February Capsule Experiment: The Results

Favorite Pieces (this is not a sponsored post but I do work with many of these brands, I am not paid for reviews and all opinions are my own): Suede Jacket c/o Thacker NYC; Grey Barton Jacket c/o Aventura (shop new spring arrivals!!); Beige Pullover Sweater: Altar’d State; Grey Tee Mini Dress: c/o Tobi (old); Moto Leggings: H&M

Well, I did it. I used a (sorta) capsule wardrobe for a month and documented it with (almost) daily pictures (see Not for Moms, How to Pack, and Feeling Blue for more of my daily looks from February). I quickly found out that I had not necessarily chosen the most functional pieces. Through the month, I found myself reaching into my closet for pieces to add and passing over a few pieces I had included (one sweater was too itchy, a dress too light for the cold). I also found some areas I felt were lacking in my wardrobe: a comfy chic black cardigan, more long sleeved shirts, comfy jeans (I have a lot of jeggings but sometimes you just need a boyfriend style comfy jean).

I broke down my picks from left to right: original picks not worn to most worn and pieces I added and wore more than once. I am missing a few pieces from this picture because I wore them and they were in the wash (graphic tees and pink peplum top would all go in the middle section).

Why I didn’t wear the pieces on the left:

Grey sweater– too itchy to be anything but outerwear. Will hang on to it for spring and fall days when I can get away with just a cardi over a tee but it’s on the chopping block if it doesn’t get worn.

Grey blouse– This Tee is fabulous and I love it. It’s a few seasons old and in great shape. I wear it pretty often but it is slightly dressier meaning I like to wear it on days I know I’m not going to get messy. This month was just not a good one for fashion- I wanted to live in sweats because it was so cold. Definitely keeping, solid wardrobe piece with a classic comfortable fit. It’s flattering and fits into my color palette.

Pink dress– I got this dress from ShopTatyK (check her out on Instagram) at the wrong season. It’s gorgeous and I love the fit but it’s a really light fabric and this month was pretty cold minus a few unseasonably warm days (that I wasn’t prepared for). Wearing this for Easter. Fingers crossed it’s warm enough.

Pieces I wore the most (in the middle):

Tees, jeans, and cardis were my main choices when I wasn’t cuddled up in loungewear (which I didn’t include in my capsule because I don’t count it as getting dressed, but some days you just don’t want to). I also wore my black suede dress and my cotton grey dress twice each. I didn’t get a chance to wear my Thacker NYC pieces as often as I’d like because again, it was just too cold for fashion. However, I did give each piece at least two wears (except the pieces to the left of the suede jacket- those were more unique pieces and only got one wear) plus I lived in my soft suede Moto jacket and I’m still carrying around my beautiful Thacker NYC bucket bag. I love that both pieces go with everything from ripped jeans to Sunday best. I hate switching my purse out constantly so versatility is a must.

What I added (pieces all the way to the right):

Black Cardigan– I pulled one from my closet but I wasn’t a huge fan of the style so I ended up using a 40% off coupon to buy one from H&M. I may or may not have threw in a pair of moto leggings at the same time (see them here). I like things that are loungewear but cute enough to wear anytime.

Grey Tee Dress– pieces like this are great for layering in the cold. I really love the shape of the skirt. This is another easy basic for spring/summer.

Moto Leggings– I love to wear leggings but the subtle pattern on these makes them seem more like pants. It’s all the stretch and none of the frump of typical leggings.

Conclusion:

Mini-capsuling is hard because it’s not fast and easy. I stored my capsule downstairs which would be fine if I remembered to take it up with me after my morning coffee. So, I found that inconvenient but keeping it in my too full closet would have been confusing as well. Also, I got really bored because of the weather. It’s just so blah for fashion. I don’t feel like I really got to experience capsuling because most days I didn’t feel like getting dressed in real clothes anyway. That said, it makes me feel like I need to up my game with loungewear so that I can feel comfy and put together at the same time. I also spent a lot of time not doing my hair or makeup which means I didn’t always feel like taking pictures.

In other news, my fashion photo of the day is going so so. I take pictures a lot of days but not all. I’ve been feeling really tired lately and ironically having a lot of insomnia (you’d think I’d fall right to sleep out of exhaustion but nope- my brain wakes right up at 10 pm). I have been working with my PPA for almost two years now (read more here) and I’m trying to gradually eliminate my need for medication so that may be effecting my productiveness. But, I think my inability to commit (to pretty much anything) is related to being a mom. It’s just hard to keep it all straight. Sometimes I get one thing right but it usually means at the expense of something else and I have the tendency to want to do it all (and therefore do none of it all that well!).

That’s my update. I want to try to capsule again when the weather gets nicer and I organize it a little more (more structured as in x number of tops, x number of bottoms taking into account laundry needs and comfy days). As a fashion blogger, it’s hard to practice minimalism because well, what would I write about? I will continue to try to clean out the closet but I’m not positive a traditional capsule works for me. Next month maybe giving up the leggings for 30 days. Is that even possible? Stay tuned.