Here’s something cool about winter:
Less laundry.
Well, kinda. Here’s what I mean:
As I was putting my winter capsule wardrobe together, I looked at all the sweaters I had included and remembered how I am notorious for throwing “hand wash only” sweaters into the washing machine … and seriously shortening their lifespan.
But my problem was solved one cold, cold night. I threw a long sleeve thermal tee (usually reserved for sleeping) under my sweater. At that moment I knew I was going to do this every time I wear a sweater this winter. Why? Because not only does it keep me warm, it’s a layer protecting my sweater + keeping it clean.
My thermal tees can handle being washed and dried all the time. Meanwhile my sweaters are saying nice.
Now as long as I can avoid spilling food and/or red wine on myself, I’ll be good. :)
sweater: Nordstrom Rack (also similar here)
pants: old from J.Crew (similar)
bag: Marc Jacobs
shoes: Charles David
This is a great idea!!
I love the details of this sweater! So comfy, but still interesting. Great find.
Ooops! I hit return before I could finish my comment. I ordered a bunch of the items you linked to and they all arrived in the mail yesterday. I was morosely reading the “hand wash only” and thinking I’d need to get a special tub in the basement to be like Cinderella! Even hand-washing my bras feels like a chore. So I’m so glad I saw this tip today, yay!
I ordered a couple months ago a bunch of wicking running shirts from Costco for $7 each and they’re nice enough to wear-as is and definitely under sweaters (which sometimes make me itchy). They’re two for $14 and the brand is 32 Degrees weatherproof. If anyone likes running in the winter their $20 32 Degree down jackets aren’t bulky and are pretty warm though I sometimes need 2 layers on underneath…
I wash most of my sweaters – even cashmere! – in the washing machine: put them in a clean pillow case and tie it with a hair elastic, delicate cycle and a mild detergent. Dry flat. I read this online somewhere years ago. It works like a charm but I would still recommend caution if you’re particularly fond of your clothing. If cleaning clothes takes a lot of effort, I tend to stop wearing them. If something doesn’t make it in the machine, so be it :).
Great idea, Katharine! I’ll have to try this trick!
Oh man what a great find! Love the details in that sweater!! So sad it’s sold out!
GAH! I am so mad at myself… I had the black sweater in my “shopping bag” prior to Christmas and then decided to wait to make the purchase. Now it’s sold out in every size. KICKING MYSELF!!! Great sweater! great look!
Oh bummer, Ashley! They might restock — and you might want to check out Nordstrom Rack in person. They tend to still have things hanging around that have sold out online, depending on the store. :) xo Caroline
Looks great.
What I do to wash my sweaters is put them in lingerie bags and throw them in the wash, then just hang/lay them to dry. Works for me!
Me too! I refuse to hand wash ;) even my less-than-high-quality forever21 sweaters have lasted doing this trick on gentle cycle.
Such a good idea! Also, this is an adorable outfit and I love your haircut! :)
Love this look and thank you for the tip!
I can’t tell you how many sweaters I’ve ruined by washing them! It is a bit of annoyance – who has the time to hand wash all those knits – but I’ve resolved to try and take better care of my clothes and honestly for a lot of clothes they’re much better if you wash them irregularly. I’ll definitely try to layer more often.
Ugh such a great idea! How did I never think of this?! I sometimes find myself avoiding wearing ‘hand wash only’ sweaters that I love for this very reason. Never again though! And I love the simplicity + chic-ness of this all black outfit, btw.
Really?!?! All I wear in Winter is sweaters. (NO joke)
I really need to get some thermal tee’s. Laundry down for me!
LOVE this tip, Caroline.
BTW, I’m really digging the bangs look. You’re absolutely stunning.
xx
This is an amazing idea!! Do you have any favorite brands for these thermal tees? I live in Kansas City and it’s seriously cold here today…
Hi Erin! I just get mine from Target. :) xo Caroline
Hi Caroline! I just found your blog a few weeks ago and have been LOVING it. Your site is such an inspiration for living with less while remaining creative with design/beauty.
I’m glad you brought up laundry, because I’ve been wanting to ask you about it! I would love to hear more about how your laundry habits have changed since moving to a capsule wardrobe. One of my concerns as I’ve been reducing my wardrobe is that I need to wash things more often (potentially wearing them out) and that I need to plan ahead more so that I don’t run out of options. Neither of those is inherently a bad thing, but it has come up as a stumbling block for me, because I feel like it’s one more thing to remember and organize. I was just wondering if this has come up for you, and if you’ve found any changes or improvements to your laundry system since moving to a capsule wardrobe. Thanks!
