackets, and casual shoes. My weekend wear is just my evening wear but I swap out my blouses for an extra dressy blouse and dressy shoes or a black year round sweater that I dress up or down using jackets, scarves, and earrings. I also love that if at any point I feel like wearing all neutrals for a period of time it’s easy to do, so my looks can change drastically even within the one wardrobe.
I think my accessories are a lot of what helps me keep my outfits new, colorful, and interesting. During the fall and winter I wear jewel tones of green, red, and blue. I have scarves, earrings, and one piece of clothing in each of these colors. During the spring and summer I swap out the jewel tones for lighter colors like blush, white, light grey, and metallics. I also tend to wear more jewelry during the spring and summer so I have a lot of blush and metallic necklaces, bracelets, watches, earrings, and again scarves.
Finding what works for me took a lot of time, but for me it was so worth it. I love how I look in my clothes and feel like I found the colors and clothing type that work best for my schedule, personality, and skin and hair.
Thank you, Caroline!!
I do about half neutrals, half colors in my capsule wardrobes. (Hello, lime green jeans!) It works really well because I don’t get bored, but I still have enough neutrals that I can mix and match like crazy and am not stuck with only one outfit that I can wear x colorful item in.
In paring down my wardrobe I’ve realized that I like to wear mostly neutrals and add color with shoes and accessories. I used to buy colorful things willy nilly and spent hours in front of my closet because I had a wardrobe full of statements with no solid basics. I’ve ended up getting rid of 99% of those items because I never wore them, yet my neutrals get worn over and over again and are the pieces I love the most.
I think starting out with a neutral capsule is probably a good route because it allows you to really build a great foundation of neutral basics – and that’s how I plan to start my own capsule this month. However, once you’re more seasoned in the process I think creating a colorful capsule would be a great personal challenge and a way to spice up the process for yourself.
I think doing so will only teach you more about yourself and your personal style preferences. You may find that you actually really like color and want to inject more of it into your wardrobe, or you may find it definitely isn’t for you and sticking to neutrals is what makes you feel best. One of the most important things I’ve learned in this process is to try new things, but also to let go. Let go of what you think you “should” do and focus on what in your wardrobe truly makes YOU feel your best, then add only things meeting that criteria to your closet. :)
The core of my wardrobe is black/white/grey, but I always make sure to have at least one super-bright color in each category (top, bottom, jacket, skirt). They play well with my neutrals, while giving me some pop. And if I’m in an all neutral outfit, you can usually count on my wearing a bright shoe, a chunky piece of jewelry or carrying a color-charged bag. I need my color!
Hi Heather! I like the idea of having one bright color in each category. Right on. :) xo Caroline
I think one of the biggest reasons my wardrobe has been such a wreck for so many years is because I was trying to include more color since I thought that was what I was “supposed” to do. I ended up with some loud pieces that I did not feel comfortable in that didn’t mix well with my other pieces. I looked at my Pinterest clothing board a couple of weeks ago and finally realized how much navy/blues, black, white, and tan was on there. I love including some magenta and deep red to add some color, but I will be concentrating more on neutral basics as I start to rebuild my wardrobe.
Hi! I love your blog! I found it about two weeks ago and am now obsessed with it!
I loved your last post 5.15 Simply Notice and realized how true this. I travel a lot and that’s when I also realized how little I could live with and I made a promise to myself to pack as many carry ons as possible instead of checked luggage in my future travels. My husband and I just came back from a 7 days cruise and we lived my mixing and matching all of our clothes which fit in a tiny carry on! . After visiting some poor countries and seeing how happy people were with how little they had, I decided to downsize my closet even more than before and then I found your blog about doing a Capsule. It’s still a working process but I used to have a little over 150 pairs of shoes when I was younger (ages 16-20?) and even remember taking 50 of those pairs with me on one of my trips and felt super ridiculous carrying a suitcase JUST for that. I then decided never again and am always looking for ways to downsize. Now I’m proud to say I only have 13 pairs of heels (mostly colorful) and about 6 pairs of flats and one pair of sneakers.
