Project 333 - my Summer 33

For any new readers, Project 333 involves limiting yourself to a wardrobe of 33 items to last 3 months. Click on the link above if you are interested in finding out more. Some of you may feel that this is a large wardrobe, whilst others may be exclaiming "Only 33!" To be honest, when I first started out on Project 333, I was worried that I would find 33 items a bit limiting, so although I included my bags and shoes, I excluded scarves and jewellery. After the first season, I decided to exclude all accessories to give me a bit more freedom. The really dedicated followers of Project 333 will include shoes, scarves, handbags and jewellery, but I have decided that this would be a step too far for me at this early stage of dressing with less!

Looking back, having completed three seasons of Project 333, I can honestly say that though I have found it a bit challenging at times, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It has encouraged my creativity,  in trying to make the most of a more limited wardrobe. It has also made me very aware of how much money I have spent in the past on clothes that never really suited me, that didn't fit me very well or that were fashionable and clearly not meant to last. Project 333 encourages you to be ruthless when going through your wardrobe and only keep the clothes that you really love, that fit you properly and that flatter you. I've lost count of the number of bags of clothing that have gone to the recycling bins over the last nine months!

So here is my first Summer 33, with lots of colourful tops and slightly more restrained colours for my skirts and trousers, which gives them more flexibility when creating a variety of outfits.

There are sixteen tops above, with a mixture of sleeveless, short-sleeved and lightweight long-sleeved tops. By wearing them with different trousers or skirts from the selection below, plus playing with a variety of accessories, I can create numerous outfits. The two longer pairs of trousers are linen, the trousers on the right are cropped and they are all perfect for my mainly casual lifestyle. The four skirts below them have the potential to create smarter outfits or can be dressed up or down to suit.

 

I have several evening events lined up over the next couple of months, so I have included two short dresses and one longer dress. I can also wear them during the daytime if any other smart occasions occur.

My winter coats and heavy jackets have been packed away, however the forecast is for a cooler summer than in previous years so I have included some cardigans and light jackets. Summer may have officially arrived here in Spain, but I needed to wear a jacket last night and a cardigan this morning.  If the forecasters are wrong, I may pack away some of these outer garments and replace them with more bright tops!

            

Although the idea with Project 333 is to select your 33 items to last the whole season, there is a certain amount of flexibility that allows you to swap items if, for example, the weather suddenly changes. I see Project 333 as an exercise in awareness, not deprivation. You are allowed to buy new clothes but are encouraged to throw something old out when you do so. Even though I may bend the rules a bit, I have still found a huge improvement in the amount of clothes in my wardrobe that I now actually wear since starting this challenge. Not only that, there is plenty of room in my wardrobe so that I can see all of my clothes, which is a major benefit. If you aren't already taking part in Project 333, why not give it a go? You may surprise yourself by enjoying it, just like I did! Please come back here to leave your comments, any tips from your own experiences or to ask for advice.

At last - the final travel wardrobe!

Here is my final travel wardrobe - well, almost! I had my clothes neatly laid out on the bed in the spare room, ready to pack, and took the photo of them that you can see below. I then decided that I only needed one cardigan as I had several long-sleeved tops so I removed the light one. I also realised that the stone trousers would show the dirt too easily so replaced them with a navy striped pair.  I had already decided to take my navy trench-coat, which I carried onto the plane, ready to put it on as soon as we landed in Newcastle. Yes, the forecast for northern England and Scotland was a lot cooler than here in Spain, so I was planning to wear several layers to keep warm.

I eventually packed eight tops, one cardigan and four bottoms to cover my twelve day holiday. I had the luxury of a case in the hold, as I also had to pack the dress and jacket that I was going to wear to my niece's wedding. The next photo shows my wedding outfit, which wasn't exactly practical for a sight-seeing holiday in Scotland! As you can see it was a lovely day, so we decided to stroll beside the deer park before the evening festivities began.

