This capsule shows how my wonderful client Karen updated her Spring and Summer wardrobe last week. We got it all done in two and a half hours. Apart from the silver flats and bag, which are similar substitutes, the exact pieces we purchased are represented in the collection below. We’re still looking for the right casual silver flats, and Karen already has a pewter tote.
A little more about Karen. She’s 75 years young and leads a retired and casual lifestyle. She splits her time between Seattle and Arizona, and for the most part needs outfits for mild and warm weather. Karen is extremely graceful and polished, and enjoys sporting the trends. She wears neutrals and the very occasional pop of colour. She likes tonal neutral outfits, or is in high-contrast black and white. She lives in jeans, casual pants, striped knitted tops, textured knitwear, scarves, and low-heeled or flat footwear. She always wears make-up, styles her gorgeous two-toned hair, and wears statement earrings.
Colour Palette
We chose items in Karen’s signature neutrals: black, white, blue denim and shades of grey. We also added some ink blue in a stripe to change things up. Karen has very light green eyes which make the sour shade of kiwi a striking match. The colours in the capsule remind me of vanilla, kiwi and blueberry gelato.
Karen enjoys high-low style so you’ll see an assortment of price points reflected in the capsule. The items were bought to mix and match with each other, AND complement what Karen already has in her wardrobe. Here are the components of the capsule.
Two bottoms in different colours and silhouettes
- Denim Blue Flared Crops: A trendy new style that Karen didn’t think she would love, but does!
- White Flared Jeans: Karen wears casual white pants and jeans all Spring and Summer long and already has a great assortment of boyfriend and chino styles. We added a pair of dramatic white flares to wear with heeled pumps and sandals to change things up.
Four tops in different colours, patterns, silhouettes and textures
- Ink & White Striped Boatneck Knitted Top: Ink blue is new for Karen, but since it’s quite the classic, Karen liked it. The stripes are strategically positioned to streamline the torso.
- Grey Cropped Marled Pullover: This is a trendy and beautiful quality item that is too short to wear with the white flares, but is great with Karen’s white and blue boyfriend jeans that come up higher on the waist.
- Kiwi Linen Boatneck Sweater: A boxy cropped top for a hint of colour to wear on the hottest of days because it’s lightweight and linen.
- Black Mixed Media Tunic: Another trendy piece in a dramatic length.
One jacket in a pattern
- Black & White Spring Tweed Jacket: Karen fell in love with the Spring jacket trend because she can style the jacket smart casually with jeans, or wear it with black trousers. This jacket works best over solid white, black and grey lightweight tops that Karen already has in her wardrobe. The top and jacket combination can be paired with white, blue and black jeans, or black ankle pants.
Two pairs of shoes
- Silver ankle strap flat sandals: Ankle straps are a must for the multiple ankle bearing jeans lengths Karen has in her denim capsule these days. She already has black ankle strap footwear, thereby making silver the next neutral of choice.
- Grey wedged sandals: Grey sandals are Summer staples for Karen, so we added another pair. They’re heeled and work well with the flares.
One scarf in a pattern
- White, Bone and Black Check: The Burberry scarf goes with just about everything in her wardrobe because she has lots of solids and enjoys tonal pattern mixing. I suggested to Karen that if she goes home with one item on our shopping day – this is it. The scarfs adds chic pizzazz to any outfit.
Karen likes to use one bag for the season unless she’s going out in the evening, in which case she’ll switch out her bag to a black or silver clutch. She’s sporting an “every day” pewter tote for Spring and Summer, which works with her polished yet relaxed wardrobe. Karen might add a few inexpensive tops to this capsule over the next few months, but is for the most part set for the season.
Here are similar items to the ones Karen chose in a Polyvore set for visual reference.
Karen’s husband took this photo of Karen wearing her new striped top and flared cropped jeans earlier this week in Arizona. The outfit works well with Karen’s old black Paul Green ankle strap sandals. Thanks for sharing your outfit with us, Karen. You look casually chic and as lovely as ever.
