Guess what?! It’s time to meet our first guest blogger — Jacquelyn! She’ll be here every Tuesday, showing us her outfits + sharing how she makes a capsule wardrobe work for her lifestyle. Make sure to leave her plenty of love and check out her blog today too!
Now, I’ll just get out of the way and let her do all the talking! xo Caroline
Please note: The images above may be representations of the actual piece of clothing. We often work with older pieces of clothing that aren’t available anymore. We do our very best, but when we can’t find a picture of the exact item, we use a similar picture instead.
knit cardigan | white button up | silk-like blouse | gingham button up
heather grey skirt | black skirt | pencil skirt | blazer
trousers | crew neck sweater | teal pencil skirt | chambray shirt
mulberry dress | grid sweater | tall boots | patent flats | ankle booties
Hi there! I’m Jacquelyn — you can call me Jacq! I’m 28 and I live in a suburb a few minutes outside of Philadelphia, PA with my parents. I am an assistant at a Hedge Fund, I have my own virtual assistant business, and I am in school to get my teacher certification!
What does a typical day in your life look like?
On a typical work day I am in the office from 9-5. My office is actually pretty casual, most of them wear jeans, sneakers, and casual tops, but I prefer getting dressed up! It fits my personal style and I believe in dressing for the job you want (even if you don’t know what that job is!).
I sit at a computer all day but part of my job involves doing whatever they ask of me. So sometimes I can be found on the ground under a desk rewiring technology, carrying in groceries, getting their lunch orders and setting that up, watering plants, weighing huge boxes to be shipped out. If I know I will be doing a lot of tech support type work then I’ll wear pants! And because I am often outside running errands, I pay close attention to the weather and dress appropriately and bring rain or snow boots to change in to if necessary.
I’m home on Monday and a half day Tuesday so I try to get as much school work done as possible, usually in my PJs. I’ll do some sort of exercise, eat lunch, shower, and head out to the grocery store if I need things for the week. After that I’ll do blog pictures and posts.
When did you start your capsule wardrobe?
I started a mini one in August to test the waters then went full out in the fall.
What’s the biggest challenge of living with a capsule wardrobe?
I haven’t found living with a capsule to be too challenging. That may be because I started in fall and fall weather clothes fit my style the best (sweaters, button ups, layers). For me the biggest challenge has actually been creating the actual capsule. I’m struggling this winter because of my change in lifestyle, but also because I hate winter.
What’s the biggest perk?
Feeling and knowing that I have enough. I’m not tempted to shop as much and when the bug does bite, I remind myself that I have a full wardrobe in my closet.
How do you tailor the Unfancy rules to fit your lifestyle?
I don’t limit myself to 37 pieces because I need an office wardrobe and a casual wardrobe. I also don’t include shoes because the weather changes so frequently in the Northeast that I feel like I need access to the entire collection. But my sandals are stashed away!
I try to think of my wardrobe as a Venn diagram. One circle is office, the other circle is casual, and where the circles meet are the pieces that can work with both. I try to keep that chunk the biggest.
How many pieces do you have in your capsule wardrobe?
My capsule wardrobe isn’t finalized yet. I had a lot of life changes happen in a short span of time: I was working full time, then I thought I was unemployed because I was going back to school, and now I work part time and attend school.
I’m still working on finalizing the pieces, but I know it will consist of either two wardrobes (work and casual) or pieces that can flow back and forth.
What was your budget for your capsule wardrobe?
My original budget was about $300. I ended up buying a lot of things and then my Mom stole them to give to me as Christmas gifts so I’m not quite sure what I ended up spending. Plus I’m still searching for jeans and colored pants.
Tell us about the process of making your current capsule wardrobe.
For winter I knew that I wanted to carry over most of my fall capsule because I really liked it and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I wanted new sweaters, a colored casual pant, and I’m in desperate need of jeans too so I focused on those items. My process has changed as circumstances changed, but I am still focusing on these three items.
