Winter Wardrobe Capsule

It might be a few days before winter officially begins, but it already feels like winter. That might be because I was in Hawaii, Dominican Republic and the US South for weeks and now I'm back in cold, rainy Belgium. All I want to wear are sweaters, leggings and boots. 

I had all my winter clothes in storage under my bed and was dreading pulling it all out and going through it. I deal with my summer/spring/fall clothes throughout the year because of my work travels, but my winter clothes are pretty exclusive to Belgium, so I don't even see them for months at a time. To my surprise, searching through them got me excited. I had forgotten about all the awesome winter clothes I have at this point.

For a capsule, the recommended number is 37 items. I don't include base layers, workout clothes, workout shoes, pajamas or lazy house clothes (jeans you'd never leave the house in or that hoodie that is perfect for laying on the sofa watching movies on a snowy day.)

And here is my winter capsule:

Fall Wardrobe Capsule

I'm a few weeks behind in putting my fall wardrobe capsule together. Now that I have a bit more mobility, I can dig under the bed and put my summer clothes into storage. Until I had surgery, we still had occasional 28C (82F) days, but now I think fall has totally arrived.  The average temps for the next week+ is around 15C (60F) with lows reaching 3C (37F), so it's time to put away those rompers and short shorts.

My fall capsule includes a lot of items from summer that I plan to layer over. Layers are key to Belgium fall. In one day, it might be windy and rainy followed by an hour or two of nice sunshine. I also have a lot of Lululemon in there. I went more athleisure for the next few weeks/months because of surgery. Typically, I try to be a little classier around here, but I think recovery requires comfort over skinny jeans. And only super supportive/hard bottomed shoes with wide toe boxes. I haven't actually put a shoe on to my surgery foot, so I'll be interested to see what will actually works. 

For a capsule, you are supposed to have around 37 items. I don't include workout clothes, workout shoes, pajamas or lazy house clothes (jeans you'd never leave the house in or that comfy hoodie sweatshirt that's perfect for a rainy Sunday). And here is my fall capsule:

(Please note that some images are near replicas of what I own but aren't the exact item.)

Summer Wardrobe Capsule

I've done the whole wardrobe capsule thing for over a year now. I think it appeals to me for two reasons:

1. I live in a foreign country and I have no idea how long I'll be here. There is no need to own anything extra and space is limited in this small apartment. 
2. For a large percentage of the year, I live out of a suitcase with limited options. I can't get home and suddenly have choice after choice. It is overwhelming and I've learned I work better with a few pieces that I love and know look good than having a new outfit every day. Let's be honest--I have few friends in Belgium. Those that I see, I see very inconsistently, so I could probably get away with owning three outfits and no one would be the wiser.

This is the second summer I've done a capsule wardrobe. I think my favorite season for the capsule is summer. I guess it is because all the clothes are so cute and fun. For anyone that knows me, you'll be shocked to see the amount of color I work into my summer capsule. When I'm on the road for work and basically all other seasons, I live in black, grey and white.

For a capsule, the recommended number is 37 items. I don't include workout clothes, workout shoes, pajamas or lazy house clothes (jeans you'd never leave the house in, what you wear to clean or paint in or that hoodie sweatshirt that is perfect for laying on the sofa watching movies on a rainy day.)

And here is this summer's capsule. When you live in a country where it rains daily and the weather fluctuates from downright cold to fairly warm in one week, layering is key. I know some people follow a rule of 3 pants, 3 shorts, 3 sweaters, etc. I don't really have any rules. As you can tell, I probably own a few too many rompers for a country that rarely reaches 90F (32C)

(Please note that some images are near replicas of what I own but aren't the exact item.)

When it comes to building my capsule, I pick clothes that I love wearing and that fit with my lifestyle. When I'm home, life is fairly low-key. Please note that none of these include my work clothes. When I'm working, I'm traveling. It could be a hot,hot,hot place or a freezing cold location.....any time of the year. I can see snow in July and 100F (nearly 40C) in January. When I have work clothes, I'm living out of a suitcase and that has a whole different approach. My work clothes are also their own capsule and one day I'll share that.