https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 21 Apr 2026 19:37:14 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1890018 Thu, 15 Feb 2018 18:12:09 +0000 cheryl 1890018@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This was a great read. I love your thoughts and pictures. Janice's posts always fascinate me although I have never tried to analyze like this myself it brought me great joy to read your process. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889937 Thu, 15 Feb 2018 15:22:23 +0000 SarahD8 1889937@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thank you, Lynn and Joy! I hope you also enjoy the original post, I thought it was just so helpful. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889925 Thu, 15 Feb 2018 14:27:16 +0000 Anonymous 1889925@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I enjoyed reading your analysis and am off to read the Vivianne Files. You have done lots of work and thinking and it is sure to pay off. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889703 Wed, 14 Feb 2018 22:28:05 +0000 Lynn 1889703@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow Sarah that is a great analysis. &nbsp;Very interesting process. I am off to read Janice's post. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889144 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 15:27:20 +0000 SarahD8 1889144@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, all! I'm glad that this analysis was useful for some of you. <b>Mainelady</b>, I think it's GREAT that your mind was wandering to your own clothes -- one reason I did take pictures was that I wanted to share here and as you said I thought it would be easier for others to follow along.</p> <p><b>Sterling</b>, if you have other thoughts I hope you will share! I feel that you are a bit of an analytical kindred spirit so I always look forward to your musings. You know, I did use StyleBook for a while. I have to say that I found loading my wardrobe in to the app to be a lot of work even for me! And then I switched to an Android phone...I suppose I could use it on my iPad. I will take another look.</p> <p><b>JenniNZ</b>, haha, no I will award you a gold star! I did try to use underline/bold to facilitate skimming. I agree with you about having a flexible shopping list. And, of course, as Angie wrote in her post yesterday, the importance of being patient and taking a "slow fashion" approach. One thing that's becoming clear to me is that even adding one or two items can give a LOT more options. So if I have a list of a number of possibilities, and only find a few of them each season, I am doing well.</p> <p><b>jussie</b>, I think I have been fairly analytical about my wardrobe for a while, but I am going MUCH deeper since joining YLF. I think it is paying off but it will be interesting to see how things evolve over the next several months.</p> <p><b>rachylou</b> that is an EXCELLENT point about the longevity of frequently worn items. I have been thinking about exactly this. So far the items in the 5-6-7x category are holding up nicely. I do find myself thinking ahead with a bit of panic to the day those navy skirt leggings wear out! I have noticed that the white blouses, which I also wore heavily during my holiday capsule, look a bit dull/tired (I am actually amazed that I haven't ruined one outright yet). I've also noticed in the past that if I wear a particular item a lot in a short period of time it starts to feel shabby to me, even if it is objectively not. But if I put it away for a few months it looks fresh again. That is one reason that seasonal wardrobe capsules work well for me. I think I have been influenced by the minimalist/capsule wardrobe trend of the past several years and on some level feel like I am "bad" if my capsule is over like 33 items or whatever. But in fact, having a slightly larger wardrobe may be a better strategy for me, so that I can lose a few items to wearing out etc. and not have the whole capsule go off the rails, while being able to take my time at finding replacements.</p> <p><b>Suz</b>, yes, great point about proportions! Honestly one reason that light blue-gray cardi has been worn 5 times is that I have been trying to figure out how to wear it! Its proportions are a little different from most of my toppers so it is taking a little bit of trial and error.&nbsp;</p> <p><b>The Cat</b>, very good reminder. You know, I had not commented directly on Janice's post, but you are quite right that I should. I will head over there later today. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889077 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 13:00:29 +0000 unfrumped 1889077@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great post! I’d like to be that analytical and focused. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889060 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 10:45:52 +0000 Mainelady 1889060@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow. Wow! Your post is loaded with great analysis. I found my mind wandering to my own clothing and had to bring myself back to your post. I am sure the pictures were time consuming, but I am so glad you shared them. They really helped me better understand your comments. Personally you may not need to take pics for yourself, but for your readers, the visuals are really helpful. Your analysis has yeilded a lot of valuable information for you. Great job! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889053 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 10:11:18 +0000 Anonymous 1889053@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh Sarah! &nbsp;I've been following those same exact posts about analyzing your wardrobe. &nbsp;I have yet to even consider putting them into practice. &nbsp;When I saw that you did, I was so excited! &nbsp;I'll be back later this afternoon to absorb the detail and take notes!! &nbsp;WELL DONE.