GET ME DRESSED / CAPSULE 02 : VARIATIONS ON A THEME

Hey happy Friday! So here's what I'm wearing these days.

My capsule has suddenly turned very school girl-ish on me. I feel like an off-duty Hogwarts student a lot of the time. It could be the particular botch of my self-botched haircut, or the fact that I seem to have this perma-twelve face . . .  or it could be the fitted sweaters. After an entire summer of wearing oversized tees, I've been gravitating toward the fitted sweaters this season. They feel fresh and sweet.

A few readers + Instagram followers have been requesting that I do outfit posts more often this fall as I play around with this capsule idea. It makes me nervous. I don't consider myself a fashion plate by any means. Nor am I terribly symmetrical or natural-looking in photos. But, you know, some people sky dive, other people post pictures of themselves on the Internet. Who am I to judge? ;)

And so, in this post, three variations on a theme.
(If you read that in Ira Glass's voice, hey high five!)





I call it "The School Girl Theme." British, 50s Beatnik, and All American Girl Next Door, if we're choosing subheadings.





Taking outfit photos is really, really awkward for me still. Especially self-timer outfit photos when my four-year-old is looking at me funny.

So here's something I've been pondering. Is the point of a capsule to get you out of a rut? Or to better define your rut. Because I like my rut. It's cosy in here. Or maybe you try to utilize all 40 pieces by mixing and matching? You know, maximize all the style options inherent in each piece; be creative; keep things from getting boring. Personally, I haven't enjoyed any self-imposed pressure to get creative with the items I chose, and I don't know if that strategic aspect of a capsule is really for me. The limiting part is great, keeping a look simple and consistent has been really rewarding + has made me enjoy other parts of getting dressed so much more--jewelry, lipstick, shoooooooes. But the maximizing of the minimization, I don't know. That not so much.

I think what's fun about a capsule is seeing what parts of you come out of it suddenly making more sense to yourself. This whole deal has gotten me even more excited about the idea of a uniform, which is a whole other ball of lint and something I'm excited to hash out next. And it's made me rethink the fashion industry, too. You know, Coco, Anna, Karl Lagerfeld, Jenna Lyons, they all have looks. Those weirdo Olsen twins (I love those weirdo Olsen twins), there's not much of a variation there. They all work in fashion, creating clothes or promoting designers or analyzing trends and interpreting them for their own audiences, and yet, they don't really change their own overall looks much, if ever. They just sort of . . . tweak it. Variations on a theme. I suppose the more you're aware of the industry, the more you become aware of who all is making the kinds of clothes you like and how they're varying things subtly. This capsule exercise led me to appreciate my clothes on a micro level. The tiny details; the seaming, the darts, the fabric choice. It's made me think more about my mom's good friend Lisa, who is probably the most sophisticated woman I've ever known, and who owns approximately five million articles of clothing that are all completely identical: black, and drape-y. Every single one. So she literally looks exactly the same, every time I see her. She shops a lot. It is completely making sense to me now.

For instance, trench coats.



This is what I call my *starter trench.* I got it at Target a few years ago, it's made by Converse. It was thirty bucks, it came with a hood that was cute when it was up but silly and lifeless when it was down, so I snipped it out. I keep looking for another trench like this, but nicer. Better materials, lined maybe, maybe water resistant because this one is not and doesn't that negate the purpose of a trench coat? But I haven't found it yet. Many times if I'm in an area with good shops I'll swing into one, in my trench coat, to look at trench coats. The whole thing strikes me as rather indulgent and silly. I have a trench coat. But also, it is fascinating to compare all these slightly different trench coats against each other. The more trenches I try on, the more of the artistry and craft behind each design I'm able to appreciate, the more I start to understand about the fashion houses behind each design, and the more I start to understand about myself, and my relationship with my clothes.

So, uh, seen any good trench coats lately? I need a slim cut shoulder and a real good back vent. Longer than the knee, shorter than the shin. 

And now please enjoy my classy "Deep In Thought" pose. Doesn't it go nicely with the introspective theme of this post? By this point I was completely over this self-timer nonsense and Huck was getting really curious about things. Like, What are you doing, mom. This is weird. What are you looking at? So these were for his benefit. It was really funny. I don't know, I guess you had to be there.

The End.

