Spring 2016 Wardrobe Capsule

I took the plunge two weeks ago and created a spring capsule wardbrobe. Lately  I have been feeling overwhelmed by all the  choices in my closet  and the process of getting dressed on busy morning ends up putting me in a bad mood.  I am of the philosophy, "less is more".  When I have stuff everywhere, I quickly become over-stimulated, can't make a decision, and struggle with where to begin.  A part of me  screams in frustration on the inside and the other part of me has a desire to crawl into bed and hide under the blankets.  During such times my strategy is generally to, a) go for a run and clear my head, or b) walk away, make a list and then tackle the items based on  the order they are on the list.

My process:

 

1.  After looking on pinterest for inspiration, capsule wardrobe example,  and reading this article I decided to include the following items in my capsule wardrobe:

             6 t-shirts                        

             6 blouses

             5 pairs of pants

             5 bottoms (skirts)

             5 dresses

             5 sweaters/outwear

I didn't not include my daily wear, like lulu pants and cleaning shirts, my jewelry, shoes, or workout clothing.  

 

2.  I pulled EVERYTHING I own and  began separating the items into fall/winter and spring/summer wear.  I placed my fall/winter stuff away into storage and my summer stuff that didn't make the cut in this capsule into a large plastic tub in my closet. I also made a huge donation pile and shipped them out of the house.  I was overwhelmed and exhausted by this step!

      

 

 

3.  Out of my sprint/summer stuff, I started to pick my pieces out for my capsule.  I especially focused on items that I could wear to work, as most of my week is spent at work, but also keeping in mind that I like to have a few items for date night, and mommy wear.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  I sorted and downsized until I had my wardrobe down to the list above.  Everything else got placed into my summer container in my closet so that the only things in my drawers and closet are more or less the wardrobe capsule.  

5.  I organized and created my work wardrobe for the week with Polyvore so that I can just get up and get dressed.  I always think about what my days at work will entail, (will I be in meetings, working with young children in classrooms, providing Professional Development, etc), and what the weather prediction is for the week.    

 

 

 

What I learned:

Through this process I realized  I had a LOT of stuff!  I am not even a hoarder, I donate stuff all year round but apparently not nearly enough.  For the first time ever, I have an nearly empty drawer in my dresser.  I LOVE IT!!!  I feel happy seeing neatness and organization in my closet and drawers.  I am worried about lasting three months but I feel pretty sure I can make it with this wardrobe at least for two months.  I also found out which pieces I love the most and which ones I need to replace with different pieces.  I feel confident that I wont just be buying random pieces but will be much more focused.  

One of my favorite outfits this week was my coral pencil skirt, chambray shirt, little brown belt as an accessory, statement necklace and comfy,  Nine West, nude pumps. 

 

How do you organize yourself and your closet?