&nbsp; </p> <p>I bow to you. &nbsp;</p> <p>I know you said that taking pictures is a lot of work.&nbsp; I personally would never have gone that far.&nbsp; Have you considered Style Book?&nbsp; You could arrange everything in "packing lists" (as Elizabeth taught me).&nbsp; Same effect.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889040 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 08:09:08 +0000 Jenni NZ 1889040@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Maybe I only deserve a bronze star. A bit TL,DR but when I skipped back and forth between your photos and your words I could get it. I see why you want to change the buttons on the lovely blue cardy! Those gold ones are rather OTT even for me.<br /> I like the goals. However I agree with you that shopping too closely with a list is not always easy because it depends if what you want is available or not? I often have that when I try to replace a favourite item. Suddenly that colour is not at all in fashion or the colour is but the styles are all wrong. So I am trying to make my "list" quite flexible. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1889015 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 04:06:21 +0000 jussie 1889015@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow you’ve done a fabulous analysis and capsule. It was fascinating to read. Are you always this analytical with your seasonal clothing or is it a new thing for you? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1888999 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 03:38:52 +0000 Cee 1888999@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That's quite a post, Sarah !</p> <p>Good luck with your goals ! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1888939 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 01:45:19 +0000 rachylou 1888939@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmm. This is deep. You know what I’m wondering... you’re heavy use pieces... how are they holding up? I can wear out something in a season... it will represent a hole next time around... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1888935 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 01:37:29 +0000 Suz 1888935@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You are doing amazing analytical work! I like the idea of tracking what one is actually wearing vs. not wearing and it's clear it has helped you sort out what you may as well let go, but from my own experience I can say that colour or level of repair or even texture of the item are not the only reasons an item might go unworn. <b>Proportions </b>are also key, and if there is a favourite item that doesn't work with the proportion of another item, that second item will be relatively unworn. Especially if item 1 is a favourite bottom. And item 2 is a top.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1888929 Tue, 13 Feb 2018 01:26:27 +0000 Barbara Diane 1888929@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like how structured your analysis is and the different ways you analyzed the same items. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1888900 Mon, 12 Feb 2018 23:54:09 +0000 The Cat 1888900@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Great analysis. I hope you let Janice know that she inspired you to do this. It might cheer her up. As you probably know if you follow her blog, she got the flu a few days ago and had to cancel a scheduled trip to France ... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/long-winter-capsule-analysis-inspired-by-the-vivienne-files#post-1888894 Mon, 12 Feb 2018 23:37:11 +0000 SarahD8 1888894@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I feel like Janice was blogging from inside my head last week. She published this post on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theviviennefiles.com/2018/02/fixing-wardrobe-that-just-doesnt-feel.html">editing a seasonal capsule wardrobe</a> right after I wrapped up the first half of my winter capsule challenge.</p> <p>I thought I would apply her process of analysis to my capsule and see what emerged. <u>Spoiler alert: It was VERY helpful!</u></p> <p>The biggest surprise for me was realizing that the <u>core group of clothes that I am wearing</u> heavily is actually quite a bit smaller than my overall capsule. The analysis also shows that the <u>color scheme in practice</u> is different from the color scheme in theory. I had already suspected this latter point, and in some ways this exercise confirms a lot of what I had previously figured out. But I do think it was helpful. <u>I feel a lot more clarity about how to evolve the capsule from here.</u></p> <p>I was committed to going through the whole process step by step, but I will say that <u>I am not sure it is necessary to take pictures</u> of your clothes in these different arrangements. I had already gleaned most of my conclusions just from listing out the items in various categories, so I may skip the photos in the future (they are time consuming). However <u>you DO need to be willing to track your wears</u>.</p> <p>I am mostly posting this for my own accountability/edification (I know it is long!) but if you have observations or comments I would love to hear them!</p> <p>For reference, <b>photos 1 and 2</b> are photos of clothing items in my capsule that I posted at the beginning of the challenge. So that’s our starting point. These photos contain <u>33 items of clothing</u>.</p> <p><b>Step 1</b> of the analysis is to sort items in the capsule by how often they have been worn.</p> <p><b>photo 3: unworn items.</b> black knit skirt, black/cream lace print cardi, gray tunic sweater, black layering sweater, tan jacket-y cardi, rose cardi, orchid-pink cardi, robin’s egg cardi</p> <p><b>photo 4: worn once or twice.</b></p> <p>1x: black knit dress, light blue layering sweater, light pink knit (returned - not shown), purple layering sweater, black long cardi, ivory Aran cardi, rose fair-isle pullover (removed for fit - not shown), </p> <p>2x: black popover, white tuxedo buttonup, lavender crochet vest, black jacket-y cardi, medium blue cardi, charcoal gray long cardi, gray jacket-y cardi,</p> <p><b>photo 5: worn 3-4 times.