https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 17 Apr 2026 21:28:11 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946591 Thu, 09 Aug 2018 20:19:53 +0000 Cardiff girl 1946591@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love that you ladies love your fashion so much that you use spread sheets!l don’t and probably never will but it makes me happy to think that some people do. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946511 Thu, 09 Aug 2018 14:45:36 +0000 SarahD8 1946511@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Mandy007</b>, that's great to know that the capsule/spreadsheet approach has worked for you consistently over the long term!</p> <p><b>suntiger</b>, yeah, that makes sense re: prints. For me I notice that I often have trouble styling two-color prints, with the exception of Breton stripes. It's sort of fascinating -- Breton stripes go with everything to my eye, but I have a top that is a white print on a denim-blue background and I have a devil of a time figuring out how to wear it!</p> <p><b>viva</b>, yes, I can relate to being an emotional shopper, and also to the idea that buying the same thing over and over can be a good thing (more and more, I feel that I know what my style and silhouettes are, and I'm happiest mixing and matching within that formula rather than trying to do something different for "variety"). It's a double-edged sword, though. On the one hand, letting happiness factor guide the way means a relatively low proportion of clothing that "should" work but that I don't reach for in practice. On the other hand, it also leads to wardrobe holes where I am having trouble wearing the items that I love, or find myself playing wardrobe Tetris because of a lack of support pieces. For me the spreadsheet is really a <b>visual</b> tool to say a-ha! That's where the holes are! That's why this top/skirt/etc. isn't working! It's a new strategy for me, so I haven't really shopped "according to the grid." But I will say that my green popover is a good example of a piece that doesn't work as well as it "should." I bought it because I wanted more of that emerald green color in my wardrobe (I get tons of compliments whenever I wear my emerald green cardi), and I prefer popovers to button-up shirts. So far so good. But it turns out this top has a rounded collar that, while not quite a Peter Pan collar, feels a little too "prim," to me, so I never feel quite fab in it.&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Lynn</b>, interesting. I can see the similarities to Janice's 4x4 templates. I will say that I have always had trouble fitting my wardrobe into the 4x4 system. I have a VERY different approach to color and pattern than Janice does (I wear lots more color, do a ton of color and pattern mixing, and most importantly rarely wear column-of-color or suit-like ensembles that the 4x4 system really facilitates). But maybe I have hit upon my version of her system here. Great food for thought. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946450 Thu, 09 Aug 2018 13:03:14 +0000 Becky 1946450@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks for posting those links, <b>Lynn</b>. I'll have to do some more reading. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946363 Thu, 09 Aug 2018 01:54:05 +0000 Lynn 1946363@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sarah- this was very interesting. Your clusters for neutrals &amp; colors sound a bit like the Vivienne Files 4 x 4 approach to building a wardrobe.&nbsp;<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theviviennefiles.com/four-by-four-wardrobes/">http://www.theviviennefiles.co.....wardrobes/</a>&nbsp;<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theviviennefiles.com/2015/06/another-template-for-4-by-4-capsule.html/">http://www.theviviennefiles.co.....sule.html/</a></p> <p>I have developed an aspirational fall wardrobe loosely based on her system with capsules in black as my main neutral, brick red and cognac as secondary neutrals and some teal and purple thrown in as minor colors. She recommends having at least 4 items in a accent color. &nbsp;She does include accessories in the groupings of 4 so it might include a top + another garment (topper or pant) + a scarf and earrings.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;I like the idea of building a spreadsheet so I know where I am at. I think have the black capsule covered but will need to fill in some gaps with the others. I plan to sew most of the garments so this is really my sewing plan :)&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946151 Wed, 08 Aug 2018 13:45:46 +0000 viva 1946151@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I really related to <b>BJ1111</b>'s comment:&nbsp;&nbsp;"I am always in awe of this type of analysis as I tend to be very impulsive in buying items. And I buy the same thing over and over."</p> <p>That is definitely me. But I'm not sure it's a bad thing.</p> <p>I find it interesting to see how others - especially the spreadsheet-oriented ones - tackle wardrobe organization and planning. Although I love a good spreadsheet my mind doesn't naturally work that way, especially with clothing. I go much more by feel (fit + happiness factor). And, although I keep buying (basically) the same things, I think it's because that's my style zone. I think, for me, this kind of analysis might tell me the "right thing" to buy is "X," but it wouldn't really be something that moves or inspires me enough on its own. Have you ever purchased something because it fit the grid, only to have it languish in your closet? