Wednesday 24 April 2013

April Style Challenge - using my capsule wardrobe

It's April, it was windy this morning and the clouds looked a bit dark, so after my last experience of getting soaked I decided to wear my trench-coat.  I think this capsule wardrobe could very well form the basis of my holiday wardrobe too: after all, cold winds and rain aren't exactly unknown in the UK even in June!

I took advantage of some sunshine to wash a couple of tops, because I only have five tops to last me for over a week and I don't want to cheat unless I have to. You have already seen the bottoms, but I can assure you that they are still clean - especially since I only wore them for part of the day after I got them soaked - so I wore them again.


My navy trench-coat is ideal for a minimalist wardrobe as you can wear it with so many different colours and change the look entirely. I do like a pop of colour though, so if I hadn't been carrying my bright green bag I would have worn a brighter coloured scarf with it.

The coral top will go with the other pairs of trousers too, so if I had to wash this pair it wouldn't have been a problem. Looking at my project 333 wardrobe, I could also have worn them with a pair of brown trousers or a grey skirt from my Spring 33.  The bright pink jeans wouldn't have been a good match though, and I can see that buying those jeans wasn't the best of ideas!  However I love them, and I have enough different tops that I can wear with them, so they will stay in my 33 in spite of being less versatile than my navy jeans.


Any picky, pedantic readers may want to point out that the navy trench-coat wasn't shown in my Spring 33!  However, if you read the small print, I said that the two dresses pictured would be kept in reserve until the weather improves and in the meantime I planned to keep a thicker jacket and my winter coat from the previous 33.  The coat isn't necessary if I wear a cardigan on cooler days, so I decided to keep the trench-coat instead.

Do you have any particularly versatile clothes that you can wear for most of the year? I suspect that it is easier for those of you who love black and have a wardrobe full of black separates, however black is now banned from my wardrobe because I no longer look good in it.  I do have some basic colours like navy and brown, but I am seriously addicted to colour now, as the right colours look great on over 60s. I just need to buy wisely and choose colours that will work well with my existing wardrobe.

To make it easier for me, I have printed out a copy of my Spring 33, so if I am tempted to shop I ask myself three questions:

1. Which item will it replace?  I need to ensure that it is a good choice and that I will discard something else if I buy it.

2. Will the item go with most, if not all, of my existing clothes?

3. Do I really need it? Note that I have saved the most crucial question till last!

4 comments:

  1. Good questions for shopping restraint! Our weather has been cooler than expected too as last year spring was so hot that we were running the air conditioner from March forward - this year the heat is still going on in the morning even this far into April. I've pulled out a pair of jeans and a cardigan as there is no need to be uncomfortable just to follow Project 333. Here's hoping for better weather for both of us!

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  2. Juhli, I'm not saying that I always give the right response to question 3 (it's tempting to answer "I love it, therefore I need it!") however I am getting better, especially since using question 2 a lot. I find I can now walk into a shop and eliminate a lot of clothes just because the colours aren't right for me. What helps me with Project 333 is not including accessories, as that gives me so much variety when creating different outfits. I am getting better at this, and my wardrobe is looking a lot more organised and a lot less crowded! Talking about weather there are lots of dark clouds in the sky and our dog Lisa needs a walk, so I'm going now!

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  3. I really like those three questions, Sue, because I don't like wasting money on clothes. I also am intrigued by a "minimalist" wardrobe. I've been following your blog all this month, but I missed a few posts. I'll need to go back and review - this has been enlightening for me!

    Thanks! :)

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  4. Thanks, Susan. I love clothes, however I think I'm making up for the years when I couldn't afford to buy any new clothes by buying waaay too many now! I'm far from being a minimalist, but I'm starting to become more conscious of what I am buying and why. Look for my previous posts on Project 333 and also one on the Uncommon Wardrobe, which I am going to revisit as there was too much black in it! I am planning more posts along similar lines.

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