Hi Lindsay! Check out this post I wrote a while back — it deals with the very questions you’re asking. :)
http://www.un-fancy.com/capsule-wardrobe-101/laundry-my-capsule-wardrobe/
xo Caroline
Thanks Caroline! This was exactly what I was looking for :)
I do this too! There is no way I’m going to handwash all those pieces so a lot of times they go unwashed for a bit… (shh don’t tell anyone!). Because let’s be real, I’m not going to handwash anything. It either goes in the washing machine or it’s not getting washed at all. Layering a t-shirt or thermal under my sweaters helps immensely in keeping them clean.
– Kelsey
http://kelseydefined.wordpress.com/
I do the thermal tees too!! It’s a super good idea because I don’t have that many sweaters and don’t really invest in winter clothes too much.. so I do lots of layering. Great, practical post!
Great idea! Another one I have–invest in a sweater shaver! I think I paid $11 for a Conair one on Amazon & I know you can also get them at Target. I don’t know why I have never owned one before…but they make sweaters that have pilled and started to look funky look brand new again! Love this outfit! :)
(Erin, I’m in KC, too! It’s ridiculous out there today! Stay warm!)
We needed a new washer desperately last year so a friend sold me one for super cheap. The only issue with it is that it doesn’t activate the spin cycle on any setting other than delicate, so I’ve been washing literally every single load on delicate in cold water. I feel like I’m treating my clothes much better than when I washed everything on a normal cycle with warm or hot water! (I know, literally everyone else knows this already but it took me a while to develop mature washing habits, hah.) This is definitely one time where a defect turned out to be a blessing in disguise! I am definitely going to have to try the pillowcase method that someone mentioned in the comments.
I just started wearing some long-sleeve tees under my sweaters, too! Didn’t think about the fact that it would actually help my sweaters stay cleaner…. haha! I hate having to wash them. I usually remember to put them on delicate, but when my dear husband offers to do laundry… that is another story! I think he just ruined one of my new sweaters… it’s not horrible, but you can tell he didn’t wash it correctly. Oh well!
That sweater is gorgeous! love it
Great post, Caroline! I totally use this trick and it works like a charm. My biggest challenge is keeping my daughter’s sticky fingers away from me, but that’s part of the package, I guess. :)
Instead of running my hand washables through the whole machine cycle I let the washer fill up with cold water, put in my sweaters and swish them around by hand, then I turn the dial to the end of the cycle and spin them, lift the lid again to let the rinse cycle fill up then advance the dial to the final spin. You have to babysit the washer but I can do all my hand wash in one go and the spin cycle saves me from hanging up a bunch of drippy things. I wash all my sweaters this way, including cashmere, and any delicate t-shirts that I want to prolong the life of.
I can’t recall if I’ve commented on your blog before but I just have to let you know how much your blog has helped and inspired me. I’ve been wanting to simplify my life for a while but couldn’t actually pinpoint what it was I wanted. Now looking back, I see all the signs leading me to a simplified lifestyle. The last of these “signs” was finding your blog. Your blog has been such an inspiration to me (and that might actually be an understatement)! It’s amazing to see you rewear your items in different ways (in comparison to seeing other bloggers who wear something new on every post). It shows that if you’re careful and thoughtful with your purchases, you’ll WANT to rewear them all the time. With a humble closet filled with items that you love and like to wear and a little creativity, getting dressed in the morning is so much easier. I’ve read a lot of inspirational stuff you’ve linked to and that’s been so helpful too! I’ve been decluttering my home. I did a shopping ban in December (yay!) and I’m doing a second one this month too. I realized I was using shopping as a bandaid, to make me feel better and to entertain me, I was completely caught up in consumerism. Even though I hardly bought hefty priced items, all the little things were very quickly adding up (wasted money, more clutter and a good dose of shopping guilt). My goal is not to be a “minimalist” per se. I just want to decrease my consumerist habits and live with a little less. I know I’ll still enjoy clothes and makeup but now I hope to be a smarter, less frequent and more thoughtful shopper and stop my impulse, “emotional bandaid” buys. My point is: I want you to know that your hard work and dedication is well worth it, this blog is so important. With so many blogs out there that reinforce excessive shipping, we NEED more blogs like this. Blogs that show that you don’t need to fall into extreme consumerism to be happy. You also don’t have to be a 100% minimalist and completely not care about your clothes. There’s a very happy middle ground! So thank you for all your help and inspiration, you’re doing something great and changing people’s lives, don’t you forget that!
