Summer Capsule Debrief 2018

Happy day, dearest reader!

My apologies… Hot on the heels of last week’s post, you get another capsule wardrobe post. Last week I talked you through the 5 Steps I use to plan and create a seasonal capsule. Today is the debrief from summer’s capsule, and a few thoughts about fall’s. Here is the summer capsule, without shoes and accessories. As you can see, it was predominantly light in color, and has a cool undertone. Why these colors? Because I am light in color, and cool complexioned!

Summer 2018 Capsule: Wins

I was pleased as punch with this capsule. I loved the colors! They were happy, incredibly versatile, flattering, and (very important in Georgia) cool feeling. There was enough color for the days I wanted color, and plenty of neutrals for those days, too! The two new sandals I bought for spring were worn a few times a week. Since it’s so warm here, they will take me well into fall. My chambray blue patent pumps were also real workhorses this summer. Any time I needed a work look, out they came. I had plenty of work wear. My work dress varies from jeans when working in a client’s closet to dresses or trouser suit looks for presentations or business meetings. I also had plenty of casual choices for weekends and working from home. If I had to pick 5 favorite clothing pieces from this summer capsule, I think I’d pick my white jeans, white linen peplum blouse, striped shirtwaist dress, pink shorts, and a denim shirt. (Don’t make me choose which one!)

Summer 2018 Capsule: Surprises

I had a few surprises. I only wore my navy Bermuda shorts once. I certainly expected to wear them more than I did. Why wouldn’t a pair or navy shorts be useful? The contrast just seemed too high whenever I pulled them out, and I opted for my lighter blue kick flares or shorts. I didn’t wear the aqua dressy blouse even once (insert sad face here), but the linen version went right back on my body after washing, over and over again. I should say #surprisenotsurprised about the pink linen short sleeved sweater I didn’t wear. I had issues with it last spring, I love the color, but it’s just time to let it go. I don’t love its slub texture, and always reach for something else instead. If I had had fewer pieces I’m sure those three would have seen the light of day, rather than languishing in my closet all summer long.

Another surprise was my striped peplum shirt with floral embroidery. It is more of a hero piece than I normally buy. It felt a little OTT, but once I broke it out…Joyful! I loved it with my animal print trousers, and topping my denim dress. I can’t wait to wear it with my red flannel skirt when the weather cools off, and with long jeans and heels in the fall! The flowers make me happy, and it reminds me to break out my bright lipstick!

Summer 2018 Capsule: Learning Experiences

(They are only mistakes when you don’t learn from them!)

Amount: As I said in an earlier post anticipating fall, this capsule had too many pieces. Not only did I not wear some, quite a few were only worn 2 or three times. That bothers me… Last spring’s 20 was too few pieces. This summer’s 40 was too many. I think I will split the difference as I choose and aim for around 30 pieces for this fall’s capsule. (That’s near the 2 x 13 I was pondering…)

RIP Skinny Jeans: Since our weather is so hot in Georgia, I only included one pair of blue jeans in my capsule. These were my lightweight skinny jeans, and they died on me. One trip through the laundry too many, and the stretch gave out completely. Granted, these were 3 year old jeans, worn year round, so I have no complaints about the value. The problem was I couldn’t replace them. There are a ton of skinny jeans out there, but they all were either too dark, completely distressed, or had whiskering on the thighs. None of these work for me, so I just soldiered on with my white jeans, and pulled out my ancient Levi’s 501’s to wear when the temperatures dropped below 90. (Which they rarely do in August, but Mother Nature must have felt sorry for me, jeanless as I was!)

Since we are through the last weekend of summer (unofficial), how has your summer wardrobe held up? Did you have any surprises, good or bad? What lessons did you learn? What will carry over into the next season, and what do you want to remember for next year? Let me know in the comments below! I do so love to hear from you…

Stylishly yours,