The white shoes that I wore for the wedding were, not surprisingly, only worn for the one day.  I had trainers for going on long walks, a pair of green shoes that I wore in the day-time when we were sight-seeing and some navy shoes to wear when we went out for dinner at night. I also packed a lightweight (and crush-proof!) jacket that was destined to be my top layer - and several scarves, which helped to brighten up my navy trench-coat when I wore it in the evening.

If I had just been going on holiday, and hadn't had a family wedding to attend, I would probably have travelled lighter. Having said that, as we stayed in five different hotels and B&Bs, I only managed to wash a couple of tops and underwear in one location, drying them on a radiator in our hotel when we went out for dinner. 

How many clothes do you take on holiday? Do you wear them all (I did!) and do they cover all eventualities? The one item that I wore the most on my holiday was my pair of navy jeans - now there's a surprise!

Do clothes maketh the woman?

Many years ago when I worked in Human Resources, interviewers were warned not to judge applicants by their appearance. As an obvious example, if a young blonde woman wearing a mini-skirt walked into the interview room, it would be very wrong to assume that she was a bimbo: chances are that she's better qualified than the interviewer! I remember one place that I worked at where our receptionist used to give us the low-down on candidates: "Dirty finger nails - a bit scruffy looking." "Stuck up. Totally ignored me." It was hard not to be biased against certain applicants after her comments!

Candidates too are warned to wear appropriate clothes: "If you are going for an interview at a finance company, then dress conservatively" is the standard advice. I guess that I've always been a slight rebel at heart, as I have always been of the opinion that if a company didn't like the way I looked, then it wasn't a company that I wanted to work for. Having said that, I kept denims for out of office wear unless it was a dress-down Friday.

Now that I've retired I don't have to worry about dressing appropriately for work, however I think I am even more aware about what messages my appearance may be sending to people, although the rebel in me doesn't really worry about it! Women over 60 used to be told that they shouldn't wear jeans, to cover their knees, and to avoid the latest fashion trends like the plague. The one terrible fate that we wanted to avoid was appearing as mutton dressed as lamb! Our grandmothers and great aunts seemed to spend their time in the kitchen with their pinnies on and, to our younger selves, seemed positively ancient. Does the picture below look familiar?

Many of our grandmothers didn't go out to work, were practically chained to the kitchen sink and dressed dowdily, whereas my generation of women expects to have a career outside the home, to be treated as equals and we enjoy wearing more flattering clothes.

The good news is that there are lots of older role models out there: Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep and Susan Sarandon immediately spring to mind. However those of us who haven't been born with their natural beauty and talent, and who definitely don't have a film star's budget, have also learnt to make the most of our assets.

Being interested in fashion, I am fully aware of the styles and colours that many other older women wear. They look stylish in a low-key and age appropriate way, which used to be my aim too. Their wardrobes contain black, navy, grey or other neutrals, all beautifully matched and stylish. However over the last year or so I have embraced my inner rebel and started wearing more colourful outfits. Why? Because they make me feel lighter, happier and because I think that they flatter me more. What do you think?

 

My wish-list capsule travel wardrobe

I don't own any of the items of clothing below, so unfortunately I won't be packing this capsule for my forthcoming holiday to the UK, however I thought it would be fun to browse through Polyvore and create a wish-list travel wardrobe. Who knows, if I win Euromillions on Friday, I may be buying this at the weekend! This wardrobe would be more versatile than my rainbow capsule, as there are only two bright colours to liven up the neutrals. The tops would go well with most of the bottoms and the jacket could be worn with everything, as could the ballet flats.

I totted up the cost of my wish-list travel wardrobe and it came to a mere 2,795€, which is nothing if you're a Euromillions winner, though beyond my current fashion budget. If I'm the lucky winner, I'll post some photos of myself in my new outfits, so watch this space!

A practical capsule travel wardrobe

If I was being totally practical, and choosing a completely versatile travel wardrobe like all good fashion bloggers do, this is the capsule that would be packed in my suitcase next month. Looking at the selection below I already own many similar items of clothing. I don't possess a little black dress, but I do own a navy polka dot dress that would easily fit in. By using navy and grey rather than black I could devise a capsule very much like this one.



What are the key pieces if you want to build a practical capsule wardrobe?

