300 = Outfits from 32 Pieces!

Summer Wardrobe Capsule Math

Happy day, reader dear…

Yup. Today is a hard day. Actually, I have no idea what kind of day it will be when this post goes live, but as I am writing, it feels futile to tap away at the keyboard. I can’t fix the problems I see all around me. That’s beyond my skill set, and in frustrating conflict with my responsibilities here at home. My superpower is recombination. Yes, it’s a mundane superpower. But it’s mine. And I’ve been doing it all my life with fashion, with food, with learning. I suppose even with my life. I take the ingredients at hand and pull them together in a way that is different than before. I don’t create from nothingness. That’s above my paygrade. But sometimes recombination is just the ticket. Especially now when things feel uncertain.

Recombination. Last winter, I counted and grouped the wardrobe pieces in my winter capsule and ran a quick calculation of potential outfit options to find… What? 400+ outfits from 39 pieces. To be fair, winter allows for a greater number of layering options, which allowed for more outfits than even I expected. I thought it might be time to try the math again, this time with Summer 2020’s capsule… And a lot less layering!

There’s always a little shifting in the first week or so after I choose a capsule. I find things that are just simply worn, or pieces that no longer fit. (Especially after #shelterinplace!) Sometimes I choose to add a piece or two from my box or something I find that will be a great addition. That said, you can’t do math without numbers, so I’m working today with the count from the video: Tops 13, Bottoms 9, Dresses 7, Toppers 1. It’s a great place to start!

Most tops in summer stand alone. Here in Georgia, the-lighter-the-better is the general rule for summer, so wearing a shirt that requires another top underneath isn’t ideal. Since laundry needs doing more frequently in the summer than in the winter, I like a higher top to bottom ratio. In this capsule, each top will with work with any bottom, so the mathing starts easy: 13 Tops X 9 Bottoms = 117 Outfits. That’s already more outfits than there are days in the three months this capsule needs to cover! Now let’s add a topper to some (but not all) those tops and bottoms.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

These 9 tops are the ones I can envision wearing a jacket over… It’s time to math these in. (I like math as a verb. I know that will disturb someone out there.) 9 Tops X 9 Bottoms X 1 Topper = 81 More Outfits. Yes, I am a woman who would wear a blazer over a top and shorts. If that’s not you, then we can take out 2 Bottoms. 9 Tops X 7 Bottoms X 1 Topper = 63 More Outfits for the count. That brings us up to 198 outfits for the more daring (?), and 180 outfits for the less sartorially adventurous. No aspersions cast here! It’s all about personality.

Now onto the dresses! Each dress is an outfit on its own. That’s one of the reasons I love a dress! One and done! So add 7 More Outfits. Any of the dresses can be worn with the jacket, so add 7 More Outfits. That brings us to 198 + 14 = 212 Outfits. Let’s not forget that a few of those dresses also work as a tunic over trousers! Let’s try 4 Dresses X 6 Bottoms = 24 More Outfits. And if we pop the jacket over even just 12 of those 24 (For a blizzard mid-July maybe?), now we have 212 + 24 + 12 = 248 Outfits.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Dress over trousers? Yup! I’ve already worn three of these dresses over trousers! Last year, dress over trousers was one of my business dress go-to’s. (No pun intended! But I do love a good bad pun…) I know I’ve worn the white one over trousers too, but now I can’t find a picture of it.

• 

• 

I also layer those longer sleeved tops over some of the sleeveless dresses, so let’s multiply 4 Tops X 3 (Narrower Silhouette) Dresses = 12 More Outfits. What’s our count now? 248 + 12 = 260 Outfits!

• 

• 

I expect we should stop there, but I could factor in my denim jacket, and a cardigan for those extra air-conditioned spaces… (Read more about denim jacket style, here.) Those two pieces would certainly take us well past 300 outfits! At this rate, I won’t end up naked anytime soon. I could (Like a teen!) change three times daily, and not repeat an outfit! Just imagine the combinations if you factor in shoes and accessories… It truly boggles the mind.

So how about you? Have you ever worked the math for your wardrobe? Are you convinced that less is more? Or does whittling it down to what works together seem overwhelming? Do let me know in the comments below! I love to hear from you…

Stay safe and sound, sane and stylish!