Clothes I’m still working on but I do have maybe half of what I used to have.
And talking about color. I have suffered from depression since the age of 13 and decided that if I wanted to overcome it I had to do something about it. I realized on of the things that helped me through it, believe it or not, was wearing pretty colors that made my mood instantly better. I have mint green blouses that I mix with gray or white skirts/pants, hot pink that also goes well with neutrals and sometimes even navy blue, yellow that I love pairing with either my royal blue skirt or black and white striped skirt. I love wearing color though I also have some grays, whites, and blush pink. I don’t have a lot of black. In fact, I only have one pair of black heels and one pair of black wedge boots. That’s it. And you can actually mix and match all the colors I have without standing out so much. I think it all depends on what we do for a living (I work from home so I can get away with dressing how ever I want), but also how well you know how to mix everything. And it also depends on your color of skin. I’m light skinned with olive undertones and realize that hot pink or royal blue look nice on me where as wearing orange makes me look horrible and well, orangey. I guess it’s learning to work with what you have ;)
Hi Caroline,
I love color and own a few typical neutrals. For this reason I have never been able to get my capsule wardrobe to be less than 45 pieces because of the matching factor. Even my sneakers are teal! I am also drawn to bold patterns, which are less matchable with everything else I own. This does make planning more difficult but not impossible. Since starting the capsule wardrobe I have limited my bold prints and focused more on versatile neutrals. For me a “neutral”, might be a blue polka dot cardigan that goes with a majority of the capsule. Still colorful, but works as a neutral. Your style is such inspiration to me, own it! Neutrals work for you and clearly make you happy. Just keep going, I look forward to your daily dose of inspiration!
-Chels
Like you, I too prefer neutrals. I think it’s just me getting older, but I’m just not into color as much anymore. I’m sure a colorful wardrobe can be executed beautifully – but for me, I have one day in the month that I want color. I’m just not a fan of drawing attention to myself with color. I mean, some people love it and can pull it off, but I think it takes a certain personality and I’m just not the type.
I found a lady that had neon colors in her wardrobe and I can only imagine her grin every morning putting them together :)
Sincerely, Tania
hi
I really like your blog and your style. I’ve become quite interested in capsule wardrobes and minimalism in general these past few months. One thing that I find so hard is that all people with capsule wardrobes that I found have very monochromatic and simple style; which I really like – on others (mostly). I love my colorful clothes and big prints, especially in the spring and summer (which is all I’m thinking about in this cold cold weather). There is no one I found yet who has a wardrobe that is minimalist yet I could imagine to have myself. As pretty as I find simple outfits with just plain neutral colors – it’s not me, and I don’t want to change my style :)
Anyway, your blog is one of my favorites to read, (next to into-mind, have you seen that one?) and I love your way of writing and expressing yourself.
Greetings from Vienna (Austria),
Lina
I’ve been thinking about this just today, as I sat down to do a little premature spring capsule planning :)
My first capsule was probably 95% neutrals 5% colour (didn’t enjoy it), second was 75-25 which was great and I’m hoping the third will be 60-40. Essentially I think 60% neutrals – 40% colour for spring and summer and 75%-25% for autumn and winter.
I think for a full on colourful wardrobe you have to have that special kind of personality. I’m like Jodie above – I’d quickly tire of the colours and would feel self-conscious, but I know there are people who’d love it. If you’re used to wearing a lot of colour, then a colourful capsule will be the natural and even easy choice. That’s why I think that if you, Caroline, tried to create a colourful capsule, you wouldn’t enjoy the process and you’d see it as a chore more than something pleasurable. But I might be wrong! Could be a fun experiment!
xo Kat
To start, I completely love the sweater you’re wearing in this post!
I have been paring down my clothing and items for a few years now, and started reading your blog about a year ago. It has been really inspirational, I actually just started reading one of the books you recommended on your pinterest board “It’s All Too Much” and am loving it!