1. The white blouse. Please note that it doesn't have to be stark white if that doesn't suit you. If either cream or off-white looks better on you, choose that instead.

2. Classic neutral jacket. Many fashionistas would insist on black, which no doubt would be a Frenchwoman's first choice, but the majority of over 60s would be wise to choose navy or whatever neutral flatters them the most. It goes without saying that the jacket should go well with the skirts and trousers in the capsule.

3. Flattering classic trousers and skirts. I have chosen a pair of denims, two pairs of smart trousers that can be worn either in the daytime or at night plus a skirt. You may prefer one pair of trousers and more skirts, or just skirts: select whatever suits your personal style.

4. A little black dress. What else?! However I would advise over 60s to choose a more flattering neutral shade such as navy or dark brown.

5. A selection of sleeveless or short-sleeved tops. The ones shown are black, white (look closely at the screen!) and grey, but I would recommend navy, dark brown or your own favourite neutrals.

6. A sleeveless or short-sleeved dressy top. To make this capsule marginally more interesting I have included a polka dot top, as polka dots seldom look dated.

7. A long-sleeved top. This one is in stripes, which never seem to go out of fashion. I'm wearing a similar one today!

8. Classic footwear includes boots and ballet flats, as shown, or loafers and maybe a pair of evening shoes, if you are going to any dressy events.

9. Accessories. I like scarves, necklaces and bracelets, but those of you with pierced ears will no doubt opt for earrings. This is where you can brighten up an otherwise neutral wardrobe.

There you have it: most fashion bloggers and fashion writers would approve of my choice and you have to admit that it would prove versatile. My next post will show a totally different travel capsule for those of you who find this one a bit too bland and - dare I say it? - boring.

Capsule travel wardrobe: packing a rainbow

The sensible side of me - the fashion blogger who is inspired by countless other fashion bloggers, all of whom recommend packing a coordinated, versatile travel wardrobe - is taking a break today. The slightly rebellious fun-loving side of me has decided to look at one final capsule travel wardrobe option.

"Don't worry about making sure everything matches perfectly," she is saying. "You're going on holiday, so just pack what you love wearing and have a ball!" She has based her choices on the colours of the rainbow, though she isn't totally crazy so she will pack one or two basic colours too. This is her selection, and I have to say that it's tempting me.

Although the sensible side of me insisted on the navy trench-coat being included in this capsule (as well as an umbrella, of course!), you can see that four brightly coloured scarves have been added to liven it up. I will also have a white jacket, smart dress and pair of heels in my suitcase for the wedding,: these will be useful if we go somewhere smart while we are on holiday.

I am sure that most fashion bloggers would throw up their hands in horror at these rainbow hues being allowed into a travel capsule. I don't think I have spotted any other travel capsules containing more than a couple of bright colours, but this isn't a business trip I'm going on, it's a holiday. What do you think? Should I let my fun side take over?

Capsule travel wardrobe: green to go!

I'm still looking for the perfect capsule travel wardrobe for my forthcoming trip to the UK. The only limitation is that it must come from the contents of my wardrobe, which obviously is a bit limiting in itself!  I'm also thinking of creating a virtual travel wardrobe on Polyvere, choosing items that I would buy if money was no object - there's no harm in dreaming, is there? Being practical though, the only clothes that I will be packing for my holiday are ones that I already possess, such as the clothes shown below.

This time I have picked mainly navy items for my basics, with green to give a pop of colour.

 

In case the colours don't show up well on your monitor, I would like to assure you that the dark shades are all navy and not black, having banished black from my wardrobe!  If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that I am going to a wedding at the beginning of my holiday, so I will have a white jacket, a smart dress and pair of heels in my suitcase in addition to the above clothes. I will also have an umbrella in my carry-on bag, as we are going to Scotland for a few days and rain isn't unknown there, even in June!

Capsule travel wardrobe: peaches and cream

Once I decided to banish black from my wardrobe, I couldn't decide whether navy, grey,  brown and/or stone would become my new basics.  At the moment I have several items in all four colours and I have already used navy as the basis of a capsule travel wardrobe. Although I have called this alternative travel capsule "peaches and cream", strictly speaking it is coral, yellow, brown and stone. We fashion bloggers do like to take liberties with accuracy for the sake of a catchy headline!

