From top: ASOS White midi dress // Topshop Boutique jumper // Urban Outfitters leather jacket // River Island culottes // Finery jumper // Topshop Boutique blouse (sold out, similar) // Topshop Boutique jumpsuit (sold out, similar)
This whole capsule wardrobe thing has been somewhat of a learning process for me, and the hardest thing I've found has been not shopping. I suppose I am somewhat of a shopaholic and unfortunately, hard though this is to admit, my 'fashion fixes' have always acted as a way of lifting my mood; retail therapy isn't so called for nothing! However, it did mean a wardrobe busting with things I didn't really like and as a result, barely wore, so this whole capsule wardrobe process has definitely been a cathartic way of dealing with shopaholic tendencies.
It's like anything though, once you've started a challenge, it becomes easier to stick with it. I guess not shopping until the end of the rotation of the capsule allows for more of a thought process around what you are buying, rather than impulse buying lots of items that aren't really appropriate. The idea of buying from a list, or buying set items, rather than just something I like, is a little hard to get to grips with, but I think in this rotation of the capsule I might have managed to do so.
The other thing that I've found I've had to adapt when capsuling is that it can still be easy to buy the wrong thing, which isn't the point at all. I had a few items on my 'wish list' for the winter capsule and when it came to making the purchases, I really struggled to find a couple of key items. As a result, I ended up buying a couple of pieces that weren't quite right, as I felt as though my 'shopping window' was closing and I had to get them in time. You can guess what happened; a week or so after the purchase I was returning them because they just weren't exactly what I was looking for. I think the key here is not to feel forced into buying something because you are advised to shop only during the last two weeks of the season; I think if you know something is on your radar, and you find the perfect style mid-way through the capsule, you should pick it up then, rather than waiting to the allotted shopping time. The point I suppose is that you should buy in a more considered way, less impulsively, and using more of a thought process. As long as you follow these principles, I suppose it doesn't really matter when the items are actually purchased, although I have tried to stick to the shopping during the end of the capsule rotation (for me this was the first two weeks of January as it ended over Christmas)
I knew I would end up spending more on the winter capsule as there were a couple of things I knew I wanted to get, and for the most part, I've managed it! So, here's what I bought:
- ASOS White midi dress (£37.50, in the sale): Perfect for work, this dress looks lovely layered over fine knits. I particularly like it over my Finery navy polo neck top. It's now £30 in the sale too!
- Topshop Boutique space dye knit (£25, in the sale): Another great layering item. I love the fine knit of this jumper and it's also slightly cropped, which makes it great to wear at work or off duty. This one is the same but a slightly lighter colour-unfortch not in the sale yet though!
- Urban Outfitters leather jacket (£55, in the sale): I have been looking for the perfect leather jacket for ever. This one is faux leather but the fit is absolutely insane and I used some Christmas money to buy it. I love it! (It's now been further reduced too!)
- River Island culottes (£17, in the sale): I bought these with a voucher I had and they have been great worn with boots for the milder weather!
- Finery knitted jumper, (£45, Black Friday buy): This was something I had wanted for ages after spotting it on the Finery site during the first rotation of the capsule wardrobe. I picked it up on Black Friday as there was a 30% site wide discount. I have pretty much worn this constantly since! It's now down to £32 with an extra 20% off!
- Topshop Boutique silk top (£40, in the sale): I picked this top up in the sale after Christmas. I love the fact that it's silk and the fit is just lovely. Perfect for work, it's now sold out but this one is similar.
- Topshop Boutique wool pyjama jumpsuit: (£50, in the sale): I have another Topshop Boutique jumpsuit that I wear a lot, (I talked about it in this post) and jumpsuits are my dresses-I adore them and wear them often. This particular one has sold out, but this one is similar.
As well as these pieces, I also got a few other things (not pictured)
- Finery roll neck top (£11, Black Friday buy)
- Topshop leopard print coat (£36, in the sale) now sold out, this one is similar.
- ASOS wide legged cropped trousers (£20, bought with vouchers)
- River Island slip dress (£30, bought with vouchers)
- Topshop sleeveless duster coat, (£25 in the sale, bought with vouchers)
- ASOS knitted jumpsuit, (£12, bought with vouchers)
So my total spend for the winter capsule was: £279.50 which was around what I had budgeted, I wanted to come in under £300 and I managed that. I knew this capsule would be more expensive as I wanted to get a coat, and after having a good sort through of what I had already and binning off a lot of stuff, I had to replace some things-namely some jaded trousers and a couple of raggedy old jumpers. I was really lucky that I got some money, as well as some vouchers, for Christmas so I was able to absorb a lot of the cost with these. I predict that I won't need to buy nearly as much for the spring wardrobe, as I have a good haul of clothing to pick from and I'm looking forward to switching over some of my more wintery clothes-if the weather allows! It's hard to capsule when there are no real set seasons!
XO Amie
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