Creating Your Office Capsule Collection
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Many of us we have been spending the pandemic comfortably cocooned in our favorite tees and sweats and the idea of even adorning a casual Friday look is daunting and even panic inducing. You probably don’t even remember what you used to wear, where those items are located, and, yikes, if they still fit?!
Now is a great time to evaluate you wardrobe with what I call:
The 4Rs
reuse keep
rehab maybe needs a stitch or a sole
rehome donate
recycle there are places that take old clothes and shoes just for that reason
Create micro-goals. Start with your sock drawer on a rainy weekend. There has never been a better time to admit that those missing socks are never coming back. Your drawer will look and actually feel better when you open and close it. Achieving just this one goal will spur you on to even greater heights — tackle your underwear drawer and then your old tees and pile of jeans and so on and so forth. You know you don’t need all those “pajama/painting/gym clothes”. In the end you will have the pieces that you want to keep and wear and you can see them clearly because they are not hidden from view hanging in a too-crowded closet or being jammed in a drawer.
Building your Capsule Collection
It is now time to plan your Capsule Collection. This one is for the Office but all the main tenets are the same. Let me start with the idea that there are no seasons. A true capsule collection relies on layering and mixing and matching. I am featuring items from Ann Taylor March 2022 with shopping links so you have visual examples for each category.
Points to remember:
Dress according to your local weather and modify outfits based on your needs and personal style.
Personal style is whatever colors and fashions that inspire you. What I present are suggestions.
Make each look your own by matching items in your closet to each category and then decide if there are pieces you want to add to build your capsule collection.
You can also avoid categories that you don’t like and add options in ones that you do. For example, you don’t like tanks so you increase your short sleeve count.
A good rule of thumb is every item should be able to be worn as a part of at least 5 different full looks either as a standalone or layering element.
Working with basic solids and a small selection of brights and patterns will keep things fresh and your wardrobe fluid and interchangeable.
Keep in mind great fit and quality fabric. They will be your super powers.
Don’t panic! Capsule Collections are not built overnight. They are curated over time. These are guidelines to help you on your journey.
Have fun! Love what you wear! When you feel great, you look great!
Let’s get started!
Click on items for direct shopping links
Capsule Collection Components:
2-3 Tanks/Camisoles
2-3 TOPS/BLOUSES SLEEVELESS
2-3 TOPS/BLOUSES SHORT SLEEVE
3 TOPS/BLOUSES LONG SLEEVE
1 WHITE COTTON DRESS SHIRT LONG SLEEVE
1 PATTERN LONG SLEEVE TEE
1 TURTLENECK
1-2 CARDIGANS
1-2 BLAZER
1 SUIT
1-2 JACKETS
1 BLACK PANT STRAIGHT
1 BLACK PANT WIDE LEG
1 KHAKI/TAN PANT
1 BLACK DRESS
1 NON-BLACK DRESS
1 SKIRT
1 PATTERN SHOE THAT GOES WITH EVERYTHING
1 BEIGE SHOE
1 BLACK SHOE
1 NAVY SHOE (Bonus Shoe for these Color Selections)
1-2 BELTS
WORK TOTE
Denim
For those of you who have a more casual workplace and wear denim to work, you can substitute any of these clothing items with your jeans wear of choice.
HOW DOES A CAPSULE COLLECTION REALLY WORK?
The idea is to mix and match as much as possible to get new combinations. Layering is key to create new looks and maximizing your wardrobe. Your wardrobe when it is thoughtfully constructed will have a fluidity to it where the pieces can easily interchange. Using the above selections I edited a 30 day capsule collection for you to show you what a month of outfits would look like. You can make even more with just these pieces.
30 days of Capsule Collection Looks
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