To recap, we are flying to Newcastle on 7th June for a family wedding and then having a holiday in Scotland - so, what should I pack?  In theory the weather could be sunny and warm all week, however we can't rule out the possibility of cold weather and rain, which makes packing for our holiday a wee bit tricky!

The main colours in this capsule wardrobe are brown, coral, yellow and stone, however you may also spot the wildcard: my trusty navy jeans. I did think of choosing a skirt, however I  have included a brown trouser suit that will be fine for smart daytime and evening wear, plus a floral dress, and there's something very comforting about having a pair of denims in case the weather turns chilly. I will pack an umbrella, no matter what the forecast is - having spent many rain-soaked summer holidays there, I don't trust Scottish weather! Do you have a favourite item that always gets packed, no matter where you are travelling to?

Capsule travel wardrobe in shades of blue

This is the time of the year when many of us start panicking about what clothes we have (or don't have!) for our summer holiday.  If you are going on a beach holiday it is fairly straightforward: a selection of swimwear, cover-ups for going to and from the beach, sandals, sun hat, sun glasses, beach bag and suntan lotion, with a smarter outfit for the evenings and maybe a pair of heels.

However if you are planning a city break, or a trip to the UK like we are, the possible permutations are endless. Throw in the likelihood of the weather fluctuating from warm and sunny to cold and rainy (we are talking Scotland here!) and will one suitcase be enough?!

As we are going to a wedding at the beginning of our holiday, I am going to take a larger case that will go in the hold, as the dress, jacket and shoes that I will be wearing for the wedding would take up most of the space in my usual carry-on cabin bag. Apart from that, I am hoping that a capsule wardrobe will be enough.

Based on the clothes in my existing wardrobe, this is one of the capsule wardrobes that I am considering taking with me to Scotland. In my next post I will show an alternative capsule wardrobe based on other colours.

 

You will notice a lot of navy in this travel wardrobe: navy is my new "black"! Being optimistic I have included four lightweight tops as well as two with long sleeves. I will wear the blue linen trousers and a sleeveless top for travelling - as it is guaranteed to be warm in Spain next month - plus a pair of comfortable walking shoes. I will carry either the cardigan or my trench-coat (maybe both?) for when we land in Newcastle, having checked the forecast just before we board our flight!  I also plan to carry a large tote as my hand luggage, which may very well contain an umbrella (if not, I will definitely be packing one), plus my sun glasses and suntan lotion, though I may not need the last two items until we return to Spain.

As I like a pop of colour, and the navy and blue clothes shown are monochromatic, I will throw in these two bright scarves plus some colourful jewellery. The jacket that I will be packing for the wedding is white so, if I manage to keep it clean, I can also wear it over the navy and white polka-dot dress in the evenings, or with the navy skirt and a top for a smarter look during the day-time. Similarly, the low-heeled shoes that I will be wearing for the wedding can also be worn with the navy dress or skirt.

How do you pack for your holidays? Do you choose items that will mix and match for versatility, or do you just cram all your favourite items into your suitcase?

The Uncommon Wardrobe Revisited

It's six months since I blogged about my "Uncommon Wardrobe", and my wardrobe has had a major shake-up over the last six months, so I thought it was time to revisit the topic.

I based the idea on the amazing Janice's many posts about her "Common Wardrobe" in The Vivienne Files.  Janice created a basic wardrobe of twelve pieces of clothing in neutral colours and then added four signature pieces (red in the example that I've linked to) plus accessories. In my first attempt, prior to banishing black from my wardrobe and choosing more flattering colours, I did have several black items, however there are none in the new version.

The colours here are navy (light and dark), grey, dark brown and stone.  Obviously the navy and grey will look better together as will the dark brown and stone. I probably need to decide in the future which group of neutrals suits me best and phase out the other group as I have done with black, but at the moment all these colours are proving versatile.  Many of my favourite colours go well with my "uncommon" wardrobe - how about a touch of green?