Another book I’ve found really inspirational as well is “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” by Marie Kondo.
I plan to start putting together my spring capsule wardrobe soon, and foresee it consisting of a base of mostly neutrals that pair easily, with a few key colorful pieces thrown in.
I really enjoy reading your blog daily, and the comments of your readers. Power to you for sharing your life and wardrobe with such transparency!
Since i saw the capsule wardrobe idea on your site I started plannung my own. Not easy because i am 7 months pregnant now, but I tried and i am happy with the result. I have neutrals, hardly any black.. and a lot of colour un my closet. I think some colours are still neutral and very easy to pare with other colours. Navy blue, old pink/nude, orange amd brown.. it works!
thank you for the inspiration!
I am so excited that you are going to talk about this! I prefer brights, colours, patterns and “quirky” and I was stating to wonder if capsules were only for people who preferred neutrals…..
To Erin & Lina above–Chelsea’s got the right idea!
I think if you want lots of color you just think about how they go together (into-mind has great posts on creating a color palette and how colors go together, see below). They can be really different and vibrant if they have the right saturation/hue/brightness factors to help them all play well together. My capsule for example is warm navy-ish blue, tomato red, some light but warm teals, a few neutrals and a couple of chartreuses thrown in for good measure (they don’t compliment my skin tone but I love ’em so I pair them with one of the other colors). I’m not AS into pattern as I was, but I do mix patterns against solids and not-too-busy patterns (light blue on navy blue) with other patterns. You can get creative!!
http://into-mind.com/2014/06/03/how-to-pair-colours-a-short-intro-to-colour-theory/
http://into-mind.com/2014/08/25/how-to-choose-a-versatile-colour-palette-for-your-wardrobe-incl-36-sample-colour-palettes/
Thank you so much for this post. I have been struggling with neutrals. I love the look, but doesn’t it drive you crazy to see all the other style bloggers in (essentially) your striped dress, and your black and red plaid shirt, etc.? It seems like you keep it cool with more offbeat choices for footwear, but it does seem like most bloggers would look good together on the same Christmas card. How do you keep coming up with unique ideas? Your new Winter Capsule is quite different, but it still feels connected.
Also, are you barefoot in your little booties? I bought some little tiny sock thingies to wear inside my ballet flats, but they made my toes just ache! Anyone else have this trouble?
this is such a good question!
my first capsule was neutral with just one colorful shirt and it ended up not being enough color for me. i thought i was a neutral person, but one day i looked around my apartment at all the colorful and graphic patterned fabrics and at my art and design projects and it just hit me. i’m so in love with color, but afraid of expressing that with my clothes.
i’ve slowly incorporated more color and pattern into my wardrobe and love it. a couple of things that help with this:
1) i live in san francisco, we don’t have seasons. so i just have one wardrobe of about 72 pieces (the idea of having clothes in storage doesn’t sit right with me)
2) we have some great local consignment stores so when i get bored of something i just trade it for something new
this allows me to incorporate color and pattern much more easily. i can even be quite eclectic and mix styles. this wouldn’t work for someone who doesn’t like to shop, but for the shopping lovers out there, it’s a great way to have fun and not spend a ton of money. i buy and sell almost everything so my average cost of clothing ends up being $100 – $200 a month. also, the trade factor helps with impulsive shopping because you have to take the time to pack up what you want to sell before you can get anything new :)
Neutrals all the way!
Do bright blue headphones count? Just kidding!
I’d say my capsule is 50/50 colours and neutrals. I like my blacks and greys but it would get so boring for me after a while! Also I am a knitter and trying to get into sewing, and he fabrics and yarns that I’m attracted to are all colours. I would find it very boring to knit in black and grey all the time! I find that my all-over multi colour patterned pieces are either bottoms or dresses, and tops are usually single coloured. I have mainly teal-green, red, burgundy, and pink in my autumn-winter capsule, but my summer one is all colours. I think it can work just as easily, especially if like me, you tend to like all the colours that magically go with all the other colours you like!