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946138 Wed, 08 Aug 2018 13:05:11 +0000 Anonymous 1946138@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thats the rule i try to stick to. Not necessarily an exact match but at least tonal. For my own wardrobe i find that prints that include black are easier to work with, and prints with more than 2 colors (ideally 2 of them being neutral).<br /> Also, buying a capsule together works well, i tried that for the first time last year. 1 bottom, 2 distinct tops, topper. Then fill in with more pieces based on those as you can. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946049 Wed, 08 Aug 2018 02:09:48 +0000 Mandy007 1946049@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Love capsules! I started mine first with having a stylist create one...and it turned out to be cheaper for me than just doing it on my own. Now I rotate clothes in and out. I sell off the old pieces and then buy new trendy or classic pieces. I like a classic modern style with a touch on trendy&nbsp;when it catches my eye. This approach you have is great! I have my own spreadsheet and update it by season too;). Happy shopping! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1946016 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 23:41:44 +0000 SarahD8 1946016@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ooh, fascinating <b>salt-sea</b>. I'm glad that the spreadsheet approach is helping you. You know, I am such a spreadsheet n00b (I do NOT work in tech!) that I always forget that I can sort things to get different views on the data. Very clever. I look forward to hearing how this project develops. One suggestion about tracking clothing brands -- as you do your cull, you might find it even more illuminating to note the brands of items you are <i>discarding</i>.&nbsp;</p> <p><b>suntiger</b>, you mean that you make sure that you have at least 3 solid colors that go with each printed item?&nbsp; That sounds like a very sensible rule of thumb -- I will make sure to keep that in mind as I (hopefully) add some printed items to my fall wardrobe. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945951 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 19:55:01 +0000 Anonymous 1945951@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>You lot are way more organized than me...i haven't even done a count lately! But my key to wardrobe harmony is to stick (as much as possible w retail availability) to my dark autumn color palette. Im not sure what you have as far as prints, but i like to be sure i have at least 3 color options for each printed item, and ideally across seasons and levels of refinement. That being said, there should be more options for its primary season/refinement level. For example i dont wear pants in summer, just skirts/dresses/shorts. Having a bunch of sleeveless tops to go with the pants (a combination i wear in transitional weather) is not as helpful as a bunch of long sleeved tops. But, i do want to have those options for the few mild weeks. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945929 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 18:45:40 +0000 salt-sea 1945929@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sure! So, starting from where I was on my thread on capsules -&nbsp; I've determined the most sensible things for me to sort first are my work (biz casual), conference/client (biz formal), visiting/hosting (casual) capsules. My current state is that I have too many casual &amp; loungey items, which are mixed in with work stuff, and haven't sorted seasons well enough. So I had been working on capsules for work, visiting, and conferences, but your approach here inspired me to take a comprehensive inventory and note for each item which capsules it can be in and which seasons it is generally applicable to. Screenshot attached. I'm about halfway done. I'll then do some filtering by capsule &amp; season to assess what I have and see what capsules I can construct from it. That should lead to some culling and also identifying a few holes and items that need to be upgraded. But mostly paring down. I then intend to reorganize my closet so my seasonal work capsule is in one section and I will move other things to a holding area. And someone here - I'll have to hunt for the post - did an interesting look at what brands their wardrobe was made up of - that sounds insightful but more of a phase 2 for me. Also phase 2 - denoting items as travel friendly or not. That should make it easier to plan packing lists. That's the plan! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945894 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 16:30:58 +0000 SarahD8 1945894@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>efbgen</b> how fun that our color palettes overlap so much! Isn't it funny how an outlier color (our cognac or dark brown items) can absolutely be key to one's wardrobe? It's a great reminder to me that just because X is good, doesn't mean that <i>more</i> X would be good -- I have to think through how/where I like to wear a color. Absolutely agree with enjoying summer dressing for the few remaining weeks of the season!</p> <p><b>salt-sea</b> I would love to hear more about your capsules and spreadsheets if you care to share. I'm glad that reading about my approach has been helpful to you. Yes, agree that thinking about what capsules an item fits into is helpful -- I've found that although I wear some colors across multiple seasons, I don't always want to wear all items in those colors across all seasons (and not just for reasons of weather practicality). Going forward, I'm trying to make sure that each item I own has <b>*A*</b> season (or more than one) -- without getting too hung up on all the items in a color complement always being worn together. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945793 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 12:57:04 +0000 salt-sea 1945793@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>SarahD8 - this is such an interesting analysis. I am working through my capsules now and I think this approach will be super helpful. I do something similar, where I track items in excel (well, google sheets) and organize them by color &amp; type, but I think layering on which capsules they fit into and whether they are 'core' items or supplementary will be insightful. Thanks for sharing your approach! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945620 Mon, 06 Aug 2018 21:44:11 +0000 Anonymous 1945620@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>SARAH- I love love love your analysis.....especially since your colors are high on my hit parade. I found myself shaking my head yes through the entire read thinking “ someone gets me”.<br /> I am sure you heard me laugh out loud when you talked about cognac as I too have only 2 pieces of brown ( dark not cognac though- gorgeous boots and a matching leather purse). I wear them with jeans or ........ shocker.......burgundy.<br /> To say great job, this has been a fun read and thanks is putting it mildly.<br /> Looking forward to pics in future. Right now I cannot even think of fall - winter wardrobe right now-my sun dresses in this 90 Plus high humidity summer has my attention ( not complaining though) so As the 60s song goes.......see you in September.;-) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945561 Mon, 06 Aug 2018 16:25:22 +0000 SarahD8 1945561@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Jussie</b>, YES&nbsp; to how much we think we wear a color vs. how much we actually wear it (and how much we think we have vs. how much we actually have).</p> <p>Turquoise seems to work well for you for accessories -- fits with your boho aesthetic -- so there's a way to get a dose of one of your faves without actually having it in your clothing wardrobe. Turquoise jewelry certainly suits you!</p> <p>I have a similar problem re: lengths. Most of my pants are skinny, and I prefer to wear those with longer cardigans. But longer cardigans are hard to find (at least, ones that I like, since I'm not so into the open/waterfall shape), so I actually have a lot more short cardigans. I can wear those with skinnies but only with certain tops. It's one reason I'd like to find a few more pairs of straight-leg pants. But yes, I do think that length issue is well worth taking a look at. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945423 Mon, 06 Aug 2018 00:50:54 +0000 jussie 1945423@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I like your method a lot. Interesting how sometimes we think just because we like a particular colour that we wear a lot of it, but then upon analyzing realize we actually don’t wear it as much as we thought.<br /> For example, I love turquoise, and I used to have lots of it in my wardrobe. But over time I realized I almost never actually wore it, because I didn’t have any white items to wear it with, and I don’t like wearing white, so no point to stock up in it. Hence I gradually decided to eliminate turquoise....<br /> Generally I find detailed wardrobe analysis to be quite helpful, and I’m sure it’ll aid you over the coming season to increase cohesion in your wardrobe.<br /> Another thing I’ve lately been thinking about is the LENGTH of my tops, and how many go with which particular bottoms.... I need to try for a balance of short, long and mid-length tops to cover all pant/skirt situations. That would be an interesting spreadsheet. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945417 Mon, 06 Aug 2018 00:17:22 +0000 SarahD8 1945417@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>The Cat</b>, your system sounds very sensible! I hope that in a couple of years my wardrobe will be in better shape, and I'll have a better understanding of it -- and thus can use a similar strategy. I agree that scarves are often great to tie different colors in an outfit together! For me, sometimes scarves feel like A Little Much for a day spent working from home, so I'm also hoping to find some print tops to give outfits some oomph.</p> <p><b>rachylou</b>, it's striking how easy it is to accumulate black items! I'm smiling at the associations you have with black pants. I always find your musings about the social import of clothes, and how you use them to either adhere to or subvert expectations, very interesting.</p> <p><b>gryffin</b>, well don't congratulate me yet, it remains to be seen how well this all works out! I expect this is just a first pass and the system will require a little refining -- as well as flexibility to account for what I actually find available in the real world (vs. in my head). How fantastic that you have found that a very limited color palette actually makes you happy and so you have kept to it. I can definitely see the appeal of such a soothing palette. I learn so much from other posters with very different ways of approaching color, pattern, and wardrobe shape and size than mine. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945407 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 21:37:30 +0000 gryffin 1945407@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sarah - Wow, I am soooo impressed!!&nbsp; I limit my entire wardrobe to Black, charcoal, pearl gray and denim.&nbsp; In part, I began doing that because I didn't know how to make color work.&nbsp; I never had the pieces I needed and things ended up orphans.&nbsp; I had "outfits" not a working integrated wardrobe.