Or some sunshine yellow - especially as we've had a lot of rain recently here in Spain!

The beauty of creating a common wardrobe is that with the right neutral pieces you can create lots of different outfits with a fairly small wardrobe. With the four tops and four bottoms shown for example, I can create twelve oufits not just four. Mix and match the jackets or add the green and yellow tops to change the look and add even more variety.

If you are feeling a bit bored with your current wardrobe - same old, same old - why not introduce a few touches of colour and see how that changes your look? Remember that you can update your wardrobe easily by adding a few accessories: a bright scarf, colourful necklace or a few sparkly bracelets can make all the difference.

What price cheap fashion?

I have already posted about Fairtrade, but the recent tragedy in Dhaka has highlighted the issue again.  I've been as guilty as anyone, buying cheap clothes to give my wardrobe (and me!) a lift.  It's very tempting, which is why when I started doing Project 333 (having 33 items of clothing to last 3 months) and looked at my wardrobe critically, I realised how many clothes I had that didn't fit me any more, no longer suited me, and were already looking faded and worn.  Cheap clothes aren't made to last, and yet so many of us buy even more cheap clothes to replace them.

Janice of The Vivienne Files has already written about this emotive topic, and I was interested in one of the comments made by someone called Anonymous:

"This 'they wouldn't have any jobs' argument is so colonial, looking down on people."

I beg to differ.  My belief is that those of us who have bought cheap clothing in the past have indirectly contributed to this terrible tragedy, so we have a responsibility to try and improve the situation by buying wisely in future.  However if we just boycott companies like Primark and Joe Fresh, who are we helping?  We should be lobbying these companies to face up to their responsibilities and say that we won't buy their clothes until they do so. 

I live in Spain, where unemployment is very high and many families are struggling to survive. This is mainly the result of the recession and the collapse of the building trade, leading to the loss of many jobs. If people in Bangladesh need these jobs, the solution is to improve their working conditions, pay them a decent wage and not complain about the resulting increased prices in our shops. I hope that I'm not being colonial if I say that I don't want job losses in Bangladesh that will mean families there are having to struggle too.

More than 360 people are known to have died here

I buy most of my clothes on-line from Lands End and Marks & Spencer, mainly because of their petite ranges.  I have already sent emails to both companies stating that I am a concerned customer, and to their credit they replied promptly. Here are their responses.

Marks and Spencer

Dear Ms Walker

Thanks for taking the time to contact us after the tragedy in Dhaka. I would like to reassure you that the quality of life for anyone producing M&S products is very important to us.

We set the same standards for quality and working conditions regardless of where our products are made.

All of our suppliers are expected to meet our Global Sourcing Principles, and to encourage their own suppliers to implement them. This requires our suppliers to comply with national laws and to work towards the international labour laws contained in the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code.

Our Global Sourcing Principles promote the right to freedom of association, requiring that workers are free to join lawful trade unions or workers’ associations, and the payment of national minimum wage. Any new suppliers who we conduct business with have to pass our audits on key issues such as underage labour, pay, working hours and health and safety.

If you would like to view the full details of our Global Sourcing Principles, or to see the results of our supplier audits in our annual How We Do Business report, they can be found on our website: www.marksandspencer.com.

I hope this information has reassured you that as a company we are committed to the highest standards of ethical trading for our workers and suppliers both in the UK and abroad.

Lands End

Dear Ms Walker

Thank you for your enquiry.

We take special care in selecting partners who share our concern for the environment and adhere to their local and national laws regarding the protection and preservation of the environment.

We also require that all of our products be manufactured in environments that are safe and comply with all local rules and regulations.

Our commitments to Social Responsibility can be found on our website (www.landsend.co.uk) and by clicking on 'Social Responsibility' at the bottom of the homepage.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

I hope that you will follow my example and contact the retailers where you buy your clothes from. Also don't assume that the mid-cost fashion retailers aren't guilty in this respect: ask them the same questions.

I would be interested in any other ideas that you may have to ensure that cheap fashion no longer comes at such a cost.

April Style Challenge - never mind the weather!

