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10.31.2014

GET ME DRESSED / AW CAPSULE 01


Armed with nothing but a self timer app and no sense of personal shame I bring unto you: AW CAPSULE! The musical! 

I hate to take this all that seriously, but this capsule business has been a time of discovery! Personal growth! Perfectionist tendencies! Side note: My mom is a perfectionist. I am not a perfectionist. One time in college my mom said, "I wish I were more like you, and could have been happy with just average grades . . . " and I laughed and totally took it as a compliment, because in college I was happy with "just average" grades. B+ let's party! Except now that I'm in my thirties it turns out . . . I am a perfectionist. Some of the time. That's what I'm learning. Have I been one all along and I just never noticed it? (My husband would say yes.) Do you have to want to be perfect in all the things in order to be considered a perfectionist? Or is it possible to be a happily imperfect perfectionist most of the time? Thanks to this capsule I've become aware of how frequently I hone in + ponder on the dumbest details. Like how these jeans don't fit in the knees the way I want them to, and whether or not I intend to do anything about it. 

(PS - So, fully half of these shots came out entirely out of focus. I'm using them anyway. Highest standards in the business! ;)


Here is what has been working: I've been wearing these loafers far more often than I used to, which makes me very happy. I knew I was a penny loafer girl, I just wasn't in the habit of being a penny loafer girl. And now, I am! Not to be dumb or whatever but I feel this has added a lot to my personal sense of self, as well as to my level of life satisfaction in general. ;)

I've also discovered THE invisible sock of our lifetime, and if for nothing else, that alone has been worth the whole kitchen. 


Here is what has not been working: Of my 40 items I'm really only utilizing about 25. All of the shoes, most of the denim, just a handful of tops and sweaters. Even with just a few out-of-the-ordinary items to choose from, I still have too many out-of-the-ordinary items to choose from.  Every morning I approach my wardrobe hoping to try to make those out-of-the-ordinary items happen. But, since it feels too fussy or whatever, I inevitably sigh and say Pass the striped shirt, please.  I've been wondering if "mini capsules" might be an even more fun/helpful/pointless challenge than just one "capsule." Divided out somewhere, maybe Ordinary/Special/Fancy? A special "Fancy" wardrobe is a smart idea, anyway: A little black dress, a killer pair of heels . . . things that can be tucked away in a hard to reach spot because you'll always remember they're there when you need them. How many "Fancy" items would you need in that case? Under 5 I'd imagine. But then there's the  idea of "Special" that's harder for me to account for. A blouse that's a little too much for a Tuesday, for example, but perfect for a date night or a business meeting. Are most people more functional in their brains than I am and can work those pieces in with the rest of their wardrobes on a consistent basis? Or am I the only one that feels intimidated by a slightly dressier cut?  


Here is what I am learning: I really enjoy switching up my shoes and my jackets. The rest I like to be more or less consistently exactly the same. Having too many options for the rest of it is super stressful you guys ;). I guess I like to look ordinary. I'm working on this, to see if more variety could turn out to be more fun or not. I feel like when it comes to getting dressed, habit plays into it more than anything. More than personal style, more than fashion trends, more than fancy or not fancy, more than any of it. I'm in the habit of reaching for certain things that I know will look + feel good on me. Because I'm experienced with them. Even though everything I own looks + feels good on me, otherwise I wouldn't have kept it when I drastically edited down my wardrobe over the summer. But because I'm not in the habit of wearing the more special items, it feels complicated to wear the special items. It feels out-of-the-ordinary only because it IS out of the ordinary. And until I make it ordinary, then it isn't going to be ordinary, and so on. 

Wow. Have I just blown your mind or are you thinking I could use a straight jacket in my Capsule next time around? ;)


Anyway, the end. :)

27 comments:

  1. I couldn't do a capsule, but I feel you on "all of the shoes." You can wear jeans and a striped tee and change the look ENTIRELY with the right shoes. They make or break everything.

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  2. I love these capsule posts. I'm working on mine stillllll. Granted, I'm trying to sew most of my tops….so there's that slowing down my process a bit, ha.
    ALSO, I noticed you have a himalayan salt lamp. Nice! I place ours next to the TV a well. :)

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  3. I 100% understand the intimidation of a slightly dressier shirt. Not dressy enough for fancy time but too dressy feeling for class and normal life. I, too, normally just reach for the stripes.

