My closet is packed. I would never be mistaken for a minimalist. However, I’ve noticed that recently, every time I reach for an everyday outfit, I end up choosing from the same group of items. Because of that, I decided to challenge myself to create and focus on a fall capsule wardrobe for my everyday looks to encourage re-wearing and re-styling some of my favorite basic pieces.
I prefer to invest in basics and buy less expensive trendy, fast fashion items. A capsule wardrobe is great for this type of lifestyle and purchasing behavior!
A capsule wardrobe will:
- Make getting dressed easier
- Decrease cost per wear of your investment pieces
- Help you be more creative with my everyday looks
- Spend less money on clothing
How to Build a Fall Capsule Wardrobe
Determine your Needs
Where do you spend your time? What are you comfortable in? Does your job have dress requirements? Take all of these questions into consideration when creating your capsule and choosing your pieces.
Select your Capsule Wardrobe Pieces
Choose versatile clothing that you can pair with a lot of other items. It will be around 20-40 pieces depending on what you include (I don’t include accessories.) Your capsule will be primarily made up of basics.
Start with a Base Color
You’ll start by choosing between navy and black, or sometimes brown. I love black, so I chose it as a base color, but later included brown as an accent.
Start with your Essentials
Essentials include your basic solid tees, everyday jeans and pants, and classic boots or shoes. Each of these items should be your base colors and neutrals.
I started with my black and white tees, blue, black and white jeans, and black leather booties and Adidas Superstars.
Accent Pieces
Next, you’ll choose your accent pieces. They can be colors or prints, choose your favorites! Make sure they are comfortable, versatile, and match at least 3 other things in the collection.
As a general rule, add no more than 2-3 prints so you can pair multiple items together. Make sure your accent colors coordinate. Neutrals and fashion neutrals (army green, blush, navy, etc) will be the most versatile items. Each piece you add must go with at least three other pieces in your capsule.
Wear and Wear Again your Fall Capsule Wardrobe
Now it’s time to pair your outfits together! Mix, match, and style your outfits. I am sharing some of my favorites below, and you can download a PDF of even more outfits below!
My Fall Wardrobe Essentials
I created my own capsule wardrobe with 27 pieces. I compiled 5 pieces of outerwear with 7 tops, 3 skirts, 5 pants, 1 dress, and 6 pairs of shoes to create this collection of staples for fall.
My Capsule Pieces
Outerwear
Tops
Skirts & Dresses
- Suede Skirt
- Faux Leather Skirt and here
- Cargo Skirt, similar here, here, here, and here
- Mott & Bow Shirtdress
$108
Pants
Shoes