Have you ever packed for a holiday optimistically, with lots of lightweight bottoms, short-sleeved tops and just one cardigan, only to have the rain teem down nearly every day? That's what this week's capsule wardrobe for the April Style Challenge has felt like. My blue linen trousers are in the wash as I've spilt something on them, but I wouldn't have wanted to wear them today anyway. It's definitely jeans, top and green cashmere cardigan weather! When I venture outside later I will be wearing the navy trench-coat with a warm scarf and boots - and suspect that I may even wear gloves. I had allowed for it becoming a bit cooler this weekend, but the weather is even worse than forecast.

This has given me food for thought about our trip to Scotland in June. I've just looked at the average June temperatures for Eastern Scotland, and the highs are equivalent to the lows in Murcia, Spain. I think two pairs of jeans, two cardigans and a couple of long-sleeved tops may be going into my suitcase, as well as more summery clothes.  Plus an umbrella!

The best option is to take plenty of layers, which I can mix and match both to suit the weather and to change my look, so I don't become bored. A couple of scarves, it goes without saying, will be tucked into the lid of my case. However for anyone planning to travel to Spain in June for a holiday, you should be pretty safe with summer clothes!

PS Does anyone know where I can buy another pair of short petite jeans?  This pair has seen better days!

April Style Challenge - nearly there!

I'm getting near the end of my week working with a capsule wardrobe of 10 items, and I plan to extend it until the end of April. I anticipate that my green cardigan and navy trench-coat will figure a lot in my outfits over the next few days, judging by the weather outside and the miserable forecast. 

Fellow blogger Jacqui mentioned in a comment that she changes when she gets home from work, so she wears the same work clothes twice before washing them, but she mixes them up so people don't notice. That is a good tip for anyone planning to work with a small capsule wardrobe too.

Look 1

Look 2

I have deliberately put these two outfits side by side to make a couple of points.  Although the top is fairly bright, if I wore a cardigan or jacket over it, the looks would be different enough for people not to notice, especially if my outer garment was a similar colour to my bottoms.

The other point is to do with contrast in your colouring. I have dark hair, dark eyes and warm freckled skin and I have been told that I have light to medium contrast in my colouring. This being the case, someone commented when they saw look 2 that they thought the yellow top would look better worn with lighter bottoms as in look 1, which is today's outfit.  What do you think? Do you prefer Look 1 or Look 2 on me?

Are we too obsessed with being clean?

First of all a disclaimer: I am not talking about my house here, as any friends reading this who have visited our house know that I don't clean it every day! I need to clean regularly of course - particularly the kitchen and bathroom, for obvious reasons of hygiene - but I don't dust and sweep on a daily basis, unlike the local Spanish señoras that we spot every morning, throwing bucketfuls of dirty water onto the streets. I hope that I haven't shocked you too much!

Personal hygiene is important and I have a bath or take a shower at least once a day. This means that when I get dressed in the morning I am putting my clothes onto a clean body, and I am putting clean clothes on too. Yes, I've come to the point at last, which has been highlighted by my current capsule wardrobe experience. Do we need to wear different clothes every day? Underwear maybe, but I put on a clean top every morning, though I will wear the bottoms several times so long as they look clean. As I have limited myself to five tops, which I will be wearing over a nine day period, I have already hand washed a couple of them, but was this really necessary?

I wore this outfit on Monday, but with different accessories. The purple top wasn't dirty and neither were the trousers, in spite of getting wet, but I still washed the top without even thinking about it. This meant I was using water, which is a precious resource in Spain, when I didn't need to. Whenever the laundry basket is full the washing machine goes on, which is using electricity as well as water.  If I wore my tops a couple of times instead of just once, the washing machine wouldn't need to be used as frequently. If I wasn't as clean, the environment would definitely benefit.

I'm not sure when this habit began.  When I went to school we wore a school uniform, and I cannot remember having more than a couple of blouses and skirts.  I joined the Women's Royal Navy and wore a uniform - again, I didn't have enough items to change them everyday, and I only did the washing at the weekend.  Perhaps it was after I had children?  Children do get dirty and sometimes have to wear more than one outfit a day, plus mothers find it difficult not to get messy too, so the washing machine was on almost constantly. I think I will have to blame it on the children!