For the fall I did the same thing. I picked a few key items that I wanted to focus on purchasing and created the rest of the capsule with things I already had. It worked out really well for me and kept me from buying things just because.
In the fall I knew I wanted my main colors to be navy and burgundy, but I don’t have a color focus in mind for winter. Because I am carrying a lot of fall pieces over those two colors will still be prominent but I have noticed more black and green in my closet this season!
I try to keep in mind my Venn diagram and remember that in the beginning of the season I’ll need to layer a lot, but by the end I won’t need such heavy outfits so I want all of my pieces to work in that weather transition.
Where can we keep up with you on the internet?
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
And also here, on the Classpass blog where I wrote a piece about taking risks!
Hello Jacq!!!
Lovely to see your wardrobe highlights, I hope to see how you piece outfits together from your wardrobe and how you finalise it. I am curious how big your wardrobe is from your Venn diagram, whether you have twice as much or just a few extra key pieces.
Can’t wait to see and find out more :)
Hi Stef! Once I get everything finalized I plan on posting all about it including my Venn diagram. I totally don’t have it all figured out yet but I feel like the middle space of the diagram is the biggest and maybe the sides are equal? I’ll let you know!
Can’t wait! :)
Jacq! As a working, I love that you mentioned the Venn diagram idea. I’m planning my spring capsule for both work and play and found that finding pieces that will do just fine somewhere in the middle chunk is what I’d like to spend the most money on. And I totally feel you on the Northeast weather situation. I’m flip flopping between flats and boots almost every other day!
Oh I totally just added you to my Bloglovin to get some PA weather ideas! I’ve been finding that it’s really easy to fill the middle chunk with tops, but I’m having trouble finding bottoms to fit that middle space. PS I totally love hand written letters!
Great to see someone else’s take on a capsule wardrobe. My biggest challenge is feeling like I have multiple fashion personalities. In the past I have picked pieces that don’t cross over from one mood to the other well and it limits mixing things up. I keep coming back to the blog hoping to learn how to pick things that work together better and actually fit my lifestyle.
I totally get what you mean. I definitely feel like I have the secretary office personality, the yoga pants personality, the wannabe laid back personality, the leather jacket personality, the dresses and boots personality. I’ll keep this in mind as I design outfits to showcase on my blog. You already have me thinking I need to do a leather jacket and pencil skirt look.
Thanks for sharing your insights, Jacq! I, too am trying to do a capsule wardrobe that includes both work clothes and casual clothes. I breathed a sigh of relief that you don’t include shoes in your count. ;) haha. In all seriousness, though, I am trying to focus less on the number of pieces and more on the concept of simplicity = freedom! Looking forward to hearing more of your ideas!
That’s a great way to look at a capsule wardrobe and one that I have definitely adopted. When I set out to create my fall capsule I started trying to limit myself to 37 pieces and quickly realized that wasn’t going to work for me! Instead I focused on finding the necessary pieces to create a wardrobe that works for office and play!
You had me at “Venn Diagram” =)
hahahaha! Love them!
Fabulous guest post and I’ll certainly be checking out your blog. I love the idea of a Venn diagram as it particularly works for working in a school. I’m not sure what the expectations are in the US but I teach in a secondary (High ???) school in the UK and we are expected to be fairly smart in class but I need a decent sized casual wardrobe for the holidays.
Loving unfancy too Caroline x
I grew up with an elementary school teacher for a Mom and I’m in school to get certified to teach secondary school so teacher wardrobes are definitely a topic with me. When I taught college composition at the ripe age of 24 I tried to be really conscious of the pencil skirts that hugged my curves a little too nicely. I’d say typical teacher standards here are covered up and casual. I feel like there is a lot of wiggle room for how stylish and trendy you are. My Mom was always really conscious of how loose her tops were because as an elementary teacher she was constantly bending over their desks. I think when I’m a teacher my work style won’t differ too much from my current office style except I might be more aware of how tight the skirts and dresses get. I already dress pretty conservatively.