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  4. You look so sophisticated, yet 'chill'.

    Get it, girl.

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  5. I swear you went over this capsule thing in a post, remind me which one? I'm curious. I don't think I could do it though. Which is silly because I quite honestly only wear a good 10-20 items. Ya know? The comfy, look goods and such. Which is currently a black and white striped tee and skinny jeans . . . I may or may not have worn the same outfit yesterday ;) My problem is I'll probably buy anything that's pretty, on sale, and speaks to me. And then I try it on and it fits all broad in the shoulders or the waist hem bothers me. And jeans are hard because I'm so short, rolled up at least twice! So I stick to the cozy, look goods! As always, love your blog.

    erika wynn
    www.walkingwithteal.com

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  6. Im inspired to try this capsule thing with my regular wardrobe as soon as Im done being hugely pregnant. Right now my everyday staple is anything stretchy. Normally my closet looks like it was curated by someone suffering from multiple personality disorder and I find myself just throwing on a typical "I give up" outfit. You know what Im saying?

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  7. You are like so in my head over the capsule wardrobe. Still working on mine tho. Thought I had it down and a week later I hated everything. Gah! Love this look!
    www.thismomsgonnasnap.com

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  8. Perfect. Seven almost identical pictures of yourself.

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    1. and that was me exercising restraint!!! ;)

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    2. Great response Natalie :)

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  9. Stripes, leather, ripped jeans, and loafers are definitely the perfect combo!

    Sophia // sophiebysophia.blogspot.com

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  10. Love this look! Striped shirts are a favorite staple of mine too, and it's all about the fit. I finally ordered the St. James shirt from your capsule and I *love* it. Thanks for that great recommendation!

    I would love to see a post on your current skincare routine - your skin looks so flawless. Happy Halloween!

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  11. Love these photos! The first blurry one is fantastic. There something so lovely about not-perfect photos on a blog, I love it.

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  12. Lovely outfit... I don't think I could do the whole capsule thing... Too much time and effort for this lazy girl.

    Valentina
    Valentina Duracinsky Blog

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  13. Love this outfit....love your writing too :)

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  14. I love your clothing posts. Keep them coming!

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  15. Dude. The key, I'm discovering, is finding your uniform. For you that probably involves stripes. For me, it's dark, higher waisted denim and a basic black or white v-neck tshirt (I buy my white t's from Joe Fresh for $11 so they're replaceable when they get dingy/stained, and then I cut like 3 inches off the bottom so I don't have to bother with any tuck at all because life's waaaay too short to spend time tucking in in your tshirts). Throw in a fuzzy black sweater and a fuzzy white sweater. And then you get ALL the shoes and ALL the jackets and ALL the delicate jewelery and lipstick and fun nail colours and maybe a good wooly cardigan from the men's section.

    The other day my roommate called my wardrobe "well-curated" which was an incredibly high compliment because I'd previously considered it just "boring" -- but it was a really nice shot of perspective. I wear my uniform because it makes me feel like myself! And that feels really really good.

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  16. I was told about a salt lamp a few weeks back, but besides the one person that mentioned it to me, I don't know anyone that can personally tell me about their exoerience using one. How long have you had yours and does it really help with seasonal allergies and things like that??? And I think your photos are awesome! I like how they are always kind of a darker edit and I like how they are cropped. The way you do your photos are actually great for books and collages! : )

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  17. Second to last pic reminds me of Juliette Lewis...:)

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  18. i have those madewell jeans, but on me - they're like capri pants! i WISH mine fit like that... ho hum.
    let your kneez feel the breeze, girl.

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  19. Aw, your book was just recommended to me on Amazon. Big moment and the cover looks great!

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  20. Hi Natalie, we are from Australia and while on a family road trip this weekend we randomly passed a Holbrook st!! It made us think of you.

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  21. I love your outfit ! It's really pretty !

    The shoes are amazing !

    www.pinkqueen.com

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  22. Ooh I love all these ponderings, Natalie. Keep the capsule posts coming--I can't get enough.

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  23. Do you ever think about the epic amount of human and animal suffering caused by consumerism? And that your comfort and privilege means the discomfort and under-privilege of many? Do you ever think about things like global inequality, how the rich countries bleed the poor countries dry, and have been for hundreds of years? Do you ever think about the wealth in America being founded on slavery? Does your version of Jesus care at all about justice or have any empathy for other beings which share this earth with you?

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