In my last post I wrote about using the app Stylebook to plan my winter wardrobe. So many people responded to my IG post on this and I loved reading the comments and feedback. This has inspired me to go into more detail about the daily reality of life with a downsized wardrobe and the benefits it offers (and also the challenges!) I thought you might be interested to read about a week in the life of a capsule wardrobe so here we go. This was from the last week of January…
Pre-planning
Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential ~ Winston Churchill
At the weekend I spend a little time choosing my outfits for the week ahead. This will be a fairly typical week for me in terms of outfit requirements and I need:
4 x work outfits (Mon-Thurs)
3 x casual outfits (Fri-Sun)
1 x occasion outfit (I have a work function to go to on Tuesday evening)
Looking through my options on Stylebook, I pick the four work outfits that I didn’t wear last week. For those of you who read my last post, you will know that the shuffle function came up with a new outfit combination for me so I have tweaked one of my looks accordingly.
This weekend is a special one as we have Monsieur LP’s lovely mother staying with us. She is tres chic and, as such, I want to dress accordingly. We have some special plans for dining out and visiting galleries and museums so this will also inform my choices.
Finally, I have a work event on Tuesday evening. This is the easiest look to pick as I only have three occasion outfits to choose from and these range in their level of formality, from an outfit appropriate for a lovely dinner out to one more suited to a formal evening occasion.
Based on all of the above, here are my choices for the week ahead…
Monday
My plan was to wear my teal coloured cape-back Jigsaw dress today. However, when I took it out of the wardrobe this morning, I noticed the stitching on the hem at the back has come undone. Not chic! I didn’t have time to repair it so had to switch choices and wear Thursday’s dress today (dark green dress with a black collar from Cos). Normally I would wear this with black heeled boots but I couldn’t quite face heels so I switched in my black pointed flats instead. Observation number one about a capsule wardrobe: with fewer choices, pieces must be well-maintained and ready to go at all times! However, knowing what I was wearing for the rest of week minimised the stress in this situation and meant I had a backup ready to go. No drama!
I have had the dark green Cos dress for about four years now and I still absolutely love it. It is so simple and easy to wear. The shape of it is flattering and it doesn’t cling or wrinkle. It can also be machine washed, a complete bonus. The only thing that I have noticed is that the collar is bobbling and may become a problem. One to add to the ‘review’ list at the end of the season.
Tuesday
Today I am trying out the look that Stylebook ‘shuffled’ for me: grey wide-legged trousers (Zara), a dark green fine knit sweater (Uniqlo) and my black Louboutin flats (the ultimate investment piece). I would normally wear these trousers with a mulberry coloured turtleneck and heels but I am keen to give this alternative version a go and see how it works. *Mid-morning update* I love this outfit! These trousers work so much better with flat shoes, thank you Stylebook!
This evening requires a change of outfit. I have packed up my Reiss jumpsuit, burgundy patent heels and teal bag along with a few accessories. I love this as an evening outfit as it looks dressy but feels so comfortable. 
The only thing I am not 100% about is how the bag goes with the outfit. My no shopping rule (see previous post) meant that buying a new bag for this evening was a definite no (even though bags fall outside of the 33 piece maximum rule AND I saw a gorgeous LK Bennett deep plum clutch bag on sale at the weekend that would have been perfect *sigh*) However, I have identified this as a gap to look at for next A/W. Observation number two about a capsule wardrobe: the discipline of not buying when you feel a need to but instead adding pieces to a wish list for future seasons seems to pay off in helping you choose items you will love and get much use out of. When autumn comes around if I still feel the lure of (and need for) a deep plum clutch bag I will go ahead and buy one!
Wednesday
I knew I would want an effortless look today after a late night so today’s outfit is a simple pair of tailored black trousers (Jigsaw’s Paris trousers) paired with a Hobbs top in a soft fabric and rich colour (disguise those tired shadows!) My one change is that I would normally wear this outfit with my black flats. As I have worn my flats two days in a row they need a break so I will wear my black heels. Observation number three about a capsule wardrobe: having easily interchangeable pieces is a must and a limited colour palette really helps with this, particularly with accessories.
The Jigsaw trousers are one of my hero pieces. I bought them two years ago and they marked a change in my approach to wardrobe planning. For years I had been buying pairs of cheap and cheap-ish black trousers. They never lasted, they got baggy, they faded, they never looked chic and simple in the way I wanted them too. My husband finally persuaded me to buy a good quality pair and by spending three times more than what I had previously paid (these currently retail at £115) I was getting a pair that look at least five times better and, so far, have lasted more than twice as long as any of my other pairs and still look perfect. The only thing to flag is that they are dry clean only so maintenance costs should be factored in. However, every time I get them back from the cleaners with their pin-sharp creases I feel like I have brand new trousers again. These trousers feature in both my work and occasion looks so are truly versatile. I could easily wear these once a week, just varying what they are worn with.
Thursday
Last night I made time to mend the hem on my Jigsaw cape-back dress so was able to swap it in for the Cos dress I was supposed to wear today but ended up wearing on Monday. They are fairly similar so this works fine. I wanted something a bit more dressy as I am going out for dinner with some friends tonight. The one thing I will change is the boots. For work I will wear the suede heeled boots and switch into my flat black boots for this evening as I will be on public transport!
Friday
We have casual Fridays at work which means I get to turn to my casual outfit options before the weekend arrives. Tonight I will be going to meet Monsieur LP and his mum for some drinks and then dinner. We are going to our favourite neighbourhood wine bar and then a local restaurant so I don’t want to be too dressy. However, I may need to tweak my casual outfit so it can transition from day to evening. Today’s look is black skinny jeans and boots with a cream blouse and long burgundy cardigan. By switching my flat boots for my suede heeled boots this evening, putting my hair into a rolled up-do, adding a subtle eyeliner flick and some pretty earrings I think this will do the trick! Observation number four about a capsule wardrobe: having options to dress up and down your outfits is key. Each look needs to be versatile and adaptable.
Saturday
Today we are going for a smart lunch. All of my A/W casual outfits begin with skinny jeans (black or indigo) and boots: I just love this look! Most of the outfits involve a jumper of some kind and today I want smartest of these options. I was tempted to dip into my work outfits for today and choose a dress but I thought this might be a little too much. Instead I have chosen the smartest of the casual options, a white shirt under my dark green fine knit (as seen on Tues) with my dainty purple tweed bow tie (Walker Slater). With well-polished black flat boots and my double breasted plum coat I feel just right for a smart London lunch and browsing the boutiques.
Sunday
Rounding off my week in the life of a capsule wardrobe, my trusty black skinny jeans and black boots are out again. Observation number five about a capsule wardrobe: feeling like you ‘live’ in certain items is okay! In order to feel this way my view is that these items must be a/ the very best quality you can afford and b/maintained in pristine condition at all times.
A simple charcoal cashmere polo neck (Uniqlo) completes today’s look. To bring this super-simple outfit to life grooming makes all the difference. Taking the time to blow dry my hair, bring some colour to my face with subtle make up (I love grey but it is so draining) and a quick file and polish of the nails (Chanel Rouge Noir is my all-time favourite A/W colour) really does make all the difference between drab & bland and chic & glossy!
So there you go, a life in the week of a real, working capsule wardrobe. I have really enjoyed diarising my experiences with this and hope you have enjoyed reading about it. It does sound like all I have thought about this week is clothes and my appearance but I can genuinely say that the best thing about this capsule approach is that by taking a little extra time to plan and put together your outfits, once you are wearing them you can forget about them for the rest of the day.
And so to bed. ~ Samuel Pepys
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