Capsule Wardrobe Update

I've written a little in the past about my experiments with a capsule wardrobe and thought it was time for an update (see here for past posts). I guess this update starts as far back as last winter, which is further back than I realized! I was considering the state of my clothes. And the fact that I was still thinking about it a decent amount was an indication for me that things were not going as smoothly as I wanted. I wasn't completely comfortable with the clothes I had, I felt like I still had some things I wasn't that interested in, and missing things I was interested in. Although, what exactly I was missing was not clear to me. It turns out it can be difficult to choose exactly what you want without trial and error, and I was getting a bit tired of that part. I just wanted it all to be settled.

In my frustration and quest for something even simpler, I started thinking about wearing a uniform, which is an idea I came across while reading about capsule wardrobes. It doesn't necessarily mean wearing the exact same thing every day, although it can, but wearing the same style of thing every day. A lot of people wear jeans and a t-shirt as a uniform. They wear that same idea every day. For a lot of reasons, I am not a jeans and t-shirt kind of person. Which begged the question, what sort of person am I?

Finding this question was much more difficult than finding the answer, which was hanging in my closet. I just consulted my most favorite outfit to wear, which was a black and white polka dot shirt dress that I wore with leggings. I realized I would wear that every day if I let myself. So I did.

That was probably six months ago and I'm still feeling pretty good about my breakthrough. I only wear dresses now, and my life is so much easier, and I'm very pleased about it. I don't have to worry any more about matching things, I just pick whatever dress I feel like wearing. As it gets cold, I can add leggings, long sleeves and sweaters. And SCARVES!!!

Packing for our road trip was super simple. I never once felt like I had forgotten to pack something, or that I had over-packed. I actually didn't know that this was a possible state to achieve.

A note about buying dresses: When I first started this experiment I just rotated through the few dresses in my closet, to get a feel for things and see if I really liked it. It became clear pretty quickly that this was my meant-to-be path. I've found that the Goodwill (our local thrift store) is the best place to get dresses. It's easy to shop there, all the dresses are on one rack. Plus, they aren't limited to whatever is currently in style, so you get a choice of lots of styles and colors. I've been very successful in finding dresses that fit well, mostly I think because I've tried on such a variety, a variety you wouldn't find in any store.

Now that I've tried on so many I know what I'm looking for and can weed out most options without a second glance. I don't do strappy or strapless because it's too stressful. I prefer above the knee, the shorter the better, either with a straight shift cut or with a high waist. Pockets are key. Why anyone bothers to make anything without pockets is a mystery to me.

So that's my story, for now at least. Although, I'm feeling pretty content, and I would be surprised if things changed anytime soon. I know several of you experimented with various things after my last posts, I'm curious how things are going for you now. Leave a comment below, or if you want to have a bit more involved conversation, meet me here.