April Style Challenge - more challenges!

I am using a capsule wardrobe of 10 items of clothing this week, as part of the April Style Challenge. I followed Imogen's advice and checked the weather forecast, but even so I am realising that the linen trousers  and light tops that I have been wearing happily for the last couple of weeks were optimistic choices.  Yes, I included one pair of jeans, a cashmere cardigan and my trench-coat, and luckily I can add warm scarves as accessories weren't included, but I was expecting to only need these for the weekend and I am already wearing them today. Perhaps I can wear thick tights under my linen trousers tomorrow?

I suspect that I will be wearing my cardigan until the end of this challenge, so I must take great care not to spill anything on it!

I am now scanning the fashion blogs for some ideas on packing light for my holiday in June: I may very well be packing two cardigans though based on this week's experiences.  One blogger that I highly recommend for inspiring capsule collections and packing ideas is Janice of The Vivienne Files.  Click on the link to the right under Recommended Blogs - and enjoy!

My capsule wardrobe proves challenging!

Day 1 of  this week's April Style Challenge: using a capsule wardrobe of ten items of clothing.  I got off to a good start by deciding to wear my purple long-sleeved top with blue linen trousers and adding one of my favourite scarves.  I wish I had asked my husband to take a photo this morning though, as I am now wearing a different outfit, so it doesn't count!

Today's outfit - part 1!

On Monday evenings we go to our Spanish lesson and when we set off it was dry though a bit cool. Luckily I had put my umbrella in my bag at the last minute as, while we were sitting in the classroom, it started raining heavily and soon we were watching lightning flashes and listening to thunder. As our Spanish teacher put it: "Madre mía"! The rain had eased a bit when we started walking home, but there were rivers running down the streets so by the time we got home my feet and trouser bottoms were soaking wet.

I am now wearing the same top and scarf but with my jeans. I have also changed my slip-on shoes for socks and trainers. Luckily shoes and accessories didn't have to be included, and the jeans are part of my capsule wardrobe, so I'm not cheating (yet!)

Today's outfit - part 2!

Spot the difference!

It does prove the importance though of having versatile clothes, and especially when you are going on holiday. At home it wouldn't matter so much, as I do have more than ten articles in my wardrobe to choose from, even though I am trying to limit myself to using just ten of them this week. If I had been on holiday, I would have been relieved that I could change into different bottoms without needing to change my top.  How versatile is YOUR wardrobe? Why not try this capsule wardrobe challenge yourself, and see how successful you are!

April Style Challenge - Capsule Wardrobe Week

This week's Style Challenge was to create a capsule wardrobe of 10 items of clothing to wear over the next week.  If you click on the link above you can see Imogen's wardrobe and her suggestions that the 10 items consist of 5 tops (which could include dresses), 2 bottoms and 3 cardigans/jackets.  She also suggested looking at the weather forecast before deciding on your capsule!

My initial thoughts were to have 7 tops, 2 bottoms and 1 jacket - as the weather has been warm recently -  until I followed Imogen's tip and looked at the forecast.  Temperatures are due to drop by the weekend!  Back to the drawing board and my final decision was to have 5 tops, 3 bottoms and 2 cardigan/jackets.  The  original two bottoms that I had picked were linen trousers, so I have added my faithful jeans to them. I have decided on some lightweight tops that can be rinsed out if necessary, and I have included a cardigan for wearing indoors and my navy trench-coat for wearing over it on cooler days.

This is my capsule wardrobe.  Luckily shoes and accessories didn't have to be included, so that will be a bonus if the weather does become chilly.

 

Looking at the tops and bottoms above, I can create 14 different outfits, leaving aside the accessories that obviously could be used to create even more looks. Factor in the cardigan, that hopefully I won't need to wear, and the possible combinations increase. I have realised that this would be a good basis for a holiday wardrobe too.

Why don't you challenge yourself to select 10 items from your wardrobe to wear for one or even two weeks?  Let me know how successful you are!