[shirt, Everlane / vest, Ella Moss, thrifted (similar) / jeans, Paige / necklace, Dear Mushka / shoes, Madewell / bag, Madewell / sunnies Ray-Ban / watch, Seiko ]
For the first time ever, I own an Ella Moss piece of clothing. I scored it while thrifting at Crossroads for my summer capsule. This airy, cotton black vest is just perfect for summer layering, and best of all, it’s made in the USA! Most Ella Moss items are out of my budget, so I am super stoked to try this piece out.
Back to summer layering. Building warm-weather outfits has been a bit of a struggle of mine. When I pick out what to wear and I put on shorts + top, skirt + top, etc., the minimal number of items leaves me feeling a little too effortless. I never thought I’d say that! This is the reason why I love vests (especially light-weight ones!) for the summer. They make me feel more pulled-together.
BTW, these jeans are totally not in my summer capsule, and I am okay with that. I am starting to loosen up a bit on my capsule “rules” because I feel I’ve met the goals I set when I started out on my ‘capsuling’ journey.
Last July I was in dire need of breaking my habit of perpetual shopping and feeling discontent. I was clueless about building a quality wardrobe and even more clueless about what I wanted in it. Sticking hard and fast to capsule rules for several months has shifted how I think about shopping. Now, I do it for utilitarian purposes and with a plan rather than just for fun or to fill my time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun, but it’s a lot more purposeful. I also know if I purchase a well-considered item in the middle of a capsule it’s no big deal because it’s not a ‘habit’ anymore. You can read more on my capsule process here.
Using capsules to cut down the contents of my closet has really helped me focus in on what I like. I have found that LESS in my closet actually does MORE for my style. I wrote a post about it here. I will probably always keep a slim wardrobe because I really like having just a “few” things I really love.
What about you? Do you have any bad clothing habits that you need to break?
I love hearing the various reasons people have started capsule wardrobes. For me, it is to define my style and allow myself the money and space to purchase quality items that I will love for more than a month. I think I’ll do a capsule for a few seasons to build new habits, then allow myself some more freedom. (Also, it looks like I need to check out Crossroads! Thanks for introducing it!)
For years I was like you with shopping perpetually. I also shopped “name brand” only because I thought it made me look better in others eyes. (How dumb of me!) I have broken both of those habits now; I only shop when I need something and brand names really mean nothing to me anymore. But on the flip side I settle for “cheap reusable clothing” more often when I do shop. So much of my capsule is cheaper clothing now and they wear out after a few seasons. I need to get comfortable paying higher prices again for well made, timeless styles that will go with me capsule after capsule.
That should say “cheap DISPOSABLE clothing”. #needstolearntoproofread