As many of you will know by now I have been attempting to create my perfect capsule wardrobe since last year and I am slowly getting there. My wardrobe has reduced in size dramatically and my way of thinking when it comes to shopping has completely shifted 180.
Instead of going out and buying loads of items which I don't need just because they are slightly reduced, I now look at what I already have in my wardrobe, make outfits out these items and then make a list of items which I think are missing from my wardrobe. If you haven't tried it I would highly recommend it. If you have and it didn't float your boat, fair play at least you gave it a go! For those of you who haven't, here are a few reasons why I think people should shop their wardrobe.
1. To love your clothing more
When I used to have a very large wardrobe, most of the clothing didn't get worn. I already back then would stick to my favourite items and ignore the items I know I couldn't make work or didn't have anything to go with. That clothing isn't getting any love. When you have a wardrobe filled with clothing that you love, it makes you excited to pick an outfit and excited to wear that item again. If you have a wardrobe full of clothing that you never wear, what was the point in buying it?
2. To encourage you to think of new outfit ideas
Having a reduced wardrobe does mean you have to play around to create different outfits on a day to day basis, which is why it is great to have a colour theme to your wardrobe so that you know, every item will go with every other item. You might get bored wearing a jumper and jeans ever day so play around with layers and textures. I spend a few hours a day on Pinterest finding new outfits and saving my favourites. If you need any ideas have a look!
3. To reduce your waste
This is a big issue that came to a head over the last few years and fast fashion is a big problem. I do still shop on some stores classed as 'fast fashion' but I am more conscious now to the problem which also helped me reduce my buying. I now only buy items with I will literally wear to death. No wear once and forget out it moto that some people have. Times have changed and with my reduced wardrobe I find that I don't need to throw out any clothing as it is all pieces I will like for a long time and which will last me till they have lots of holes in. I also take my clothing to charities and collections so if you are thinking about reducing your wardrobe and trying a capsule wardrobe remember from school, reduce reuse and recycle!
4. To minimise the space your wardrobe takes up and reduce the time it takes to get ready!
This is a big one for me because I hate taking ages to get ready so having a smaller selection of clothes to choose from makes finding outfits easier and faster. The idea is to pick a top and bottom out of your wardrobe and they should match if you have your colour theme down to a tee. Also have a smaller wardrobe will mean your will have more room in your wardrobe and more room for activities!!
5. To save money
You will see in a later post that saving money is on the top of my to do list this year so listen up good. Before I started my capsule wardrobe I was going out shopping most weekends and at least picking up one new thing. Since starting my capsule wardrobe I have spent about 20% of the amount I used to spend on clothes. You are allow to buy clothing when you have a capsule wardrobe, you just remove an item so that your wardrobe doesn't get cluttered and you don't allow yourself to impulse buy. I have saved so much money on clothing and I am so proud of myself. You do end up spending more money on one single item of clothing in the long run because you are investing in that piece of clothing, but you don't have to run before you can walk. You can start a capsule wardrobe with the clothing in your wardrobe right now.
What was your reason for starting your capsule wardrobe?
I love dressing up for a date night with Cal and although he wouldn't care if I went out in my pjs (don't worry I wouldn't!), I still love to plan my outfits and feel dressed up for the occasion. So I thought I would show you some of the outfits I have made from the items I already have in my wardrobe. Some of the outfits will be a bit fancy in case you are going for a fancy meal for a special occasion but some of the outfits are also cosy and casual.
My first few outfits are a little bit fancy for when you are going out to a nice restaurant. First up is a black velvet playsuit (similar) which I picked up from Newlook a few months ago for only £8, what a bargain! I haven't found a time to wear it yet so my mission is to wear it on a date night with Cal this year. It feels like you are wearing a onesie so it is the most comfortable outfit I now own and if you wanted to make it bit more casual, you could throw a big jumper on top to make them look like felt bottoms.
My next outfit is another fancy one which includes items that everyone has in their wardrobe! If you don't already own a leather skirt (similar), you are missing out! Although I don't wear it for a lot of the year I do find certain times of the year when I become obsessed with it again and it is always handy to have for a night out. For a date night I would pair this with one of my H&M shirts and some little black boots and my outfit is sorted. If you wanted to tone down the outfit as well I normally just swop the shirt for a ribbed roll neck and make the skirt the focus of the outfit.
An outfit which no one will be surprised about involves my favourite little leggings. These leather look leggings from Femme Luxe are so easy to wear and look great with practically everything. For date night I would wear these with my cream H&M shirt and my Newlook Patterned boots to make it seem like my legs were never ending (which they definitely are). Again if you wanted to dress the outfit down because you are only going out to a pub, you could swop the shirt for a jumper or whack the jumper on top so that you have the collar poking out.
