Capsule Wardrobe | Winter 2015/2016

Today I have compiled photos of my capsule wardrobe consisting of clothes that I intend to wear for the next three months. I may swap out a few clothes throughout that time though, but still plan to keep my total number of clothes around 37 items. I may even decide to remove some items from my capsule wardrobe. Overall, 32 clothing pieces are pictured here even though there are 37 pieces in my capsule wardrobe. There is a black coat, a blue/navy blue raincoat, 2 other button ups that I left in my dorm, and a pair of bootcut jeans in a medium wash.  The coats and jeans look like any other coats and jeans, so no one's missing out. Hope you enjoy this post!

 

A-line grid print and gray skirts

 

2 pairs of black pants & 2 pairs of dark wash jeans

Creating a Capsule Wardrobe + What I Learned

Truth be told I do not wear a lot of the clothing that sits in my closet. In fact I have quite a few favorite items that I keep going back to and wearing. Many times I feel as if my closet is cluttered, and so I made an effort to clean out my closet. I don't have a ton of clothes or anything, but I have quite a few clothes I've had for years and my style has for sure changed since I was in middle school. I have since rearranged my closet and am so glad at how it turned out. I've divided my clothes into 7 categories: coats, spring/summer tops, fall/winter tops, dresses/skirts, basics and items that can be worn in any season, jackets, and bottoms. I plan to go through another phase of cleaning out my closet since it's organized and easier to go through. All the items I decide I don't want anymore are always donated and given away instead of tossed into a trash can. After this I will create a capsule wardrobe from my organized closet.

I didn't hear about capsule wardrobes until a teacher of mine mentioned how she has a capsule wardrobe. Typically a capsule wardrobe contains 33-37 pieces (I wonder why that is the magic number) and does not include work out clothes, pajamas, undergarments, business/special occasion dress and I believe coats. But for my capsule wardrobe I will include coats since I only wear a few anyways. I'm thinking that I want to create my capsule wardrobe with less than 37 pieces though.

With a capsule wardrobe you have a limited choice of what to wear, and ultimately you end up saving time when it comes to getting dressed. Also, I've heard that capsule wardrobes can help save your creativity for other things besides choosing what to wear. I for one love style and fashion, but it always feels great when you can find a great outfit in a short time without making numerous outfit changes.

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Here are a few things I learned from creating a capsule wardrobe/cleaning out my wardrobe:

1) Neutral colors are essential: pairing clothes together will be effortless.

2) Capsule wardrobes don't have to be only neutral colors. Have fun! Include some color because life is too short to not wear color.

3) Deciding on what to wear for an entire season is kind of difficult. It took me over an hour to make decisions.

4) Focusing on the clothes you already have makes shopping easier. If you find you're missing some key clothing pieces you'd like to have whether that be a pair of boots or a simple cardigan - you now know what to shop for.

5) Stuff definitely accumulates through the years.

6) There are lots of capsule wardrobe videos on YouTube anyone can use as a guide. Some of my favorites are by:

Vivianna Does Makeup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL8B0I-Gybc 
Erin McDevitt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v2Wdo9srjs
Alli Cherry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHagxFaslm0  
Meilin Hyde: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faihxNBREB4
Light by Coco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koe7hhFUAEQ

7) Decluttering my closet has only made me appreciate/like the clothes I have even more.

8) Sometimes I think "Why did I even buy this?"

9) I still fit clothes from middle school...I really haven't grown that much.

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I am excited to begin my capsule wardrobe journey and I'll try to document my outfits over the next few months. I'll have photos of my capsule wardrobe in the next blog post coming soon.

Yours truly,

Soli

Style on a Student Budget + A Mini Clothing Haul

Hello everyone! Today I thought I would write about how I shop on a limited budget as a student. I'm not yet a college student, but will be this upcoming fall. College is already expensive as it is, and learning how to manage your finances would be essential and would make life so much easier (and organized too).

How to Find Great Clothing Deals:

When it comes to shopping, especially clothing - I always love finding great deals. Once I think about it - I rarely go into a clothing store without checking the sales or clearance section first. Doing this will definitely help you find cute clothing pieces for a fraction of the price - ultimately saving you money! Always check the sales and clearance section!

As much as I love checking the sales and clearance clothing rack - there isn't really anything quite like thrift shopping. It's like a fun treasure hunt! I absolutely love shopping at thrift stores, and I would have to say a good portion of my wardrobe consists of secondhand clothes - I would estimate that to be about sixty percent of my closet. Also there are many charity thrift stores you can shop at to find great clothes and help out a good cause.

Shop sales days or events. Nordstrom has their anniversary sale which you can find fall items at great prices. Other stores always have sale days too - just keep your eyes and ears open!

Shop at off-price department stores such as Marshall's, Ross, TJ Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack. You can find great clothes at a reduced price point.

Rewards Cards - I have heard are a great way to save money or get discounts on what you purchase.

My Recent Clothing Finds:

Now I would just like to share the recent deals I've found at H&M and a local thrift shop! 

These tank top blouses are from H&M and they were on sale for $4 each for the Fourth of July!

Both these items were on sale at H&M! The tank top was only $3 and the floral romper was $4!

From my local thrift store here are the treasures I found:

Both of these tops were only $1 each!!!

Both these collared shirts were only $1 each as well!

I was really happy to find all these great deals with everything totaling to $19 (not including tax) which is amazing! I hope you enjoyed this post, and found it helpful! But I must say that thrift shopping is just awesome!

Thanks for reading!

Yours truly,

Soli

Outfit of the Day: April 16, 2015

I have to say I am so excited to be posting my first "Outfit of the Day," though technically this is what I wore yesterday. I didn't get a chance to have a picture taken of my complete outfit, so I had to take a photo of the shoes and jacket separately.

I guess you can see that the outfit I wore had a school girl vibe to it - especially with the skirt and collared shirt. However, I paired it with a comfortable, slightly over-sized denim jacket. I also wore burgundy colored tights to add a pop of color, and finished off the look with black loafers.

Stripes and Tropical Print

This was one of my favorite summer outfits: tropical printed shorts with a striped top. I personally love to mix prints together because it looks so chic and stylish. Over the summer, I wore lots of printed clothing pieces and they really do make a statement. I've been loving tropical prints, and I do plan to incorporate my printed summer clothes into fall and winter outfits - I'll find a way!

L'Amour est La Vie top: Zara Trafuluc collection from a few years ago

Printed shorts: From my mother

~ Soli