Capsule wardrobe convert!

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I'm gradually trying to make sure that most of the things I buy have at least some interchangeability.

The last time I had a skirt I didn't feel frumpy in was part of that wedding haul about 30 years ago. It was a high-risk skirt. A wrap-around skirt held together by 2 buttons on the waistband, which became a simple long column of heavy dark blue fabric. It was sleek and elegant, never needed ironing, draped beautifully, and I loved wearing it. Then I put on weight, and it had to go!:mysmilie_512:

Skirts can be tricky! Firstly, there's so many lengths and styles to choose from, and if they don't suit your body shape, you can look awful, and of course there's the finding something to wear on your top half...jeans, trousers, and leggings are so much more versatile aren't they? The shorter skirt looks better on a slim youngster, or someone who's tall and slim, a midi skirt can look very "mumsy" and aging, and the knee length or just above can look too formal, but you can throw on a dress and "you're sorted" Hence I have very few skirts. On my recent haul, I bought a bias cut satiny dusky pink midi skirt and lucky it suits me, and looks ok, with a t-shirt, sweatshirt or shirt shirt, and can be worn with flats, trainers or sandals....a rare thing, sounds like your beloved skirt was one of those rarities. Perhaps make it your mission to find yourself something similar. I have a mate who isn't blessed in the height department,and is fairly large. She tends to live in ankle length skirts with elasticated waists and they really do not suit her, they look frumpy...I'd never tell her that as I'd not wish to hurt her feelings, however, when she does wear something that suits her I'll make sure she knows about it. She bought herself a midi length dress with a cinched waist and the dress flared out....It looked amazing on her...she said she wasn't that sure about it...but it looked great on her, the other thing she wore recently was a trouser suit with wide legs and a long line jacket...again it looked fantastic....she wore flat sandals with it and they looked perfect. So find what suits your shape and go for it...but it really helps when people compliment you, gives you a better idea. It's so easy to settle for comfort and let style pass you by. Hope you find a lovely skirt that suits you..happy hunting!
 
I'm such an advocate for trying things on now. Decided yes, sod it, I'll invest in those pricey jeans, along with those I ordered a pair of ballerina pumps, needed a new pair of ankle length wellies for my festival as the ones I've got are very heavy to pack, and wanted something a bit more funky and cute looking..so I ordered a lovely looking pair from crocs, as I thought they'd be light. Jeans...looked like they belonged to an old hillbilly, and looked even worse on, pumps too narrow, too tight and too pointy despite not looking pointy in the picture and described as having rounded toes and being the correct size, as for the wellies..yes, they were lovely and light, they made me look like I had a pair of giant spoons on my feet...really not a good look at all, also one of them pressed down painfully on the top of my foot, the other didn't for some strange reason...all send back. Think I might have to bite the bullet and hit the high street to get the rest of the things I need!
 
Think I've hit a hiatus, much like I did with my general decluttering exercise. Although I've done really well...my problem is with dresses. I have 21 - Most capsules suggest 2, the highest recommendation I've seen is 4, some even say just 1 and make it a little black one (which I think is frankly ridiculous). I have a couple of vintage dresses that would only do as occassion wear, and under the rule of the capsule wardrobe should be discarded as they've not been worn in months, years even, they say don't hang on to stuff just in case, but sod it I'm going to! Yes that occasion might arise, these dresses have been around for over 30 years (about 8 years of that in my wardrobe) but who am I to discard them? Very rude!!!! I can honestly say that I have nothing left with tags still attached, so for now I'm happy with my pared down, sort of capsule wardrobe. Got a mate who's got over 100 dresses and still buying, and the funny thing is, is that she tends to buy a variation of the very same thing every time. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't have duplicates in her wardrobe. I think that's as crazy as having just one. Think ideally I'd be happier if I owned about 6, however I do like each and every one of dresses I have. Think my plan of action now will to be to monitor the situation and discard as and when they become tatty, ill fitting, damaged and not replace unless absolutely necessary...and keep away from clothes shops and online sales!
 
Think I've hit a hiatus, much like I did with my general decluttering exercise. Although I've done really well...my problem is with dresses. I have 21 - Most capsules suggest 2, the highest recommendation I've seen is 4, some even say just 1 and make it a little black one (which I think is frankly ridiculous). I have a couple of vintage dresses that would only do as occassion wear, and under the rule of the capsule wardrobe should be discarded as they've not been worn in months, years even, they say don't hang on to stuff just in case, but sod it I'm going to! Yes that occasion might arise, these dresses have been around for over 30 years (about 8 years of that in my wardrobe) but who am I to discard them? Very rude!!!! I can honestly say that I have nothing left with tags still attached, so for now I'm happy with my pared down, sort of capsule wardrobe. Got a mate who's got over 100 dresses and still buying, and the funny thing is, is that she tends to buy a variation of the very same thing every time. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't have duplicates in her wardrobe. I think that's as crazy as having just one. Think ideally I'd be happier if I owned about 6, however I do like each and every one of dresses I have. Think my plan of action now will to be to monitor the situation and discard as and when they become tatty, ill fitting, damaged and not replace unless absolutely necessary...and keep away from clothes shops and online sales!

Or you can rotate your dresses. One month, or whatever frequency suits, then switch. That would reduce your capsule wardrobe without feeling the need to jettison clothes you love and feel good in. All things like capsule wardrobes and decluttering methods work best when they are adaptable rather than rigid. Your capsule might have more of some items and fewer or none of another clothing item...But that makes it perfect for you.
 