Having a capsule wardrobe has really pushed me to take good care of my clothes! I’m much more likely to hang something up after wearing it (if it’s still clean) rather than throw it on the floor or bury it in the hamper. I treat stains right away, I sew on buttons as soon as they fall off, and I wash all my clothes on delicate and dry on low or air dry. I used to just shove it all in the washer and dry it on high and hope it all still fit. SO many ruined things!
Curious about the thermals – I’ve always worn tops under my sweaters because I find them to be uncomfortable otherwise. Do you not include them in your capsule?
Hi Jessica! They’ve always been my sleeping tees first and foremost, and since I dont count PJs, I never included them in the count. I’m okay with that. :) xo Caroline
I like it :)
This is such a great idea! I’ve just come across your blog and I really like it! Hope you have a good day :)
Hannah x
Hanniemc.co.uk
Hello! How tall are you? Just wondering about getting leggings for myself but I always have a hard time finding sweaters long enough to cover my butt.
Hello! I always did too. Im “pear” shaped and 5’7″ and I found a tee from target that works great. I could only find it online but it’s called “favorite long sleeve tee” or something to that effect. Tasteful v-neck, several colors and not pulled tight across my butt. Good luck :)
This is a great outfit, I do love a bit of black :) I was dying to see the boots from the side though, they look amazing! About the laundry: having a capsule wardrobe definitely encourages me to take better care of my clothes. For example I rarely wash jeans, knitwear and delicate blouses if I can help it. When I do wash them I was on very low or I hand wash them (if I have the time). Thanks for the tip!
Laura x
I was inspired by my sister (who shared your site with me) to do a capsule wardrobe. I’ve been working on it the last few days and I’m already loving it. I tend to keep a pretty small wardrobe as it is so it wasn’t too difficult to pair down a little further. My question is – does your husband have a capsule wardrobe? My husband is asking me to work on his now and I was looking for some inspiration. I thought I’d start with you. Or see if you have any good links for men’s capsule wardrobes. Thanks!
Hi Meg! My husband actually is working on his first one right now, so I’ll be sharing his soon. :) xo Caroline
oooo! I am looking forward to that. Tell your husband that we’re all rooting for him, and he’s lucky to have you there to help him in person!
That sweater is SUPER cool. I definitely tend to delay washing a lot of my clothes in winter. I’m always in layers and I figure if it wasn’t actually touching my body and I didn’t spill anything on it, it’s probably okay for at least one more wear.
Love this look!
http://thejoycediaries.blogspot.com
So in love with this outfit! I love black! Thanks for the tip too, now I need to remember to add thermals to my 2015 winter wardrobe, ha!
I’m delighted and doing the happy dance because I just finished reading your entire blog after finding you on IG. What a thrill! You are such an inspiration! In more ways than you’ll ever know. I’m sure a ton of people here seem to think so too! Never had time to read a blog, but now I look fwd to my email notifications so I can get your newest post. It’s like a breath of fresh air!
Keep up the good work, I’m sure it must be tough to put yourself out there, so I said a little prayer for you tonight. :)
I love your deconstructed sweater! Beautiful! I like to put my sweaters in lingerie bags, then throw them in the washer;)
http://www.mrsfranzos.blogspot.com
I tend to do less laundry during winter because I’m not sweating into the clothes so I feel like they don’t get as dirty as usual. I haven’t thought about wearing thermal tees under my sweaters though. That would be much more hygienic I imagine! (and most importantly, a lot warmer too) Thanks for the tip! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
So gorgeous in this all black ensemble. I do wear something under my sweater all the time but being a little ‘germ-phobic’ I still end up throwing them in the washing machine frequently. I used the ‘hand wash’ function though :)
Why is this sweater so amazing!!!? It’s absolutely perfect and fits you so well and oh my goodness, I am dead.
Hey, I can’t believe I’m the first to ask: where do you get your thermal tees?
Hi Lesley! I get them from Target :) xo Caroline
Hi Caroline,
what a beautiful sweater you are wearing. Great outfit. I love it.
That’s just a great knit!
Love this blog. Keep up the good work.
This is one of those “oh man! now I feel silly” moments. haha. Great suggestion!
Love this look! So nice and cozy! Living in Massachusetts, I almost always have something layered under a sweater in the winter, unless it’s really fitted and warm.
I haven’t read all the comments but I’m surprised that so many people find this a good idea, not that it is not good, but I’m doing this since I’m a kid… How were you all wearing your sweater before ?
Somebody can tell me where can i found this sweater please?? Or the brand
Hey Fer, it’s called the Ro + Dee sheer crew neck pullover from Nordstrom rack. You might want to check eBay or Poshmark since it’s pretty old :) xo, Caroline