Moving on to some outfits which aren't too fancy but you wouldn't call them casual as well, the first two options are my black and white dresses from Shein. Since I purchased these in the last few months I have worn both non stop. I have worn then to new years eve and a Christmas party as well as to work with some flats. They are so versatile and instead of wearing them with black tights, I have started wearing them with skin colour tights and they completely change the outfit. For new years eve I wore one of the dresses with skin coloured tights, some chunky black boots and a red bag and felt great.
Next up I have another outfit which involves my H&M shirts but they literally can be worn with anything to anywhere. I like to pair the shirts with my Billabong Mini Skirt and wear a black and gold black over the top, it is a very smartish preppy look which I actually love to wear. I can change up the shirt to make 4 different outfits and although the skirt is tight and short, the bagginess of the shirt makes me comfortable and covered up. TIP I wouldn't wear this skirt with skin coloured tights unless you want everyone to see what you have eaten for the last week!
My last outfit of the post is probably my favourite because it is comfy, cosy and looks like I have made a lot of effort. It features the shirts again... I'm sorry I cant help it! Once you see it hopefully you will let me off for using them again. My last outfit is my Primark black mom jeans (similar) with the cream shirt tucked in, adding the black and gold belt and my Primark loafers to make the look really preppy and put together. You really can't go wrong with mom jeans and the black ones are so flattering.
I hope you liked the outfits and have found some inspiration for your own wardrobe. Let me know which outfits you loved!
It can be quite daunting thinking about all the items you want to invest money in for the long run and then totalling up how much it would cost to invest in them items... I find that investment pieces can be something that you gradually add to your collection when and wear you can, and there is nothing wrong with buying non-investment pieces in the mean time.
Following on from that thought, I wanted to do a round up of items, clothing and non clothing, which I like to spend money on and save money on. I don't have loads of money to spend on myself, I have a mortgage and would like to have children in the near future so spending vast amounts of money on myself just isn't a priority. I hope this helps people who are trying to figure out what they want to spend their hard money on but don't know where to start.
Where I like to spend
Following on from that thought, I wanted to do a round up of items, clothing and non clothing, which I like to spend money on and save money on. I don't have loads of money to spend on myself, I have a mortgage and would like to have children in the near future so spending vast amounts of money on myself just isn't a priority. I hope this helps people who are trying to figure out what they want to spend their hard money on but don't know where to start.
Where I like to spend
- Skincare
- Moisturiser - Apart from the Sukin Facial Moisturiser which I am a big fan of, I mainly only use Clinique or Origins moisturiser and the main reason for this is simply - my skin like them much better. I have tried a few drugstore moisturisers but 9/10 times my skin does not agree with them so naturally, I am going to listen to my skin.
- Eye Cream - Since I started wearing eye cream a few years back (not as soon as I should have mind you) I have always stuck to the Clinique All About The Eyes Cream and I have never found anything to rival it. I tried to find a pot of eye cream from Boots when I ran out and all I could find was tube eye creams. What is up with that?
- Outerwear
- Outerwear is generally a higher price point because of what it is made of and the amount of material used but I do like to spend a little extra on my outerwear to make sure it lasts me for many many years. You end up wearing your outerwear 10x more than any other item in your wardrobe and it completely covers your outfit so it needs to be something that works with everything and stands the time. I also like to spend a little more on a outerwear piece because i have a select collection of coats and jacket rather than having a large collection to choose from.
- Footwear
- Footwear is around the same thinking as my outerwear collection, i have a few key pieces of footwear that I rotate depending on the season so i like to invest in shoes that will last me more than one season. I still have some shoes from Primark and Newlook which have lasted me a long while but I do like to go into TKMax and see what more brands I can get my hands on.
- Jewellery - excluding earrings
- I used to love the 'costume' jewellery that I used to buy in Clair's Accessories when I was younger but now I have ground up I much prefer the more simple diligent pieces. I find to buy a piece of jewellery that will last years without the chain breaking, you do need to invest a little into the piece.
- Handbags
- Again this is very similar to my thinking process about footwear and outerwear, a good hand bag can last you so many years and work for any occasion. I am someone who bangs and bashes their handbag around all days so i need one which is going to last more than a few months before breaking.
- Kitchen Equipment
- Strange one maybe to put in but a very important one for people deciding to move out! When im talking about kitchen equipment I'm talking washing machine, slow cooker, dish washer - all of the equipment which can cost a lot to replace at the wrong time. When i need to buy something for the kitchen i do like to go by certain brands which i know last a long time and have great customer service. My favourites if you wanted to know are Russel Hobbs and Samsung.
Where I like to save
- Home Decor
- As much as i love looking in the white company... it just isn't going to happen. The price some brands charge for home decor is crazy considering Home Bargains and Primark do some amazing items which are similar and more than half the price! I feel like only a few years ago it wasn't seen as cool to buy home bits from shops like Home Bargains and then in the space of a year or two, everyone is raving about their products and I can see why.