You, like my mom, work well with neutrals and are both my fashion role models. However, I cannot live without color in my wardrobe. Colored denim has been my passion for a few years now and I don’t see me giving it up for a long time. The difficulty with this is pairing down enough for a capsule wardrobe. I’d love some inspiration from you, but would never want you to leave your own style out. Instead, why not create a color-infused capsule wardrobe to show us as an example and then make a capsule wardrobe based on your own preferences? You don’t even need to use your own pieces of you don’t have enough color. That way those of us that need color, can draw from your example capsule and those who already live that neutral life can still follow your personal capsule.
I find that the wardrobe inspiration I’m most drawn to is mostly neutral, but I’m still in a place where I’m trying to utilize as much as I can from what I already own–largely colored “pizzaz-y” pieces that were so attractive in my impulse shopping days–so my capsules have been pretty split so far. Most of what I think about investing in at this point is neutral, so I think I’m just working toward my ideal balance one piece at a time.
I love wearing all black but sometimes I struggle with getting the textures right. I love this! you nailed it!
I used to really gravitate toward bright colors, but it’s so much harder to mix and match when that’s all you have! I’m working on replenishing my neutrals and then sticking to pops of color in my accessories.
I’m 40, brunette tall and pale. Very pale – think Voldemort pale. Black and monochrome stuff washes me out and neutrals bore me. Well maybe a splash of tan/camel with bright red accessories. I love vintage or classic style clothes and only posses 3 pairs of jeans. No leggings. Ever. Cobalt blue, emerald green, pillar box red, mustard yellow.. Love them. With a tailored pair of trousers or swishy skirt/dress. If the outfit is quiet the accessories, bag and shoes generally liven it up. I’m going through another wardrobe blitz now as some party stuff needs packing away so it’s all over the bed.. I couldn’t narrow it down below 25 pairs of shoes..
My first capsule was pretty neutral with random colors thrown in. Sometimes it was hard to work with, but, I knew that if I wandered into neutral only territory, I would be bored. The second time around, I purposely tried to incorporate colors, but I stuck to three colors in tones that worked together. This way I can wear my plum jacket over by mustard yellow shirt or the navy blue one. It seems to be a good strategy for me.
I would love to do a colorful capsule sometime, but I love the freedom that a neutral capsule gives. I feel confident in knowing that I won’t look dated when I look back on my clothes and it helps save money because everything works together. I tend to throw more color in with bright scarves or jewelry.
This is my biggest difficulty in creating my minimalist capsule wardrobe, because I grew up in South America everyone wears big bright colours and lots of patterns, and after moving to Europe it was a huge culture shock to see people wearing only neutrals all the time. Especially winter, when the streets look like a sea of black coats.
I’ve been slowly solving the problem though, like this:
– Because I love dresses, I restrict bright-coloured patterns for the dresses I buy, which will easily go with my all-neutral cardigans/tights, and because they’re dresses I don’t have to worry about matching to other items.
– I picked one colour that looks good on me, which is red. So items in shades of red are just as common as neutrals for me. I also restricted my neutrals to black, white, and gray. Browns, tans and navy don’t work for me.
– to change things up a little, I have just a couple of items in another colour that also goes well with grays/blacks, which is jewel tone green.
Hope this helps someone!
Thank you so much for this comment! I wish I had pictures of your outfits but keeping the cardigans and accessories neutral is brilliant. I have sooo many scarves and colorful jewelry and none of it ever gets worn. It just feels like a bunch of junk. I will use your method to become more of a minimalist. Now to choose a couple of colors that look good. That’s always been impossible for me. I have coloring like Naomi Watts, and everyone loves me in bright yellow, cobalt blue, red, and turquoise. My wardrobe is a circus. I just don’t know how to mix and match effectively and so I’m always in jeans and a colorful top. Blah!
I definitely go neutral in the fall/winter and the spring and summer is a big burst of color. While I don’t have a strict capsule wardrobe, I’ve pared down my wardrobe recently and feel like I have something of an unofficial capsule.
