If you saw Sunday’s prepost then you already know what you are about to read …. but just in case you missed it … I will quickly recap. Remember back in January when I challenged myself to wear a Winter Capsule Wardrobe? Well that was so much fun and earned such raving reviews that I decided to create a Summer Capsule Wardrobe! I’m not going to challenge myself to wear it everyday but you will be seeing pieces from it weekly!! What’s a Capsule Wardrobe you ask? I talk about the the why and how in the prepost; read that here before going on ….
So why is there a prepost? I was originally planning to publish the post on the first day of summer (yesterday) … but I built the wardrobe using pieces from Ann Taylor and everything was 50% off over the weekend (don’t worry if you missed it – they will have another sale soon!) With the sale going strong I opted to publish the Summer Capsule Wardrobe pieces early so those who wanted to shop didn’t miss a great savings opportunity!!
SUMMER CAPSULE WARDROBE
My goal was to create a Summer Capsule Wardrobe that could take get you to work everyday feeling confident and perfectly attired. Learning from my personal experience with my January capsule, I wanted enough variety in the pieces to stave off boredom. It being summer and the holidays … I also wanted a capsule with color (I actually included a bit more color than I normally do in my typical capsule wardrobes)! And while the focus is definitely on the work week, I also included a few items for the weekend.
Below are my Summer Capsule Wardrobe Pieces! This capsule has 7 tops, 3 pants, 3 skirts, 1 dress, 2 jackets and 1 suit. I also added a few accessories for fun! The key is everything can mix and match whether it is a staple piece or something more unique.
Cap Sleeve Sweater | Halter Top | Striped Linen Tank | Yellow Tank | Ruffle Neck Shell | Striped Blouse | Pinstripe Peplum Shell
Drapey Full Leg Pants | Tie Waist Pants | Wide Leg Sailor Pants | Straight Leg Linen Blend or Curvy Fit | Released Hem Denim Skirt | Pencil Skirt | Pinstripe Pencil Skirt
Stripe Belted Wrap Dress | Striped Fringe Jacket | Perfect Blazer | Linen Jacket |Ball Drop Earrings | Leopard Print Haircalf Trouser Belt | Triple Strand Bracelet
Summer Capsule Wardrobe Looks
Rather than post the looks by week (like I did in January), I’ve opted to group the looks by key pieces so you can better see their versatility.
The Linen Suit
Let’s start with my wardrobe must: the suit. For summer, I like Linen, there is nothing cooler – literally. It’s a bonus it came in this gorgeous blue! #BlueBabe
Linen Jacket | Straight Leg Linen Blend or Curvy Fit | Mixed Jersey Tank | Halter Sweater | Striped Blouse | Cap Sleeve Sweater | Striped Linen Tank
You can also re purpose the jacket to upgrade a more casual look.
Linen Jacket | Halter Sweater | Released Hem Denim Skirt | Stripe Belted Wrap Dress
Remix the pants for even more options,
Straight Leg Linen Blend or Curvy Fit | Mixed Jersey Tank
Drapey Blue Pants
It was love the minute I saw these! So flowy and such a gorgeous color. My favorite way to style these is to go all in on color!!
Drapey Full Leg Pants | Mixed Jersey Tank & Striped Fringe Jacket | Cap Sleeve Sweater | Ruffle Neck Shell | Cap Sleeve Sweater | Perfect Blazer
If that is too much then you can simply let the pants shine by opting for a neutral top,
Drapey Full Leg Pants | Striped Blouse
Sailor Pants
Buttoned up and very professional looking but super comfortable! These are great everyday pants. If you need a jacket – opt for cropped – to balance the silhouette!
Wide Leg Sailor Pants | Ruffle Neck Shell | Cap Sleeve Sweater | Mixed Jersey Tank | Striped Blouse | Halter Sweater
Tie Waist Pants
Want to look like you are going to work but feel like you are wearing lounge wear? These are the pants for you!! So comfortable!!
Tie Waist Pants | Ruffle Shell | Striped Linen Tank | Halter Sweater (remove the belt to remove the bulk) | Cap Sleeve Sweater | Mixed Jersey Tank | Striped Blouse
Pencil Skirts
Let’s talk next about the classic wardrobe staple: pencil skirts. Normally I would mix up my skirts in a capsule with a little more variety (adding another silhouette like a maxi or chiffon midi). I loved both of these pencil skirts too much to leave them out though.
Pencil Skirt | Ruffle Neck Shell | Striped Blouse | Leopard Print Haircalf Trouser Belt | Mixed Jersey Tank & Perfect Blazer | Halter Sweater | Cap Sleeve Sweater
The second pencil skirt is just as versatile. My favorite look is the stripes on stripes on stripes look or the separates as a dress look (which you could even add a jacket over if necessary).
Pinstripe Pencil Skirt | Striped Blouse | Mixed Jersey Tank | Pinstripe Peplum Shell & Striped Blouse | Halter Sweater|Pinstripe Peplum Shell | Cap Sleeve Sweater |
Wrap Dress
Don’t think a dress can be versatile? Think again …
Stripe Belted Wrap Dress | Perfect Blazer | Striped Fringe Jacket| Linen Jacket
Sunshine Jacket
This jacket just screams summer. I mixed the Striped Fringe Jacket in with the looks above but here they all are together.
Striped Fringe Jacket | Mixed Jersey Tank | Drapey Full Leg Pants | Stripe Belted Wrap Dress | Tie Waist Pants | Straight Leg Linen Blend or Curvy Fit
Here all all of the looks that included the Perfect Blazer.
Perfect Blazer | Striped Blouse | Tie Waist Pants | Mixed Jersey Tank | Leopard Print Haircalf Trouser Belt | Released Hem Denim Skirt | Cap Sleeve Sweater | Drapey Full Leg Pants | Stripe Belted Wrap Dress | Mixed Jersey Tank | Pencil Skirt
Casual Looks
Because you only go to the office five days I week (or should). I wanted to include looks for the weekend too. The two key casual pieces are the Striped Linen Tank and the Released Hem Denim Skirt (I live in denim skirts on the weekend). Here are the looks with the tank …
Striped Tank | Tie Waist Pants | Released Hem Denim Skirt | Linen Jacket & Straight Leg Linen Blend or Curvy Fit
Here are the looks with the denim skirt …
Released Hem Denim Skirt | Halter Sweater | Mixed Jersey Tank | Leopard Print Haircalf Trouser Belt| Cap Sleeve Sweater | Pinstripe Peplum Shell | Striped Linen Tank
My Summer Capsule Wardrobe Looks
Here are all of the looks. There are arguably 50+ looks!!! Scroll through to see all of them. I am also slowly getting them added to a Pinterest Board (only so many hours).
Capsule Shoes
I wore a variety of shoes for the photos but if I had to pick only one I would opt for either a Nude Sandal or Nude Pumps.
Below are the many others that I wore (with a suitable alternative if they are no longer available to purchase):
- White Jimmy Choo Pumps (Ann Taylor Elora Leather Slingback Pumps )
- Leopard pumps (Leopard Pumps, Leopard Block Heel Pumps, Leopard Print Slingbacks)
- J.Crew Snakeskin (Exotic Leather Pumps )
- Rothy’s (Indigo and Marigold). Read my review here (includes a code to save $20).
- Hinge Cage Sandals (similar here)
- Sarah Jessica Parker Blue D’Orsay (this color is only available from the Bellagio Store in Vegas but there is a similar color here and a similar style here)