I just wanted to start with a big thank you to everyone who took the time to read my first blog post. Your comments have been so encouraging and I have loved discovering how many people out there feel the same about capsule wardrobes! There is so much to say on this subject that I thought I would explore this in more depth…
Since my last post, a few people have asked how I break down my capsule wardrobe and manage my work needs and casual needs in the 31 pieces I referred to. I have found over time that my clothing needs can generally be divided into four main catergories: work, city casual, countryside and special occasions. I then decide how much variety I want within each category and aim to balance this within the 31 (or so) pieces. My starting point is always the work section.
My work place can be a very stressful environment. I spend most of my days in meetings, managing an overflowing inbox and resolving problems. Getting my work wardrobe right has been something of a personal mission for me which is why it is always my starting point for building each season’s capsule collection.
Your personal brand
Your appearance makes a nonverbal, emotional appeal, branding statement and often forms the first impression of you ~ Mireille Guiliano
I mentioned the inspirational writings of Jennifer L Scott in my last post. One of my other favourite French lifestyle writers is Mireille Guiliano. Former CEO for Veuve Clicqout, she is an authority on how to present yourself in the workplace. Working for a luxury brand obviously required a high standard of polish and presentation and I love what she has to say about how a little bit of extra care and attention to your appearance can help you develop the work persona you strive for. There is the old adage ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have’ and I think there is some truth in that.
After reading her book ‘Women, Work and the Art of Savoire Faire’ I gave a lot of thought to how I wanted to be seen (and how I wanted to feel) in the workplace. I set myself the challenge of summing that up in three words – that bit was tricky! Eventually I settled on elegant and polished but preppy (I know this third word may seem an odd companion to the other two but I wanted to balance the elegance and polish with something fresh: a modern twist, occasionally even quirky). The next challenge was how I would achieve that best in a capsule work wardrobe.
Signature Style
Your dresses should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show you’re a lady ~ Edith Head
In the past I have generally preferred to wear trousers but my journey towards a capsule wardrobe has converted me to the power of a dress. Somehow I feel more polished in a dress than I do in separates. Perhaps it is because there is no issue with trying to match fabrics, cuts and styles. Perhaps it is because I only need to worry about one item; either way my work signature style has become a dress, sometimes with a blazer or cardigan. I have had a lot of fun looking for my perfect work dresses and finding ladylike hem lines and cuts that are modest yet flattering! There are few things worse than feeling uncomfortably exposed, especially at work. I have found some magic brands that really work for me in my search, the top three being Jigsaw, Hobbs and Cos. When making my choices I always ask, does this dress convey elegance and polish (preferably with a preppy twist!) You can find my top five work dresses from across all seasons below.
All fairly classic in style but with one or two details that make them a little bit different (a preppy collar here and an elegant cape back there). There is a danger that these will all just look a little dull so I like to liven them up with a few perky accessories (my third signature style word was preppy after all!) This is done mostly with shoes and a couple of statement necklaces. A bright coral heel or red-trimmed leopard print pump can energise an overly serious outfit.
Keeping it capsule
Happiness is the longing for repetition ~ Milan Kundera
The basic principle of the capsule wardrobe is that you focus on quality over quantity and edit your choices down to the outfits you really love. This means wearing each piece of clothing more regularly. I decided that I was happy wearing some things once a week and others once a fortnight. This led to the magic number of seven key work pieces. As we have casual Fridays in our office, I find this number to give me just the right amount of variety while still being select enough to ensure each outfit is ‘perfect’. This is mostly made up of dresses but does also include my much-loved Jigsaw Paris trousers. I bring in other items from the remainder of my capsule wardrobe (jackets, cardigans, shoes of course) but the seven pieces form the building blocks of my work look.
For spring my seven pieces are five dresses, one jumpsuit and one pair of trousers. As we move into summer, a few of these dresses will swapped for lighter options and I may bring in one skirt. However, I will still maintain only seven key pieces.
This may sound like a very limited selection but when I recently mentioned to my colleagues that I was working on my capsule wardrobe and that I had just over a week’s worth of outfits for work they were very surprised and said they hadn’t noticed that I wore my clothes that often. I took that as a good sign that I was on the right track!
Le travail éloigne de nous trois grands maux : l’ennui, le vice et le besoin ~ Voltaire
Clockwise from top left: Hobbs, Hobbs, Jigsaw, Cos, LK Bennett
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