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. :)

CAPSULE AW 14 / THE ROUND UP

The first thing I've learned about myself from this capsule exercise is that forty is a difficult number for me to land on. I could do twenty really easily, I could probably even do ten! Otherwise . . .  I need fifty. There doesn't seem to be an easy in-between. Which makes no sense because I really only ever wear the same three things over and over and over: Skinny jeans, boots, and a gray sweatshirt. Done. Three, twenty, fifty, ten . . . these numbers aren't adding up. My problem isn't in simplifying a look, it's in simplifying my options. I like this red plaid shirt, but I also like this red plaid shirt! And which one will I want to wear the most? And what would that preference that even say about a person? And then I get into all these existential thoughts about things, and suddenly fifteen minutes have passed and I still haven't picked a plaid shirt, but have maybe realized I might need an extra plaid shirt all together, of a different color. Don't even get me started on the boots. I love these black boots, but I also love these black boots, and I don't need both but they're just sooo different though! This is the exact opposite of the point of this exercise, I am aware.

I'm also noticing how I approach getting dressed and I'm fascinated by it. Navel gazing at its finest! (I am my most fascinating subject, like always. ;) I tend to think of my wardrobe like a meal, and each piece is an ingredient. My ideal fall wardrobe recipe goes something like this:

Gray sweatshirt

Skinny jeans

Slouchy light wash jeans

Chambray

Olive parka 

Red flannel

Stripes, stripes, stripes

White + gray tees as the structural basis

A fancy top
A baseball tee

A dress

Boots

Chucks

Oxfords/Loafers

Birks

Something with a heel

Something with a Peter Pan collar

Enormous oversized sweater

Clogs

Black midi skirt

Twenty! Done!

Except I definitely need two striped shirts, and if I have space for more than one gray shirt, I need at least three gray shirts . . . plus there's the boot situation, because . . . and make that three striped shirts . . . and I might want more than one skinny jean, obviously, so . . . Fifty! See? No sweat. ;)

Here's my dirty secret. I've been fussing with my capsule, still, a few weeks after I should have had it locked down. I think I've been using it as a crutch when things get stressful. I can't change this certain situation in my life? Well. Lucky for me I can control the number of striped tops in my capsule, so here, let's take something out and swap it for something else so that I can feel like I have some control around here. (I'm a fairly predictable Natalie, so far as Natalies go.) But I'm ripping off the bandaid here! We're sticking with what's up there, right this minute! Minus what is in the laundry of course, this is real life here people, and it does come to forty! Right on the nose! Whew.

Here it is!

TOPS /
1. White linen baseball tee
2. Blush linen long sleeved tee
3. Gray linen long sleeved tee
4. Silk shirt (old)
5. Olive shirt
6. Linen striped tee
7. St. James striped tee
8. Boxy striped tee
9. Chambray (old)
10. Cherry red flannel (old)
11. Muted red flannel

SWEATERS/
12. Short sleeved sweatshirt
13. Gray sweatshirt
14. Red sweatshirt
15. Gray Peter Pan collar (old)
16. Black Peter Pan collar (old)
17. Black Everlane sweater (old)
18. Accompany alpaca wool sweater
19. Ganni oversized sweater
20. Cardigan NY white sweatshirt (old)

BOTTOMS/
21. Dark wash skinnies (old)
22. Medium wash distressed skinnies (old)
23. Light wash distressed skinnies (old)
24. Light wash relaxed jeans (old)
25. Black distressed skinnies 
26. Black coated leggings
27. Black midi skirt
28. Dress (old)

SHOES /
39. Black booties w/heel (old)
30. Tan booties w/heel (old)
31. Clogs (old)
32. Chucks (old)
33. Birks (old)
34. Oxfords (old)
35. Loafers (old)
36. Moto boots (old)
37. Peep toe booties
38. Clog boots (old)
39. Flat ankle booties (old)
40. Saddle shoes

MY PRE-FALL CAPSULE COLLECTION

I've been putting together the finishing touches on what I've jokingly started to call my "pre-fall line" this week. If you're just tuning in: I'm attempting a seasonal capsule wardrobe, inspired by this cute girl and her blog that I'm sort of addicted to. I'm allowing myself unlimited undies + socks + bras (not that I need any bras), but I'll be limiting my wardrobe to 40 items or fewer for the duration of a season. I'm thinking of limiting my accessories as well, to "things I never have to take off," as a further, stupider experiment.)

