We are on the cusp of spring and I couldn’t be more excited about it! It’s no secret that winter is not my favorite season (anyone else?). But I do believe the cold days and bare branches of winter help us truly appreciate spring sunshine and trees filled with buds and blossoms. With the onset of March next week, I plan to roll into a new capsule. I’ll be re-mixing my winter capsule to include some more spring-friendly items. But, before I do that, I am taking a look back at my winter capsule outfits to see what worked well for me, and doing a quick analysis of the goals I set earlier in the year.
Goal Check In
A quick reminder (to myself and you) of the reasons why I started capsuling again: to add simplicity to my life, to slow down my shopping, to continue to refine my personal style, to build more interesting outfits, to explore lesser-worn items in my closet.
Simplicity: I definitely made progress toward this goal. Building outfits out of a smaller inventory of clothes is much simpler than trying to look at everything. But I’ve noticed toward the end of my capsule, where I am now, items have gotten sort of mixed back in and I can’t quite remember which pieces are part of it and which aren’t. For my spring capsule I am going to nail down a better way to keep my items front and center in my closet. Self-grade: A
Shopping Slow Down: I am happy to report I have complied with my budget goals so far and that feels really good. Though two months into a full year isn’t very long! But I still have a lot of room for improvement, namely less window shopping. I have done a bit of mapping out of my purchases for the whole year and that really helps me cut down on shopping because I am looking at the year as a whole. Self-grade: B-
Style Refinement/Build More Interesting Outfits: Yes and no. Having a distilled capsule has given me a foundation to build outfits, but I still need the inspiration (especially on cold mornings!). Pinterest remains my favorite place to go for this and, recently, I’ve started saving a few screenshots on a folder on my phone for outfit ideas each week! Self-grade: B-
Explore Lesser-Worn Items: Yes and no. I have noticed that a capsule can help you focus on items you’re not sure about. Even better, it sort of forces you to slow down a bit before making any judgement calls on getting rid of an item. If you let the items ride out the two months of capsuling, you have a chance to examine and experiment with styling them. No more impulsive closet rejections. Self-grade: B
Winter Capsule: Favorite Outfit Recap
Now to the fun part: my favorite 6 outfits! I’ll repeat this until I go to the grave: documenting and analyzing your outfits is one of the most beneficial ways to improve your sense of personal style. A simple mirror selfie will do in most cases! The habit of looking back and understanding what worked and why you loved it helps bring style clarity.
Favorite Outfit #1:
Why I loved it: The colors in this outfit just sing for me! I usually don’t wear this much color but felt compelled to pair these two and I love it! It worked well because brown is already in my regular color palette, and black is a ‘safe’ color for me, so adding lavender was only a small stretch.
What I can learn: I CAN wear color and love it. And just because I love it sometimes, doesn’t mean I need to incorporate it into every outfit. It’s not an all-or-nothing scenario.
Favorite Outfit #2:
Why I love it: Simplicity feels so good. I never, ever tire of a well-executed simple outfit.
What I can learn: Simple outfits are a hallmark of my style, and I love them even better when they have a touch of chic. Here it’s my Acne Studios bag that I love so much.
Favorite Outfit #3:
Why I love it: I went out on a limb and paired two pieces of oversized clothing (after being inspired on Pinterest) and I was overjoyed with how well it worked together.
What I can learn: I can experiment with new proportions (that go against conventional style) and it can look intentional and chic.
Favorite Outfit #4:
Why I love it: This is an excellent execution of casual AND chic.
What I can learn: I am not sure what the takeaway is here, I just really like this outfit. The contrast of the track pants and the tailored jacket make it really interesting.
Favorite Outfit #5:
Why I love it: It’s a successful navigation of new silhouettes in my wardrobe, namely full-length, loose pants.
What I can learn: If a trend you want to try doesn’t work at first, don’t give up! Keep trying it in new ways until it feels like you.
Favorite Outfit #6:
Why I love it: It reminds me how much I love clogs, which are a true touchstone in my wardrobe.
What I can learn: Don’t neglect styling old favorites with newer, trendy pieces you’ve acquired. It can lead to unique combinations that are reflections of your unique style.
Thanks for reading along today. Consider this post your reminder to revisit your personal style goals on a regular basis and to take stock of which outfits you’re enjoying this season. xx