- Makeup
- If you have been around for a long time than you will know that i have always been a drugstore makeup girl right from the beginning and nothing has really changed. Although i like to spend a bit more on my skincare, I find most makeup works on a good base and I do have my favourites. Rimmel, Revolution and Kiko are to name a few which i have stuck with for many years. I have a few higher end products in my collection but the majority of it is from Boots.
- Earings
- I couldn't count for you the number of earrings I have upstairs, the number would carry on for a long while and along the years I have picked up big packs of multiple design earrings from Newlook and Primark and I have never had a problem with them. If you have sensitive ears than maybe ignore this point but i would rather spend £10 on a pack of 50 earrings them £50 on one pair.
- Jersey Basics
- This might make people gasp in horror but I buy all my basics from Newlook and H&M because you can't go wrong with them. Most of my wardrobe is made up of basics from H&M and Newlook and i have had some for years.
- Jeans
- I know a lot of people like to invest in their jeans and have the one perfect pair but I still have some jeans that I bought from Newlook about 7 years ago and they still look perfect. I find that as long as you wash them right, you shouldn't really have a problem. Always remember to go for a smaller size so when they naturally give, they aren't too big!
- Nails
- If you have never tried the fake nails from Primark what have you been doing all your life? A full set of acrylics can set you back £30 ish and to have them removed cost an extra £10 for the removal? Primark sell amazing stick on nails for just £1. When i tell people this they do look at me like OMG you must be that stingy but once i show them my hands with the fake nails on, they can't believe how good they look. Honestly if you have never tried them give them a go, it will only cost you a £1! The glue you get with them is also amazing!
- Cleaning Supplies
- Another random one but the amount some people spend on cleaning supplies is ridiculous. I buy all my cleaning supplies from Aldi or Home Bargains if certain things are on offer. I find with cleaning products... it all does the same thing!
- Food Shop
- Ever since I moved into my own home I have shopped with Aldi and I love the food they make. I have converted so many people to Aldi and it is amazing the amount of money you can save on a big shop. Yes it has some set backs like the packing is really annoying but I tend to open all my bags in the trolley and throw them into the bags - rebel I know! Again i feel like it is now cool to shop at Aldi thanks to people on YouTube recording their 'weekly Aldi food shop'.
Who loves autumn clothing? Yes me too!
I have a few items which I have been wearing non stop this autumn and I thought I would share with you these items in case you are missing them in your wardrobe. I will try and list all the items for you but for any which are too old to link, I will similar items for you!
Petite Longline Camel Coat
I recently picked up this coat in October/November when Newlook were having a sale on their petite range and I picked up the Camel and Black version to add to my jacket collection for autumn winter and I have worn both non stop since they arrived. The camel version has to be my favourite of the two because the colour is super flattering and my go to outfit at the minute is some black trousers with a black roll neck and the camel coat on top. Simple but classic!
Black High Waisted Leather Look Leggings
I can't tell you how many times I have worn this leggings in the last few months, I have even started wearing them to work because they are so comfy and easy to style with anything. I love to pair them with a long black jumper and the camel Newlook coat on top and I look really styled but with minimal effort required. It is now a running joke with my family whenever I wear them now one of them will say 'she's in them leggings again...'
Every H&M shirt I own
Sorry I could not pick just one of the H&M shirts for this list because I love all them equally. They look amazing and hang really well of your body and even after a number of wears and washes, they still look brand new. At the minute while the weather has dropped I am putting a big baggy jumper over these shirts so that the collar is poking out and I love the preppy look of it.
Black Studded Velvet Leggings (similar)
I picked up these velvet studded leggings last year in M&S and I absolutely love them! In all honesty their quality is shocking and half of the studs have fallen off but I actually like the look of the random stud now. Most of the studs have fallen off over my bottom and on the inside of my legs so it actually looks like this is meant to be the design. Aside from the flaw in design, I love how comfy the leggings are and they can make a plain outfit so much more interesting than if I was wearing just some black skinny jeans. They are also really insulated for the colder months which is a bonus.
Grey Fine Jumper
I have an array of jumpers in my wardrobe and everyone gets a lot of love but I have to say one H&m grey jumper does get a little bit more daylight then the rest. I picked this up in summer actually when H&M were clearing their autumn stock from the previous year. I had the best day because I walked into the store and the place was covered with knitwear on every rail, all new stock for the current season, and then I walked to the back of the store and there was 5 rails of sale jumpers! I think I picked 3 or 4 jumpers up for £25 and then I got a discount for being a member so it was the best day! Anyway back to the post, If I am ever in doubt of what to wear one day, I slip this jumper on with any bottom and I am good to go. I have never been much of fan of the colour grey but actually it is the most popular colour in my knitwear collection so it must actually be a favourite!
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