Omg the Venn diagram analogy just blew my mind. I’m stealing that… But I’ll credit you!!
Tell me more about the virtual assistant gig!!!
Oh feel free to steal! I’m a sharer. I’m working on a venn diagram post once my wardrobe is finalized!
Jacq, It’s so funny, I live in a suburb outside of Philadelphia as well – about 25 minutes. I was so excited when you were picked as a guest blogger since we live so close, our seasons are exactly the same. So it’s nice to look at a capsule that could absolutely translate to my own wardrobe. I’ve been checking your blog/instagram out as well. Hope we run into each other at some point ;-)
Caroline thanks so much for all of your inspiration. x
Oh that is a funny coincidence! And I’m guessing we have the same name too! Where are you? I’m in lower bucks near Langhorne.
My full name is Jacqueline as well!! And really? Right now I’m in an apartment in Bensalem right by Neshaminy Mall and my parents live in Levittown and I’m going to be moving back in with them to save some money. Small world!
I have been following this blog for awhile now, and love the Bucks County references! I live in VA now, but grew up near New Hope, PA for most of my life. Most of my family still lives in the area. VA is a bit warmer, but I frequently visit PA, so I’m excited to see how you work the winter wardrobe!
I love seeing how she makes a capsule work for her work life and casual life, it’s something I’m still struggling with…
Thank you, Kate!
i LOVE this. i’ll probably read this post ten more times, because her lifestyle is SO similar to mine — both working as an assistant (i’m full time though) and going to school. this is perfect as i begin preparing for a minimal or capsule wardrobe. great choice as a contributor caroline, jacquelyn will be the perfect addition to unfancy :)
I’m just a few hours shy of full time and would have stayed on except my work and school are over an hour apart! I can’t wait to see your capsule as you grow it. Be sure to let me know on Instagram!
Jacquelyn is struggling with a lot of the same issues I am- the crazy, unpredictable winters in the Northeast and finding clothes that work both for a corporate office and for casual days. Thanks for this post!
Thank you!
Hooray! It is great to have someone with a diverse life and actual seasons to contend with add their experiences to the mix. I also blend my home and work wardrobes as much as possible. And this time of year, outerwear and footwear have less to do with fashion than with the weather. From the sample of your wardrobe, you also appear to embrace classics over trends… also great to see. Welcome!
You’re right on with the classic style! It fits my body type better. For me as someone with curves the tailored style works much better on me than the loose style. Although I would really love to be able to throw on a pair of joggers and go!
HI Jacq,
When I was reading your article, I was shocked to see some similarities between us. I too work at a hedge fund and am an assistant too! I live in New York so the weather changes too much to have only 37 pieces. After reading about your wardrobe and how you customize for casual and business, I think I finally know how make my closet of clothes work. Thank you so much for your blog post and i’m excited to read you next one!
Wow, that is crazy! Tons of similarities. Is your office casual like mine? The finance world can vary so greatly when it comes to dressing.
Thanks Jacqueline for sharing! It was very inspiring and encouraging to hear about your capsule wardrobe journey, especially for someone like me who is just starting the whole challenge!
Thank you, Victoria! I hope you’ll be able to find more inspiration!
Glad to see a guest blogger from my home climate (I’m from PA too)! Welcome Jacq!
Thanks, Jen!
I love that the time for these are here! I’m excited to see a few more perspectives on capsule wardrobes. :)
Absolutely thrilled to get someone writing about office capsules.
Welcome Jacq! I love that you said you like to dress for the job you want!
Im an Admin & Finance manager in a small workplace training office. I try to keep my office outfits professional with a slightly casual look. You never know when a future client / boss may walk in!!
Im studying my Diploma in Accounting also, and most of the firms around here have a much more professional attire going.
But then I have to even it out with my ‘mum to two kids’ wardrobe. As Im more a plus size, I find that dressing up that bit more, makes me feel better on the inside. I don’t do lazy-look outfits very well!
I like the concept of my work and hoime gear overlapping a lot too.