When I was planning and pulling things together at first, I thought I'd give myself a generous 45 item allowance, thinking that straddling the two seasons might require a bit more leeway with things. But then my inner Hermione Granger kicked in and I decided I was going to make it to 40 or fewer straight legit style, hell be damned and all those things. Incredibly high achiever right here. Actually, planning and refining this was a lot of fun. While Huck ran around the playground I'd sit bent over my iPhone, tapping in potential capsule items and pondering combinations and searching my soul for its deepest feelings on junk. It was great.

I'm considering this terribly fantastic and transitional time of year to be a practice run of sorts. I know what I want to be wearing but I'm curious to see what all I'll actually be wearing. Once fall really kicks in--what are we thinking, September 21? I guess?--I'll switch over to the full Fall Capsule, which I'll post about then. (Fall Capsules should be in effect until... December 21 I suppose? What are the rules here? Do we get global warming allowances?)

So here is the line up! I'll link where I can (watch out for rogue affiliate links!) and I'm sorry but I might just fill you in on all of my deepest theories + feelings behind my choices. Scroll fingers at the ready? Now!

THE STRIPES COLLECTION
Because no capsule collection of mine can be complete without a stripe of every variance.

THE WHITE TEE COLLECTION
Surprisingly I've limited myself to four. (One is in the laundry right now.)

OTHER TEES

SHIRTS

SWEATSHIRTS (AND YES, JUST TWO!)

ONE PIECES

ASSORTED BOTTOMS

THINKING OF FALL: 33 FOR 3. OR 37, OR 40. WHATEVER.

via

Am I the only one feeling like August is completely over it? The other afternoon we had us a sweater situation happening, and there was a distinct leafy/swirly kind of feeling gong on. Can we blame this on the Super Moon? It's gotten me all introspect-y and junk. 

So I'm going to attempt this wardrobe capsule nonsense. (Have you heard of this?) Now, I am not a minimalist. Not even. Oh, but I want to be! And even though I love me some quantity, it turns out I am super predictable in the things that I like. I've always been so taken by the idea of a uniform--so romantic!--so I might as well do it. Like, the other day. Huck and I were walking to the market, talking about our favorite colors. (Side note: How do we run out of string cheese so fast?) Huck's favorite color changes from day to day depending on which Wild Kratt brother he is favoring at the moment. (Chris? Martin? They are both so fantastically nerdy and balding.) That day he claimed red (it was a rather feisty day for the kid), and then I asked him if he knew what my favorite color was, and he said, "Yes, Mom. White. And gray. And brown....." And then he made this face, like, Well there's no accounting for taste, is there. But my point is spontaneity is overrated, and this fall I'm attempting to keep my wardrobe to 40 items or less. I've been playing around with it already the last few weeks, and this is the most fun I've had getting dressed in forever. Not to mention, planning my "back-to-school shopping" strategy has never been so satisfying, in always.

So first you have to take inventory of your Pinterest boards. This is how you plan it. A Pinterest board's as good as therapy, I've always said. I made you a little mood board to show you what all I'm thinking. It will surprise approximately nobody.

Slouchy tee shirts, to start. Dainy gold jewelry that I never have to take off. Got it. 

Brown, White, Black, and Gray. Obvs. Plus small pops of red (not pictured; red flannel!).

Also midi skirts. And stripes! (Duh.) (I need to find a decent black a-line midi skirt. Seen any lately?)

And on the beauty ends of things: Soft, romantic hair. Barely-there make up. Full brows! Red lips! (Am I growing out my bangs, or not? I pray over this daily. I don't suspect God cares, he hasn't been very helpful.)

Once I have my fall line-up final-finalized, I"ll be bringing you the run down here. And then, occasionally, I'll feature a few of my favorite boring minimalist ensembles, here on the blog, too! AREN'T YOU THRILLED?! 

Would you ever do a short-term tiny dancer capsule wardrobe? Wanna do it with me? 40 items or less for 3 months. Who's in!? Link up your blog or your Instagram in the comments if you are. The more the merrier! Come on you guys, you know you want to!

Half ass photo credits coming riiiiiiight now: All photos via my Pinterest page. 

I know, I know...