Have you ever asked yourself that before? Do you have too many clothes but can never find anything to wear? (*putting my hand up*) That was until I discovered a capsule wardrobe. I heard of a capsule wardrobe years ago and thought it would be a good idea but just never got around to doing it. That was until a really good friend of mine put pen to paper and wrote Creating a Capsule Wardrobe: A Guide for Real Women with Real Budgets.
Written by my good friend Claire Collins and Ellen Bradshaw, “Creating a Capsule Wardrobe: A Guide for Real Women with Real Budgets” will take you through the process of creating a capsule wardrobe for real women like us with real budgets.
I was lucky enough to grab a copy of Claire and Ellen’s book, hot off the press and decided it was time. Time to fix the problem of having too many clothes that didn’t coordinate well with other pieces in my wardrobe and still, I’d stand there for ages trying to decide on something to wear. Following the instructions in the book was so easy and so rewarding.
I think I went from having over 50 pieces of clothing and reduced it to 20, including shoes, and according to the handy grid in the book, which helps you calculate just how many different outfits you can achieve, I now have 256 different outfits to wear.
A capsule wardrobe could be used all year round or you could divide it up into seasons, which is what I did. It’s just coming into cooler weather here where I am. Because I don’t live in a really cold climate, I was able to keep most of my summer clothes, bring out some of my winter jumpers and jackets and then all I had to buy was 1 or 2 more pieces to compliment what I already had to have a fully coordinated, interchangeable wardrobe of clothes.
My Colour Scheme
I decided to stick to a black, navy, red and white colour scheme because that’s what I seemed to have a lot of. I had to decide on a uniform, as Claire and Ellen explain in their book. There’s no point creating a wardrobe full of elaborate gowns or party dresses if that’s not what I need for my lifestyle.
As a busy Mum, who’s running from home to school and back again, running errands, catching up with friends or the occasional business meeting thrown in, I decided the look I should go for was a casual, resort style. I do love wearing a sneaker so can incorporate a few casual looks with the items of clothing I’ve decided on.
What I love best about this book is that I don’t need to buy a complete new wardrobe of clothes. It explains in precise detail just how to decide what will fit in with your lifestyle, what to keep, what to get rid of and just how easy it is to create all these different outfits with only a few pieces of clothing.
We’re real women who are making ends meet so we don’t just walk into the designer boutiques to buy those one off pieces nor do we have the budget, or lifestyle for that matter.
I also found that this process has boosted my self esteem immensely. Instead of going for my old favourite tshirt to wear around the house and think “oh, I need to duck down to the store”, I make sure I’m dressed for success every single day.
I went shopping and bought a couple shirts that were 50% off and one that was marked down to only $3! I’ve still got to pick up a nice black dress shoe for those more dressy occasions but you don’t need to tell me twice to go shoe shopping!
Buy Now
You can buy a copy of the “Creating a Capsule Wardrobe: A Guide for Real Women with Real Budgets” in either an ebook format or paperback copy.
To buy in ebook format, click here.
To buy in paperback format, click here.
My favourite piece of clothing has to be my knee-length dark denim skirt. I can dress it up or down and it goes with everything else I own. I have had it for years and it just seems to get better with age like all great things do! 🙂
Fave item would have to be my bootleg jeans! Or maybe my 15+ year old hoodie haha…. it’s a tie.
My favourite piece of clothing at the moment is my dark denim jeans. I can dress the up or dress them down by adding flat sport shoes and a t-shirt or a tailored shirt, cardigan or jacket and boots!
Jeggings!! Dark demin – smart casual, and super-comfy. Perfect with a long, flowy top (especially when you want seconds of cheesecake).
My favorite piece of clothing is a gray tone floral dress. I bought it on a whim and it just feels amazing and floaty to wear.
The only thing I look forward to in winter, is winter clothes. I love my jeans but my favourite item is a red wool coat that I’ve had for at least 15 years. It’s so warm, keeps the wind out and I love wearing it with jeans and red sneakers, or over a dressier outfit to go out on a cold winter’s night. I feel much happier about the cold weather when I can wear my red wool coat.
Anne, those would be my “uniform” colours too. When I’m looking for something to wear, those are the colours that fit together easily and look great on me. I wear a lot of denim in winter (the good kind – stretchy) and have multiple blue and black jeans to carry me through. White jeans are laughable in my town – too much red dirt. And I have kids and a dog, so no white here.
But I love rusty browns and golds too. They suit my hair and skin tones. And green, can’t forget green. Hmm. Not sure I could stick to a 4 colour wardrobe 🙂
Definately my 3/4 black leggings that take me anywhere. Especially walking when I am next allowed to walk. I love wearing them they make me feel good about myself and walking. I miss my walking. Big time.
Tshirts – wear them daily. Comfortable and easy to put on and get on with the daily stuff. 🙂
I have a pair of palazzo pants that are white with a grey organic spot I love them
My jeans! In denim, burgundy, light blue denim, black and even green?
Favourite item is a lovely patterned red Aztec looking shawl
Goes over coats and cardio making a special unique look and so warm
Im loving My Dannii Minogue denim jacket had it for a couple of years now and its so comfortable
My old comfy jeans are my favourite. They fit so well and I can wear them just about everywhere.
My favorite clothing would be my high waist pants and jogger.
This might sound weird but when I wear common jeans or pants, and when I sit down, they usually go lower and thus my panties would be visible. My with high waist pants / jogger, my panties are safe lmaooo.
Sorry for my weird and out of topic answer ???
My favourite item of clothing is a sweatshirt type thing with a beaded owl on the front. Super comfy an oh so shiny!
My favourite item of clothing is the brand new pants I purchased the other day. As a larger woman I have hated pants for a very long time as I’ve never felt comfortable or confident in them however as a Mum of a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old I desperately missed the practicality of pants! Then I found a pair of corset wasted pants that hold in my Mum tum, shape my legs and backside, wash easily, are ridiculously easy to style up or down depending on the occasion and most importantly make me feel good. I’m completely in love and they are going to be the staple piece of the capsule wardrobe I’m going to make this weekend. Thank you for such a life changing post!
My fave piece of clothing at this time is my Black Ponte pants…..so comfy and stretchy and they go just about anywhere! Thanks Anne what a lovely giveaway!
My Tie Dye Maxi Dress.
Probably my feeding vests – not wishing to sound all mother earth! I didn’t buy any proper feeding clothes with my first baby because kmart and Target were rubbish and I didn’t actually see anything useful at that time. Then, when a friend passed her feeding vests on when I had my second , they were a revelation. I had spent months flashing my overhanging tum at the world for no blinkin reason!! Boob slots in clothes rock!
My favorite piece of clothing would be my Emu boots. They are like putting your feet in a teddy bear.
My husband try to remind me they are inside shoes but they are so snuggley I often sneak out to take out the bins or walk the dog or sometimes for my drive to the butchers. Then realise that I’m shopping in slippers.
I have a black “tuxedo” style jacket that I love. It has 3/4 sleeves so perfect for all seasons. It is formal enough for corporate workwear and also gets dressed down with dark blue jeans and heels for dinner and drinks or with flats and a tee for lunch dates. Always looks polished even when “dressed down”. It was purchased from target a few years ago and is still going strong.
My favourite clothing item is jeans. A good Jean can be dressed up or down and worn nearly everywhere.