In Spring/Summer, I often wear colorful skirts (two favorites being jut above the knee, high waist elastic waistband skirts, one lavender and the other white with a large floral pattern which I bought almost 9 years ago!). On top I love wearing sleeveless linen button downs from Uniqlo that have been knotted at the bottom, I have a white, chambray colored one, and orange gingham :). Colorful dresses are of course part of that equation.
It’s currently snowing outside my window, can you tell I’m pining for summer?
I’m completely with you, Joanna! Summer’s been on my mind since December. haha
I’ve been eyeing some sleeveless blouses for summer for a while now, but my hesitancy is that my arms are really thin (I don’t think they’ve grown since I was twelve), so most arm holes are loose and gape awkwardly. How do you find the Uniqlo blouses?
I think this is it:
http://www.uniqlo.com/au/store/women-premium-linen-sleeveless-shirt-0865730001.html
I tend to do neutral bottoms and colorful tops. Even though I like color it’s mainly teal, lime green, bright blues, and burgundy. I have a ton of cardigans (10) and jackets (6) though which are a mix of neutrals and colors. Partly due to the match factor and at least for the cardigans they need to be washed a bit more often if worn with tank tops. Still I don’t get that I have nothing to wear feeling since I pick the top, then bottoms to match (black, grey, or brown slacks for work or jeans for the weekend), and then a jacket or cardigan that matches both. I can’t do much with accessories for work since I’m an electrical engineer and they are a safety concern on days when I work in the lab. Electricity and long necklaces don’t play nice!!
I really like that touch of leopard. It looks classy, but still casual. I love the booties btw! Really pretty and probably also comfy, a win win!
http://www.eliseschoice.wordpress.com
I recently started Caroline’s wardrobe planner and was surprised to see the majority of my non-neutral clothes were prints in black and white. Perhaps, like a leopard print, it is a sort of neutral? It was such a pleasure to see it all so clearly and reflecting my current lifestyle so well, however I didn’t consider myself all that much of a neutral dresser… guess I am and that’s not a bad thing.
Caroline, thank you very much for sharing you ideas. I love your style. It is such an inspiration! I learned a lot from reading your articles. But my wardrobe looks very different.
I use a coloured palette for my wardrobe. I chose brown & camel as neutrals and green, orange, yellow and gold as solids and patterns. No black, no white, no grey and hardly any blue. This works very well for me :) It just takes longer to find stuff!
Sometimes it is a bit frustrating if I walk in a store and know right away that 95 % of the clothes will not suit me. But I visit several second hand online platforms frequently to have more opportunities and I am willing to spend more money on one item if it fits perfectly. So slowly, over the course of 3-4 years I was able to build up a wardrobe on my colours & for my needs. And as my life changes my style journey continues…
I think in the end it is all about finding out what you love and what suits you best and what you feel comfortable in :)
I always envy girls at my office who wear all these great bright colors, and then I realized something one day… they all have black hair. Every. single. one. I’m a redhead—I’m wearing a color every day, and neutrals actually make that natural color pop better, while bright colors make my hair look drab by comparison. I spent years trying to make bright colors work only to wind up looking like a christmas tree, and now I’ve finally come to embrace neutral colors on my body, which has helped me finally accept the color I can’t get away from on top of my head.
As a redhead I know what you mean. Certain shades of red and most oranges make my skin look orange or yellow. Ugh! The sickly look is never in!
I’ve been sticking with a few “signature colors” that work well with my hair and skin tone: teal, lime green, blues, and burgundy. The brown-oranges look nice too, but don’t match as well with the blue/greens. I find I only end up wearing those tops around Thanksgiving.
Anyway, you might be able to find one or two shades in fun colors that work well with your hair and skin. Then you can have the color without the Christmas Tree look!!
yeah, my signature colors are probably navy blue, forest green, and mint green. I’ll use occasional little pops of bright pink or yellow in jewelry, but never wear a whole garment of them anymore.