Looking forward to hearing more from you :o)
Hi Jacq! I, like others, like the venn diagram concept. I’m currently working at a super casual on-your-feet-for-8-hours mental health facility, but am in grad school for my Therapists’ License and am starting internship in the fall, so I need items a little dressier than what I’ve got now (such as slacks instead of denim, blouses instead of tees). Your capsule is great inspiration for how you can mix the two styles seamlessly! Looking forward to more Tuesday posts :)
I look forward to seeing capsules from other people! I just started mine, it’s not complete, but I’m getting into the swing of things.
Hi Jacq and hi Caroline!
Caroline, I am new-ish to your blog. I love the idea of having guest bloggers. Jacq, I live in DC and I believe the weather is pretty similar to Philly! I do not have a capsule wardrobe and at the moment I am not considering one, but I am trying to find ways to use what I have and go for a while without shopping. I like that you don’t include shoes, since I love shoes too much to just pick two or three pairs! I am a teacher so I also love the venn diagram.
Lovely to *virtually* meet you girls.
Hi Jacq,
Like others, I am also excited to see how you put together a capsule wardrobe for your lifestyle in a climate with 4 real seasons. I am a college professor in Chicago. So, I too have weather issues to deal with. While many college professors wear jeans and sandals everyday, I teach in a professional program with a dress code. Plus, I like also dressing up.
I am new to the capsule game. Winter was my first real capsule- after pairing down my wardrobe this fall. However, early on in this process, I had the idea of a core capsule for work that I keep during the entire school year outside of my every day capsule. Sort of like Caroline’s dressy capsule that is outside of her “unfancy” wardrobe. In this core group, I have 2 pairs of slacks (black and navy), 2 cardigans (black and navy) and a white button down. Then, I can mix these basics with all of my other pieces without counting toward the piece limit. It might be something you think about as you put together your teacher wardrobe. I look forward to seeing your outfits soon!
I love the Venn Diagram idea! I’ll be entering a less casual workplace soon and I was perplexed on how to make a capsule wardrobe work. Just one critique though, Jacq, the whole “real body” thing on your blog is a bit of a turn off. Since when was someone that is not “thick” not real? It’s just one of those sayings that I wish would go away. Real woman, real man, real body….we are all real and there’s no reason to downplay just how real we all are. I know you mean it in the nicest way, it’s just something that I think could’ve been left out.
Hey Amber, thank you so much for your comment. You weren’t the only one who felt this way and, as you guessed it, it was not my intention to come across that way. I went back and edited the paragraph (and said it was an edited paragraph) to correct my mistake. What I meant by “real” body is that it is not altered in anyway on the blog. What I look like is what you see. I totally didn’t write it in that way in my rush to get a post out and that’s my fault. Thank you so much for pointing this error out!
I love the visual imagery of the Venn diagram to include every side of life. Such a helpful way to consider the entire wardrobe, thanks. I tend to struggle at dressing up a casual piece or dressing down something nice. Focusing the the clothing pieces in the overlap that I understand how to mix together, instead of the ones that stump me, will make such a difference.
I so love the idea of capsule wardrobes. To bad that one my health won’t let me to much, I don’t work 9-5 and where I live there isn’t seasons.
Can’t wait to see how you style work outfits!
Jacquelyn.
When I first heard UnFancy was going to have guest bloggers I was a little skeptical and worried I wouldn’t “like” the posts as much as I enjoy Caroline’s, as I really only LOVE 2-3 blogs and this is one of them. I went to some of the finalists blogs and although they’re all great, I only connected with Tania’s. I’m so so glad Caroline did this though, because I’m excited about this post and future posts by you! Your blog is great as well. I read a few posts and I’ll definitely be stopping by your blog again! Caroline made the good decision choosing you as a guest blogger! Thanks for sharing!
Also, I love seeing a different take on a capsule wardrobe by someone with a different lifestyle than Caroline, but still “approved” by my favorite style blogger/capsule wardrobe-er.=)