It’s time for the weekly Winter Capsule Wardrobe round up. If you have no idea what I am talking about then start with this post. If you missed last weeks outfits then check out this post. And if you are all caught up then read on. Week 2 was fun! I’m starting to get the hang of this whole capsule wardrobe concept. My head cold is finally starting to subside and I feel like I may actually return to normal. So normal in fact that I might actually try running again this week! #BeenTooLong
Day 1
After watching the golden globes I was inspired on Monday to wear all black. If you don’t know why, you can see the post here … just promise you won’t go and unfollow me. Apparently politics and fashion are a no-no on Instagram as it prompted quite the exodus. I apologize to anyone I may have offended (it wasn’t my intent) and thanks to all who commented their support. And now we will just leave it there.
It’s a good thing the turtlenecks made it through the laundry process over the weekend. I wore a majestic turtleneck with my leather midi skirt (similar from J.Crew) and my Hugo Boss Suit jacket. My footwear? My classic Ted Baker Black Pumps (currently on sale at Zappos!!) with black hose.
Day 2
With customer meetings on the daytime agenda and a networking event on the evening agenda my attire was going to have to include the Hugo Boss Suit jacket again (there is a reason I own 2). My silk blouse was still at the dry cleaners so the traditional suit combination wasn’t going to work. After wearing all black on Monday, on Tuesday I opted for ALL color! I already mentioned I love these J.Crew sweaters for their ability to layer under a suit a jacket. The cobalt skirt provided even more color. On my feet, black booties (I linked several below).
In the first picture I am wearing both my suit jacket and a wool coat. Here is the look without either of those pieces. If I wasn’t wearing the black suit jacket I probably would have chosen a more neutral shoe.
Day 3
Yeah for picking up dry cleaning (and finding tons of clothes you forgot you had!) Does anyone else do this?
With more customer meetings on the agenda, the attire for the day was going to have to be a traditional suit. Enter Hugo (again) and the long awaited striped silk blouse (similar from everlane). The footwear? Classic Ted Baker Black Pumps of course. It doesn’t get any more corporate than this folks.
Day 4
After three days of Hugo, I needed a break. I still had meetings though, so I opted for another silk blouse paired with this LOFT Blazer (they just added this red option to their inventory) and my Betabrand pants. If you are keeping track, you can call me out for adding another silk blouse to the capsule. I can’t even blame the dry cleaners for this one. It just was becoming apparent that one traditional suit look wasn’t going to cut if for a month of meeting filled days. #SorryNotSorry
On my feet, Tory Burch platform booties (mostly hidden by the pants though). Mine are a few years old but you can find a less ornate but similar pair here or a more ornate but still edgy pair here. I also linked similar pairs at the end of this post.
Day 5
On Friday I had a breakfast meeting and I one morning call and then I planned to work from home the rest of the day. This beyond the norm schedule provided me the luxury of wearing denim (similar to these High Rise Denim from Madewell) which I paired with more stripes and more red. Technically I could have used the LOFT blazer again but since I had just worn it the day before I opted for the more casual anthropology one (yep, two more adds).
I was going to wear sock booties but as I checked the weather forecast (while remembering all the salt piles still everywhere) I was thankful I had. Rain was in the forecast! I promptly made the switch to the greatest rain boots ever and headed out the door to greet the rain (which had already arrived) with a smile.
Weekend Looks
It became clear last weekend that I was going to have to add a few more casual pieces in order to survive the challenge. I opted to add the black and white turtleneck I wore yesterday (on sale) and this red one (also on sale). Both can dress up if necessary but are also just fine on their own with a pair of jeans. They can also easily look totally different simply by adding a scarf. #Bonus
Another bonus, these Ted Baker ballet flats (also on sale) match perfectly with the sweater. #MatchMadeInHeaven
For Dinner and a Movie with the girls this weekend I wore the Windowpane Sweater with a black turtleneck underneath (because it was once again crazy cold). I wore jeans similar to these High Rise Denim from Madewell and on my feet … my Stuart Weitzman 5050 boots. Keeping me warm? My “meant for crazy cold” Rochester parka (sizes were limited for mine so here is a very similar option).
Week 2 Thoughts
This capsule thing is fun, BUT hard. I’m not going to lie.
Well, its easy AND its hard. Let me explain.
I have to plan my week out in advance to make sure I have a suit on the days I have meetings and to make sure what I have left on Friday works with my schedule. With so few pieces it is pretty easy to lay out the entire week (which makes mornings a breeze) but the number of pieces also make it challenging if I need to wear a suit three days in a row. I also tend to dress first based on schedule, but second based on mood. On Friday I wasn’t really feeling the pieces I had originally planned. My customer meetings were cancelled and I didn’t need to be as formal. I was able to switch things up … but with less pieces their was significantly fewer choices. #GoodAndBad
Twelve is probably too restrictive for the number of pieces. One suit (and one silk blouse) is definitely too restrictive for someone that needs to wear a jacket everyday! I actually have two black Hugo Boss suits (so I’m already kind of cheating) but I’ve needed to use them both. I did wear a black suit jacket three days this week. Normally a prefer a little more variety in my suiting. Blazers do make a great stand it! But again, with just one option (and that option being red) it’s been hard to wear that more than once in a week. #ThusSomeAdditions
Lastly, trying to use the same capsule pieces for weekday and weekend takes extra consideration in the pieces you use. This really should be the case for anything you buy; but it really hit home last weekend when I didn’t feel like I had anything in the capsule I could just toss on and lounge around the house wearing. All told I’ve added five pieces to the capsule. The turtleneck last week and this week: a second silk blouse, a second pair of jeans and two more turtlenecks. Don’t worry I’m keeping track of all my additions and I will show you the final capsule in the end.
On to week three!! Let’s see what fun and challenges this week brings!
Black Booties
I promised to find some black booties similar to the ones I wore on Tuesday …. Happy Shopping!