« I've got about three weeks of summer left. | Main | A summer project I should have taken on earlier »
Latest obsession: capsule wardrobes.
As you may or may not know, I generally take an picture of my outfit every morning (during the week, while teaching, not so much on the weekends or summer) not only so I don't just wear the same thing every day (I'm serious about that, btw) but also so when I am stuck in the morning with that dreaded "I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR" feeling, I can always take a quick glance at the photos to find an outfit I'd come up with in the past. :) Heh.
And part of what that makes you think about is how you actually use your clothes and how effective (OR NOT) your closet is and your buying process.
I had read about Project 333 numerous times but there isn't really an ongoing, functioning (in the way I'd like) blog there. The site puts the idea out there and occasionally posts something but there's never really been an ongoing review of the process or a way to see it being put into action.
And then this summer I started a massive purge of my apartment b/c basically my apartment was stuffed full of things that were being unused or ignored, some of which hadn't been touched in YEARS, as well as lots and lots of clothes that no longer fit but were being saved for that far-off (and possibly, probably, imaginary) day in the future when they fit again. And one of the things you discover as you're going through even the clothes that fit is how many of them you only rarely wear, as they fit but you don't like them or they fit but they go with nothing else you own (or with only ONE thing you own, so each time you wear them they are part of the same outfit and then can't be worn again for weeks).
In the midst of purging and considering all this, I found Un-Fancy, which is JUST a blog of someone's capsule wardrobe really. She posts her capsule for the season and then every day she posts her outfit so you can see her capsule actually in use. (I got to her via an interview on Into Mind, which is more like Project 333, in terms of presenting ideas and strategies but no daily blog). I wish there were a million more blogs like Un-Fancy but the only others I've found (with regular daily posts) are not capsule wardrobes but people with a million clothes.
I haven't officially made a capsule yet...and if I wind up doing it, it'll start in October I think (oct-nov-dec), but I decided to sort of start experimenting with the idea. After my massive purge, I divided my clothes into 2 lots basically (cold weather vs warm weather) and only the warm weather ones are currently hanging in the closet. I put all the hangers backward for now, they get turned forward as they get worn, and started thinking about what is something I actually wear often, what things does it go with, what COULD be in a capsule together and what OTOH might not actually be an effective piece to keep in my wardrobe.
With that in mind, here is some experimental capsule dressing.
The plaid seersucker T I would also wear with my green cargo pants and my plain black skirt, neither of which has been seen here yet. And in actual year-round planned capsule dressing, I wouldn't be rotating through the tops/skirts in the same consecutive-day way...but in experimenting, I wanted to think about what goes with what and how things interrelate, if you will.
I got rid of a TON of t-shirts in the purge (most too small) but I can tell I have too many still, or too many that I just don't really wear very often and why do I need those hanging around. ;)
Still pondering if I will do this and what will be in my fall capsule if I do (noting that I have no income at all this summer so I really won't be able to purchase even fill-ins until probably October itself after I've gotten a few checks!!), but having fun seeing what parts of my wardrobe fit together and which don't.
I also love that Un-Fancy didn't come up with a specific number (33, or whatever) but rather "what number is going to work". I had mentioned to Steph that I have never in my life I am sure had 9 pairs of shoes in rotation--which is part of what Un-Fancy has in her 37. But I keep thinking that maybe I SHOULD have more shoes in the rotation as that adds more variation to what you can do with each outfit. But finding 9 pairs of shoes that fit and are actually comfortable enough to wear all day (given my messed-up, prescription-orthotic needing feet) is actually a bit of a challenge.
Still pondering. We shall see.
Comments
Interesting idea. If you're not a natural streamliner (like I am with clothes) it's a good system. Isn't it great to get some of that stuff out of your life? You don't realize how much it was weighing you down until it's gone.
Your outfit pics make me want a pair of city shorts.
What is a capsule wardrobe?
When I moved to Budapest I packed my favorite items in my carry on so that I wouldn't have to dig into the big suitcases for about a week (until I found an apartment). I found that I'm pretty happy just wearing those items all the time. Didn't much miss anything in the suitcases (not to mention boxes coming from Chicago) apart from some warmer items and more shoes.