My Accidental Capsule Wardrobe

If you read my blog posts regularly (which if you don't, you should, they're a TRIP) you will know that I recently quit my job. Upon doing so, I had a gut feeling that this was an opportunity for me to take some time away from Long Island. I needed to not be there for a bit.

I left thinking I would be away for 3 weeks to a month max, but plans change and I will now be away for two months. Needless to say, I didn't pack for this. To begin with, this time of year makes packing a challenge. February into March is a grabbag in terms of weather, but March into April is a completely different climate altogether. And I went south.

Here are all of the clothing items I brought with me:

4 pairs of jeans

4 pairs of shoes (2 boots, 2 sneakers)

2 crop tops

2 t--shirts

2 short--sleeved blouses

2 long--sleeved blouses

2 turtlenecks

2 sweatshirts

1 pair of sweatpants

1 sweater

1 pair of shorts (bought when it got WARM)

1 dress

1 skort

25 items total. Doable, but not a lot by any means.

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While we are discussing packing, I need to know if I am alone in this. Anytime I pack, this wave of owner's guilt washes over me. I lay out all of the things I intend to bring and get overwhelmed by the idea that I own all of those things, and they are only a fraction of the total items I own generally. Anyone else out there feel this? Just me?

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Back to the capsule wardrobe. I had never really been interested in trying one because I like clothing way too much to limit my options that aggressively. The minimalism in terms of number of items is certainly appealing in that I would feel less of that owner's guilt, but going from a full wardrobe to 25 articles of clothing would be even more overwhelming than packing, and I don't know if my little heart can take it.

Additionally, a capsule wardrobe frequently ends up looking pretty bland, seeing as the goal is to gravitate toward pieces that will match well with almost all of the other pieces in said wardrobe. I'm sure you'll be able to tell from the pictures in this post that I'm not really one for basics. I gravitate toward statement pieces. Pieces that have a certain intrigue to them, items that stand out. They may be in neutral colors, but they certainly don't all match. My style also fluctuates too frequently to have any one curated aesthetic.

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This has been an interesting little foray into that world. I shall now share with you my findings:

1. It definitely takes some creative thinking to keep your wardrobe exciting, but finding new ways to style pieces is incredibly rewarding.

2. I ran out of my initial outfit ideas about a week and a half into the trip. I've been improvising ever since.

3. I really should have brought a wider variety of clothing, particularly in terms of shoes and pants. Weather always fluctuates. Throwing in a pair of shorts is not overpacking.

4. Bringing various colored denim makes the same plain white t shirt into the most versatile, style-transcending piece. I brought two pairs of blue jeans, a pair of grungy ripped black jeans, and a pair of cream colored jeans and those give off drastically different vibes when paired with the same white crop top. I love that.

5. A sweatshirt can be a shirt. No further explanation.

6. Still not sure about pairing turtlenecks under t--shirts. I love it on other people, and I figured it could be good for me because I typically don't like the way t--shirts make my torso look alone (I feel like I'm a 12-year-old at field day). When I try it, though, I feel a bit like a poser.

7. I've always been a strapless bra stan, they are just so convenient when wearing intricate shirts. However, I've been trying some shirts without bras and I never thought I would say this but...I like it?

8. Having a limited wardrobe has made matching my mask to my outfit even more of a challenge (fwp, I know.) I have realized I do not have enough solid-colored masks. There's been a lot of pattern-on-pattern happening down here. Not abhorrent, but also not my typical vibe.

9. I'm way more hesitant to put jeans in the wash. I already don't wash jeans frequently because it's bad for the denim, but this is a new extreme. I think I've washed my pants once while I've been here and I don't plan to again.

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Final verdict: I don't love it.

I find myself fantasizing about the clothing in my closet on Long Island. I guess a positive is that when I do go back, it will feel like I have new clothing. I'm a tad bit worried I'll never again want to wear these pieces, but since most of them are for winter, I'll stow them away until next year and deal with it then 👍🏻

If you need me, I'll be trying my damndest to avoid buying more clothes online. Till next week!

xoxo

Nic