I am also a redhead :)
I also found out that black is just to harsh for me especially when combined with white or bright colours. The contrast is just too high in comparison to my body’s contrast. So I use brown & camel as neutrals and pair it with colours like green and orange. I basically wear warm colours only. But strong colours like chocolate brown, bright green, strinking orange and sunny yellow :) The contrast is much softer and suits me better. First I thought it would be limiting or I would look strange, but that is just how other people look in my colours, most black haired girls for example…. And I can get away with rather unusual colour combinations and look normal… lemon with camel, safran with orange. Today for example I wear brown trousers, a cardigan in coral and a shirt in grey/sand with a small print in b/w and coral. And I also found out for me as a redhead that it looks much better if I repeat my hair colour at the bottom, so cognac or brown shoes only. But it depends, not all red haired girls look best in the same colours.
I would love to see more examples of a coloured wardrobe.
Also a read head, we should have a club :)
Erin I love colour and think red heads can rock colour but tend to stick to purples greens and blues. But even all redheads are different and rock different looks and colour pallets. For Spring/Summer I am sticking with Teal Skye Blue, and lilac/lavenders.
Erica I also stick with cognac boots and bag! And stay far away from black as well :)
Also a redhead! My colors for fall/winter are navy blue, burgandy, and forest green and for spring/summer they are coral, teal, and navy again (it’s my alternative to black). I struggled for a while because black is so popular but once I decided on navy as a base it created a much less harsh look on me :)
Navy is my go-to neutral too! I just don’t look good in black and it doesn’t make me feel good when I’m wearing it.
I have black + dark brown + deep forest green as my basis colors, different shades of gray + soft blue/denim as neutrals and red + gold + leopard as accent colors in accesories and shoes. I almost never wear any jewelry but I love scarves, bags and shoes to add something extra to my otherwise very simple wardrobe. And I also like to dress monochrome some times just with different textures as interesting details. :)
PS: I remember an article about different color schemes for different skin types. Something about “spring”, “autumn” and “muted” colors. So I think it’s natural that we all prefer different colors and that some colors both look better on us than other AND make us feel in a certain way.
I have a minimalist closet with 35 items (including jeans and sleeveless tank tops as well as work wear and one more formal outfit). My mix is 50/50 colour and neutral and it works for me very well. I have a blazer that is predominantly green, but is very textured with multiple colours in it. I can pair it with almost any neutral pant or skirt. Similarly, I have a work blouse that is multi-coloured that I can pair with all of my skirts, pants and jeans. I have two business suits that are neutral, but I use two tank tops (bright red and coral) if a hit of colour is appropriate to the circumstances. I also have a bright red shoulder bag and a deep teal green that I use on occasion. Hope this helps and thanks for the post and for all the comments from others.
I tend to stick to neutrals when it comes to dressing, but I do like to incorporate color here or there. I end up wearing the same cashmere purple scarf almost every day, and I suppose that adds a pop of color to my usual black-based outfits! Blacks, greys, whites, etc., are just easier to dress around. I also like colored shoes; I have a bunch of Frye flats in varying colors (no neutrals, unbelievably!).
I adore your fleece tights, by the way. I just ripped my favorite pair, so I’ll have to order some new ones :).
i’ve been doing project 333 for over 6 months and i have lots of colour and prints in my wardrobe. when i first pared down my wardrobe i got rid of most of my prints but i started to feel really down about only having neutrals and block colours. i found into-mind.com’s info on creating a capsule wardrobe around statement pieces really helpful. so now i have some statement pieces plus lots of neutral pieces that work with them. i’ve found that it’s easier to have statement dresses and tops but neutral bottoms and jackets, that way the dresses and tops always go with the bottoms and the jackets. i also used into-mind’s guide on creating a colour palette to make sure everything works together. I’ve done a few videos on youtube about my project 33 wardrobes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZJGxBCrcGU
I try to keep my winter clothes fairly neutral, although I have a cotton candy pink sweater that I love and wear at least once a week. Okay, twice. I use scarves to add color (and I don’t count them in my capsule) usually. My summer wardrobe will be much more colorful, I think. I haven’t gotten there yet, but I’m a big fan of brightly color shorts.
