The capsule wardrobe.

As I continue to get older, and hopefully more mature, I keep learning about myself.  I have recently discovered that one of my greatest faults is my management of money when it comes to shopping.  When I first learned about this capsule wardrobe trend, I thought, "no f-ing way."  There was not one part of me that wanted to go three months with no shopping and only use a select number of clothing pieces.

Then I started researching the idea more.  And I started kind of falling in love with the idea.  My closet was jam-packed with so many clothes that I did not know what I had.  Half the time my clothes stayed packed from trips or in piles because I simply did not need them.  This was a problem.  I'm mostly a thrifty shopper, and I buy primarily from clearance and sales racks.  While this can be a good thing, it left me with tons of clothes that I just didn't love (and also did not fit my style).  Who needs closets full of mediocre clothing?  

I finally decided to do something about it.  I followed Caroline's recommendations and took every single thing out of my closet.  With little abandon, I narrowed everything down.  I ended up with about six trash bags full of clothes.  I had remorse on only one piece of clothing (and actually ended up adding that one to my fall capsule).  I did keep a container with "maybe" and/or "keepsake" pieces (I just can't let go of that shirt I wore on my first date with D).  With the minimal amount of pieces I kept, I was able to hang up all of my clothing (aside from sweaters) and it was liberating!  I've had such an easy time picking out clothing.  Now I feel confident that a minimal clothing lifestyle is going to make my life easier and hopefully curb my spending habits.

I've been prepping my fall capsule for about a month.  There's a feeling of excitement knowing that I have "special" clothing items waiting for me.  I know my capsule will be an experiment, and I'm not sure what my end feelings will be.  Will I hate all the clothes after a month?  Will I have to constantly do laundry? Will I be good at mixing and matching?  I'm trying not to focus on the what-ifs and instead maintain the goals for my fall capsule:

Spend less money on clothing.

Buy a few quality, well-made pieces.

Establish my own personal style.

And with that, here is my fall capsule that will run from October through December.

Gap Legging Jeans (similar) | Gap Dark-Wash Legging Jean | GapFit Stripe-Panel Pants (similar) | JCrew Factory Gigi Pant

Gap Boyfriend Shorts | Old Navy Maxi Skirt (similar) | "Leather" Leggings (similar) | Gap Jeans

JCrew Chambray | Gap Popover Shirt (similar) | Gap White Tee (similar) | Gap Light Chambray Popover Shirt (similar)

Graphic Tee (similar) | Gap Tee (similar) | JCrew Striped Tee (similar) | Gap Sweatshirt

Madewell Workshirt (similar) | Gap Cardigan (similar) | Gap Cardigan (similar) | Old Navy Chunky Sweater (similar)

Madewell Anorak Dress (similar) | Gap Striped Dress (similar) | Target Blazer | Gap Vest

Gap Open-Front Cardigan | Madewell Texturework Sweater | Target Cardigan | Madewell Cargo Vest (similar)

Target Anorak Jacket | Old Navy Jean Jacket (similar) | Madewell Stripeset Tee | Madewell Ex-Boyfriend Shirt

Target Leopard Flat (similar) | Converse Sneaker | Target Studded Midi Boot (similar) | Frye Shirley Boot | Vans Leather Sneaker

Not all items pictured are the exact pieces I have, but this gives you an idea of my color scheme and style.  Since I work with children and have to be outside on a regular basis, my wardrobe needs to be pretty casual.  October through December can be tough months in the south in regards to predicting the weather.  I made sure to choose lots of pieces I can layer for the changing weather.  If you're interested in doing your own capsule, I would definitely recommend downloading Un-Fancy's free wardrobe planner!  It has been extremely helpful along the way.

Do you have a capsule wardrobe?

Do you dress minimally?

What am I missing?