I have some summer linen dresses simply shift style , I must have at least 6 in different colours.
 
I have some summer linen dresses simply shift style , I must have at least 6 in different colours.

I admire you for being able to wear linen..always looks so classy, but I find it hard to care for, especially when it comes to ironing as it creases so easily...I've banned DH from buying any more linen shirts. Nice when you find something that suits you. Very good today...went round the shops with my dress addict mate, who managed not to buy another one, but I was tempted. Gorgeous dress in Debenhams, just my style and colour and only £10 Principles label too, my size but I thought to myself I don't need any more dresses I'm trying to pare down. Cutting off my nose to spite my face? Yeah maybe but actually quite glad I didn't buy it!
 
Forget capsule wardrobes! I was in Sainsbury's clothing dept last night and found a lovely printed viscose top for £10. Did I think about how many outfits I could create with the top? No! It's just good fortune for me that it will work with jeans or my black work trousers. Very pleased with my new acquisition, and I'm now looking forward to finding something which I can sacrifice as a "one in, one out".
 
I admire you for being able to wear linen..always looks so classy, but I find it hard to care for, especially when it comes to ironing as it creases so easily...I've banned DH from buying any more linen shirts. Nice when you find something that suits you. Very good today...went round the shops with my dress addict mate, who managed not to buy another one, but I was tempted. Gorgeous dress in Debenhams, just my style and colour and only £10 Principles label too, my size but I thought to myself I don't need any more dresses I'm trying to pare down. Cutting off my nose to spite my face? Yeah maybe but actually quite glad I didn't buy it!

Mine are not 100% Linen, they have a bit viscose in so they do not crease as much.
 
Forget capsule wardrobes! I was in Sainsbury's clothing dept last night and found a lovely printed viscose top for £10. Did I think about how many outfits I could create with the top? No! It's just good fortune for me that it will work with jeans or my black work trousers. Very pleased with my new acquisition, and I'm now looking forward to finding something which I can sacrifice as a "one in, one out".

One in, one out though is a good idea to keep the clothing clutter at bay. For me, I have decided to adopt the "how many outfits will it go with approach" cos I was buying stuff willy nilly 'cause I liked the look of it, then half the time not even wearing it. If you do tend to wear jeans and plain coloured trousers a lot, then I think you're freer to choose a few more bold choices when it comes to what you wear on the top half, and because I want to have far far few items in my wardrobe, then for me it makes sense to choose something that will go with everything. I threw away a fair few patterned maxi skirts which did require plainer top halves. The only plain maxi skirt I kept was my white one...which I can wear with brightly coloured sweatshirts as well as I can with a plain coloured top, and for some reason I think the brightly coloured top half as opposed to the brightly coloured bottom half works better as an outfit...It does for me anyway! managed to part with a couple more bits - Dress count now 20. With fewer dresses to choose from, and having kept only the ones I really like, I'll actually wear them. Picked out one of my vintage dresses for a day out coming up, looking forward to wearing it again...It kinda got lost before if that makes sense. Actually starting to look forward to planning outfits, and what's good for me now is that most things I've got "go together"so it's a lot quicker and easier.... and I feel so much more stylish.
 
OOh how I wish I could keep to the one in one out promise I made to myself!!!!

You can do it, getting rid of stuff is easier than you think once you start. At first I found it hard to part with anything, but when I got really into realising that there were certain things in my wardrobe that I was highly unlikely to wear again, they are scruffy, uncomfortable etc it got easier and easier. Try a few things on, I managed to part with a few things that didn't fit any more, they were just cluttering up my wardrobe, never reached for, just hanging there taking up space, and when I discovered I couldn't do the blinking things up any more the decision was easy. The boots I had my eye on have been ordered, as is the plain black a line short skirt..just need a little black cardi (left my old one behind on holiday I think, and I really miss it) - Then I am truly done, and I mean it! No more clothes purchases. I have a wardrobe that covers every season and event, and as I keep saying a lot less items, but a massive amount of outfits to be made out of them...Yay! Next project coming up....cooking? ...I very much doubt it lol!
 
Thought I'd update this as I caught a programme last night about a woman who was trying out a capsule wardrobe and when I looked at the thread we're a year on! To sum up - I've been pretty good. Apart from a set of short summer jamas I've not bought any extra clothes. I have bought a couple of other things but this has been on a one in one out basis. I still have far too many clothes, and there is no way by any stretch of the imagination I could call my wardrobe "capsule" I have 17 dresses fgs (well 16) now as I finally decided that my little red and white striped Jack Wills t-shirt dress makes me look like an overgrown toddler. This morning I was on target for making it 14 as I decided to get shot of the two acrylic wrap dresses I bought from IW a couple of years back...I wore one of them once to a mates garden party and I nearly died of the heat and despite deodorant it didn't smell too great by the evening. I tried one on and it was so flattering and the colour and pattern so nice I couldn't do it...So reprieve for now...maybe a cooler more autumnal day will make me decide whether or not to bite the bullet and get rid. To be fair though, my autumn winter wardrobe is more capsulised..but I think with summer you need a lot more clothes as you sometimes have to change them more than once a day because of the heat. Like today I've got long shorts and a vest top on..but should I get any hotter I'll probably feel like putting on a really light baggy dress!
 
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