Hi Caroline! Firstly, this outfit it great and really looks good on you :-) I love seeing how you put things together. While I agree with you and also love neutrals for my capsule wardrobe, my summer capsule (which I am currently wearing at the moment) is surprisingly colourful. It works really well for me because all the colour’s match each other. Summer is far from over, so I’ve still got a lot more to wear but if you want to check out how I’ve been styling it so far, check out my blog :-)
http://styleventure.co.nz
My Capsule Wardrobe Blog
I just finished creating my first capsule wardrobe. Since I’m a lawyer, neutral colors are featured strongly because they transition well from work to play. However, I noticed many of my winter pieces are a shade of purple. I don’t think I ever would have realized how much I gravitate towards wearing purples unless I made a capsule wardrobe. It feels great knowing what “my color” is and to shift my purchasing decisions towards that. I love mixing in icy lavenders and rich plums with my black, soft white, and navy pieces. For spring and summer, I plan on switching out my darker navy and black foundational pieces for white, grey, and softer blues.
Hi Caroline,
I’ve been following your blog for about a month and yesterday pared my closet down. I noticed I have mostly black and grey with a bit of burgundy. I typically use a scarf to add a pop of color or a pattern…but my husband asked how many of those are allowed in a capsule and I didn’t have an answer for him. Any thoughts?
Alison
Scarves count as accessories I think (I may be wrong) and therefore don’t count in Caroline’s 37 pieces. But still less is more :)
I love neutrals, but I’m not opposed to having a few fun colours and prints to brighten things up as long as they go with a load of other pieces :)
I totally surprised myself with how much color I included with my capsule. I guess I try to wear color every day (both for my husband’s sake and my students’- what pre-k teacher dresses monochromatically!) but I didn’t realize how much I rely on the 2 color per outfit formula! Almost always I wear a lot of gray and black with two coordinating colors, like blush and plum or bright blue and camel.
Thanks for sharing!
Kate
http://myteacherstyle.blogspot.com/
Hi Caroline,
So I’m a month and a day into my first capsule wardrobe (after binge reading your site during the holidays, tearing apart my closet and slowly putting it back together). I’ve learned a few things:
1) I’m not quite finished but I’m trying to not add too much into my capsule. I have about 50 items (work + weekend) but I don’t count coats since I live in New York… Brrrr!
2) it’s not so much that I need color over neutral (although I do have some reds, blues and greens in my capsule), for me I need PATTERN! Pattern helps me break up the monotony a little bit. I’m excited to figure out how to plan for mixing patterns more in my spring capsule.
3) I’m addicted to shopping. I mean absolutely addicted. I’m trying to stop, but geeze, sigh!
Jennie
Aww man, this looks so pretty on you. I wish this top was still for sale.
I have very delicate coloring. I think “winters” like you look great in black and white and neutrals. Even my neutrals aremore delicate: light Grey, Navy, Olive Green, Camel. When I wear black and white near my face, I need makeup or a scarf added. Its too much work. Subdued, pastel versionsof colors keep from making me look sallow and overly pale with dishwater ash blonde hair.
I am a colourful person so I am glad this topic has come up so I can see what others do. I have always been known to my friend’s as the one with the bright colours and busy patterns. Because of my red hair I have stuck to a core of purple green blue and browns since I was about 13 leaning more towards one of them at different times but purple always being my favourite. Black is also a no go for me. I thought with my colouring I should wear brown instead and when I realised that I didn’t need to stick to that rule I found black to oppressive for me to wear and therefore find it really difficult to wear (only for funerals). However my problem has always remained the same: none of my purples match, none of my greens and the same shade ect and therefore I can end up with lots of clothes that I can’t wear together
Anyway my spring wardrobe is my first capsule where I am able to spend money on and buy more than a investment rain coat or handbag so I am all about the planning to ensure my few items of clothing all go perfectly with each other. And the way I intend to do this is to buy all my colours from the same place! I have fallen in love with Boden: a UK brand that can be bought in the US. So I have a pinterest board of colourful shorts, shirts, shoes, dresses and t shirts that I plan to purchase for my spring capsule (though all will roll on for summer). Then I will use neutral layers from my current wardrobe to compliment them.