</b></p> <p>3x: mid-wash straight jeans, gray/white stripe popover, white pin tuck popover</p> <p>4x: gray skinnies, white tuxedo popover,</p> <p><b>photo 6: worn 5x or more.</b></p> <p>5x: black ponte leggings, black long sleeve tee, blue-gray cardi</p> <p>6x: black skirt leggings, burgundy long cardi</p> <p>7x: mid-wash skinnies, navy skirt leggings, gray floral sweatshirt</p> <p>Overall, <u>I have worn 29 items of clothing over the first 5 weeks</u> of my challenge (7 bottoms, 10 tops, 12 toppers).</p> <p><b>Step 2 </b>is to edit the capsule based on the above information.</p> <p>Let’s figure out what to do with the unworn items.</p> </p> <ul> <li>Black knit skirt and tan cardi have been worn in week 6, so they can stay.</li> <li>Black layering sweater is enough of a basic that it can stay too.</li> <li>Gray tunic sweater needs alterations. I have been holding off on wearing the robin’s-egg cardi because I want to change the buttons. So, I need to actually DO IT! But I need to realize that these items really aren’t available in my wardrobe until I take care of those tasks.</li> <li>Black/cream lace print cardi was crucial to my holiday season capsule. It fits the color scheme here but I haven’t been drawn to wear it. Maybe it feels too delicate for the vibe of this capsule? Mentally putting a pin in it. I think I’m fine if this piece only gets worn during the holiday season, but will be alert for opportunities to work it in during other seasons as well. Not in deep winter though, apparently.</li> <li>Rose cardi and orchid pink cardi. I think these are not quite the right colors for this capsule. Also, I’m noticing that in deep winter I gravitate most to *textured* knitwear. I wear these two sweaters a ton in transitional seasons/cool summer so they definitely have a place in my wardrobe. Just not right this minute.</li> </ul> </p> <p>In addition to the above unworn items:</p> </p> <ul> <li>Mid-wash straight jeans: I’ve worn them several times, but have never been happy with the result. I think I’ll remove from my capsule and place in a holding zone — do I need them or can I manage without this item until I find a better version?</li> <li>Lavender crochet vest. Going to try one more idea for styling this but I think it is not warm enough and I will likely pass it along.</li> <li>Black dress and black knit skirt can stay, but should keep in mind that I will probably only wear a dress/skirt once every couple of weeks.</li> </ul> </p> <p>After excluding the above items now I have:&nbsp;5 bottoms,&nbsp;9 tops,10 toppers</p> <p>=<u>24 core items</u> + 2-3 that will be worn rarely</p> <p><b>Step 3 </b>is to organize the remaining items in a couple of different ways in order to identify wardrobe holes.</p> <p><b>Photo 7</b>, organized by item type:</p> </p> <ul> <li>woven blouses: black popover, white blouse x3, gray/white stripe popover</li> <li>knit tops: black long-sleeve tee; black, purple, and light blue layering sweaters</li> <li>long cardigans: black, charcoal, burgundy</li> <li>short cardigans: black, light gray, tan, ivory, medium blue, light blue-gray</li> <li>casual bottoms: black and navy skirt leggings, black ponte pants, gray skinnies, medium-wash skinnies</li> <li>other: black dress, black skirt, gray floral sweatshirt, lavender crochet vest</li> </ul> </p> <p>Wardrobe holes: Non-neutral woven blouses (patterns would be great in fact), maybe one or two more lightweight knit tops. Obviously non-neutral bottoms could be added too but that feels less urgent.</p> <p><b>Photo 8</b>, organized by color (core items only):</p> </p> <ul> <li>Black: woven popover, long-sleeve tee, layering sweater, long cardi, short cardi, skirt leggings, ponte pants</li> <li>Gray: striped popover, long cardi, short cardi, floral sweatshirt, skinny jeans</li> <li>White/ivory: blouses x3, Aran cardi</li> <li>Tan: Cardi</li> <li>Burgundy/purple: layering sweater, long cardi</li> <li>Blue: layering sweater, medium blue cardi, light blue-gray cardi, skinny jeans, navy skirt leggings</li> </ul> </p> <p>Wardrobe holes: I’ve said elsewhere that burgundy + medium/light blue has emerged as the signature color combination of this wardrobe but I do not have a lot of clothing items in these colors. That long burgundy cardi is doing a LOT of work! And the icy pastels that I imagined being part of this capsule are basically absent from my wardrobe.</p> <p><b>Step 4</b> is to develop a shopping list based on the above analysis.</p> <p>First, there are opportunities to add to my capsule without shopping:</p> </p> <ul> <li>Change buttons on robin’s egg cardi. (This is totally FREE as I have already even bought the buttons!)</li> <li>Get gray tunic sweater shortened.</li> </ul> </p> <p>Second, what to buy? I’m presented with a bit of a dilemma here: beef up the burgundy and blue since that is the key color combination currently? Or add those icy pastels that were part of my palette in theory but that I currently lack? Of course, which direction I go depends on what I actually find available (always the difficulty in wardrobe planning...you can plan the heck out of your wardrobe but there's no guarantee you'll find what you've planned in the stores). For now I think I will leave open both possibilities, and see what emerges over time.</p> <p><b>Goals:</b></p> </p> <ul> <li>A burgundy and a medium blue top. Possibly woven, possibly silk?</li> <li>A couple of lightweight knit tops. Maybe metallic pewter and …?</li> <li>A couple of patterned tops. Something that brings together burgundy + blue, and/or brings in a pastel shade.</li> <li>Consider branching out in terms of bottoms — burgundy or cream cords? A patterned skirt? However, upgrading to better fitting jeans is a higher priority.</li> </ul> </p> <p>If you made it this far you get a gold star!</p>