I'm finally sharing a much-requested (by one person) post about the capsule project I recently did. And I am very cleverly calling it: End-capsulating, because I actually loved doing it and I'm thinking this might turn into a series of sorts.
Today I'm breaking it down and sharing:
+ why I decided to do a capsule project
+ what I included in my capsule
+ what I wore for 15 days
+ and a few things I learned along the way!
The reasoning:
In early Spring of this year, I found myself feeling completely uninspired and unsatisfied with what was in my closet. I constantly had that dreaded "nothing to wear" feeling, which is ridiculous, because I own plenty of clothing etc. So I decided to do what every blogger does! A capsule!
I included "capsule project" in my small goals for April, put it off for a while (more on that later) but completed it during the second half of the month.
If you're unfamiliar with capsules (...welcome to the internet?) they're basically part of the minimalism trend, where you limit yourself to a certain amount of items from your closet, for a defined amount of time. There are no hard and fast "rules", necessarily, but most typically the number of items you pick corresponds with the number of days in your challenge (so, 15 pieces for 15 days.) I've seen projects like this happen all over the blogosphere, so I'm not sure who to directly credit, though Kendi Everyday's 30x30 is the first one I ever remember seeing, and more recently, Caroline at Un-Fancy does capsule variations quite frequently.
The capsule:
Ok, so here are the goods. I honestly, purposely went a bit off the rails. I knew my boutique dress would be a challenge to wear more than once (spoiler alert: it was!) In another brave move, I chose blue velvet booties over black leather booties, just for fun. I also really wanted to include my black Zara leggings, but in a small goal catastrophe, they were at the tailor's for the duration of this project! I've linked below to the items where possible, or similar otherwise. Because some of these are V random and old!
+ Camo t-shirt - Forever 21
+ Heart blouse - Forever 21
+ Pink button-up - Uniqlo {similar}
+ White t-shirt- Zara {similar}
+ Striped blazer/top - Forever 21
+ Black jeans - Old Navy
+ Boyfriend jeans - Gap {similar}
+ Girlfriend jeans - Urban Outfitters {similar}
+ Purple suede skirt - Loft
+ Black velvet skirt - vintage {similar}
+ White trainers - Superga
+ Black clogs - Swedish Hasbeens
+ Velvet Booties - Target {similar}
+ Striped dress - Madewell {similar}
+ Printed dress - Wish boutique
Let's take a look at a few of the MVPs of my capsule, together in one outfit!
| lipstick: Milani Matte Lipstick in Matte Beauty | blouse: Forever 21 | skirt: Loft | clogs: Swedish Hasbeens |
I did intend to take some "actual outfit pics" on a few days (ok, this counts), just because the lighting in my room is sub-par! This skirt was a really fun pop of color to add into a mostly neutral capsule. I was mostly just excited to pair it with this new blouse, since I've struggled with styling this newish skirt exactly right. Oh I also washed this skirt right before this and yikes, it looks a little rumpled.
The rest of the outfits:
Outfit Notes:
How did I do? Pretty well, overall. I managed to not wear the same exact thing twice (though Day 15 and Day 10 came pretty close.) I also, for the most part, liked what I wore and didn't feel restricted by the capsule!
My favorite outfits were probably Day 1, 3, 4, and Day 12 (sorry these pictures don't have numbers!) My least favorites were Day 6 & 11, just because they were boring, not that I wouldn't necessarily wear them again.
Most surprising combination that worked? The red blazer and purple skirt on Day 12!
Capsule MVPS? My girlfriend jeans and black jeans were each worn 4 times, no surprises. I also really really liked my new camo t-shirt.
One-hit-wonder-fails? My velvet pencil skirt and velvet booties (which I kinda knew would happen!)
A few things I learned:
+ Make your capsule work for you! I found myself putting off this challenge until I really stopped to consider why it was stressing me out. I realized then I needed to do it in the way that worked for me, so, I decided on a Monday-Friday, Workweek capsule, with flexibility to wear what I wanted on the weekends. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to do a capsule, so make it your own!
+ Be prepared for a temperature swing. Though, I don't know exactly how. This is what messed me up towards the end and totally ruled out my booties. Maybe just focus on items that can be warmed up or cooled down, if necessary (for a transitional season capsule.)
+ Accessories, my dear Watson. I know this is nothing new, but it's something that really helped me out! Because I felt like I was wearing the same four things, I turned to accessories (that, I'll be honest, usually sit dormant) to complete my outfits and make them a little more interesting. This was such a great reminder to work with what I have.
+ Capsules really do make getting dressed a snap! The Paradox of Choice is nothing new, but it was one of those things I needed to see for myself. Having 15 pre-selected items on a garment rack in my room REALLY DID make getting dressed in the mornings EASY and gave me a newfound appreciation for how versatile my closet can be (which was the goal!) Try it!
Whew! Thanks for reading this doozy of a post! If you've done a capsule project, I would love to hear about your experience. Please share with me in the comments!
+ Be prepared for a temperature swing. Though, I don't know exactly how. This is what messed me up towards the end and totally ruled out my booties. Maybe just focus on items that can be warmed up or cooled down, if necessary (for a transitional season capsule.)
+ Accessories, my dear Watson. I know this is nothing new, but it's something that really helped me out! Because I felt like I was wearing the same four things, I turned to accessories (that, I'll be honest, usually sit dormant) to complete my outfits and make them a little more interesting. This was such a great reminder to work with what I have.
+ Capsules really do make getting dressed a snap! The Paradox of Choice is nothing new, but it was one of those things I needed to see for myself. Having 15 pre-selected items on a garment rack in my room REALLY DID make getting dressed in the mornings EASY and gave me a newfound appreciation for how versatile my closet can be (which was the goal!) Try it!
Whew! Thanks for reading this doozy of a post! If you've done a capsule project, I would love to hear about your experience. Please share with me in the comments!
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