I am excited!
Thanks for sharing and starting the discussion :)
I still have some work to do on editing my wardrobe but I am finding that for me neutrals is the way to go. I left several colored pieces in there (I have one larger wardrobe) but am finding that they just don’t feel right anymore. At this point I pretty much live in gray, black, white and cream. Every once in a while I think, I will add a splash of color with a scarf but then I end up feeling silly and switch it out for cream. Ends up that a splash of color for me is tan or camel and that is what feels good so I embrace it. I used to wear a lot of color and it looks great on other people, it just isn’t “me” right now. I think my next focus needs to be on texture, I love the way you use textures with your style.
I pretty much just treat colors as neutrals because I like them. :) I haven’t created a true capsule wardrobe, though.
So I’m a little late to the game here! But I have created my winter capsule to be pretty colourful as where as you’re all about the neutrals I am a natural magpie to colours and well anything that glitters really. My only downfall is that I did the colours almost too well? Sounds crazy but I choose, purple, navy, pink and lime green, again sounds crazy (but it works, I promise!) and now I am a month and a bit in and lets just say those colour schemes are wearing somewhat! haha but I reckon for SS15 (i’m combining the two) that I will keep my colour schemes more open (although pastels and florals will feature heavily!)
Are you thinking of adding any accents to your Spring Capsule?
Jess
therealjlow.wordpress.com
THIS is definitely my favorite outfit of yours, EVER. The texture is awesome, the silhouette is beautiful. I just love it. Now I’ve gotta try to find similar pieces in my closet to mimic this look! =)
When I first started reading your blog I realized that one of the key problems with my closet was that *everything* was a color or a print and *nothing* went with anything else. I really like color and I think I look my best wearing color, but over the past year I’ve focused on investing in more neutrals and that has made mixing and matching work so much better. Right now I’m wearing brown leggings, a tan sweater and a gorgeous pink cowl I just finished knitting. I’m so happy with this outfit and think that the cowl really “pops” because of the neutrals. So, I’m not really a neutral gal, but I am definitely learning to appreciate how key neutrals are to a flexible wardrobe!
I have found that I have a closet full of black, and a few years back I decided to change that a bit – still like the really dark colors, but have moved to Indigo and mocha browns…I have a fair complexion and dark brown, almost black natural hair color…so certain browns [that tend toward ‘autumn’ tones] don’t work for me…but these ‘new’ colors are a nice change and still give me that dark saturated color that I crave….just a thought….
I usually pick a colour or two to focus on when putting a wardrobe together. I feel like I have difficulty making my looks reflect how I want to look when I’m adding colour. I’d absolutely love to see some well done colourful wardrobes!
Not sure I could do an entire capsule wardrobe of color. That would probably give me a headache. I have a red pencil skirt and a mustard yellow pencil skirt and that is about as much color I can handle, but they work well with all my neutrals. I mostly like color on my nails and my purse. I work in an office and neutrals are just easier and generally look more professional.
Caroline! I found your blog via Pinterest and I’m obsessed with the idea of a Capsule wardrobe now! A while back I started thinking about Cuyana’s “Fewer, Better” campaign (which admittedly is likely just a marketing ploy to make me not regret spending $$$$ on a nice leather bag), but still, I love the idea of purging all the unnecessary crap from my life and just keeping around the nice, few things I reach for over and over again.
I want to start my first capsule wardrobe this spring (April-June) and I’m dying finally get rid of those last few things that are still clogging up my closet. That’s all, I’m just really excited and super glad I found your blog and I thought you should know!