&nbsp; Now I understand how better to integrate a compliment but I continue on this path because I really like it.&nbsp; But had I had your organizational abilities, your understanding of how many pieces in a color were needed to make a color deliberate it would have made my 20's and 30's wardrobes so much easier!!&nbsp; Congrats on your amazing plan, I am sure your fall wardrobe will give you great joy and cohesion!!&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945400 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 21:04:23 +0000 rachylou 1945400@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Oh! Your spreadsheets really tell you a lot about where your colour is - and which colours you’ve bought most.</p> <p>Interesting about black always. I have several pairs of black pants, more black pants than any other colour, but I don’t wear them that much... they are for social situations that I consider rigid... like seeing my doctor or lawyer, lol. </p> <p>Several pairs for different weather conditions... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945399 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 21:03:55 +0000 The Cat 1945399@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I really like your approach and interesting analysis.</p> <p>I have a similar approach, but more simplified. I simply write lists on my pc (and print them out) over what I want to look for in each season. Like you, I want a good balance between neutral and non-neutral items, so I note which items I want in which neutrals and which items I want in which non-neutrals.</p> <p>Concerning multi-coloured items that are able to tie the outfit together, I have found that scarves are often the solution. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945367 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 18:17:41 +0000 SarahD8 1945367@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Angie, YES. I hear you. It's a starting point and a loose strategy, not hard-and-fast rules. I relate so much to your idea of "organized emotional" shopping. I needed a bit more organization -- hence this exercise. Now I can be more open to the emotional component as I go forward. Each season I seem to find some item or look or formula (often already in my closet) that I love but totally wasn't expecting -- and I'm really looking forward to seeing what develops once fall arrives. (Still enjoying wearing my summer clothes for now, though!!!) </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945351 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 16:47:56 +0000 Angie 1945351@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For some, their capsules are the SAME colour complements, btw. But for you, they are assorted ;)</p> <p>This looks great, SarahD. It's fun to think about these things, visualize, and pop them in writing. Please remember though, that this is just a starting point - keeping thoughts lose and flexible is key:</p> <ul> <li>You have to TRY the outfits, and assess them that way</li> <li>Once you're in the midst of the season, <i>feel</i> your way and check whether what you thought you wanted to do is still working for you.&nbsp;</li> </ul> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945349 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 16:39:32 +0000 SarahD8 1945349@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>bj1111</b>, I will definitely try to report back once I've done some fall shopping. In fact I think that will help me stay mindful of what my goals are so thank you! I identify very much with your statement that you tend to buy the same things over and over. ME TOO. Your strategy of keeping a list of what you need to complete an outfit sounds very wise. </p> <p>I am not sure what I can add, although it sounds like maybe you are aware that you need those lighter colored tops to complete outfits but you're not drawn to shopping for them? Maybe developing a "search template" based on the characteristics of your favorite items in that category would help. For example, I know that my best cool-season tops have a narrow, tailored sleeve with a button cuff, are made of soft, drapey (not crisp) material, and have some openness at the neckline. Hopefully that will help me be more confident that something will actually work when it ticks those boxes.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945334 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 16:13:43 +0000 SarahD8 1945334@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Becky</b>, yes, a lack of tops is the trouble for me, too. This is like the 8th time I've whined about the weakness of my tops capsule on here. It is a problem across all seasons! I wonder why tops are so difficult to manage? Maybe we are used to buying either basic/neutral tops, or tops that somehow make us go "PLONK" -- but those "plonk" tops don't necessarily provide the color coordination we need to make the capsule work overall.</p> <p><b>Jenn</b>, I think the extra analysis is necessary because I do want a more expansive color palette. But I want to avoid both "all the things in all the colors" syndrome, and thinking that I have more of a color than I actually do simply because I have decided in my head that it is part of my palette.</p> <p>You are very wise to point out the danger of "fill in the blanks" purchasing. That is absolutely a pitfall I could fall prey to. I will need to watch out for that and make sure the <i>details</i> of an item are right -- not just the color.</p> <p>Prints that incorporate multiple colors: YES. So useful. I have a few such items (the floral scarf I have listed under "white/cream" actually contains pink, cornflower blue, and toffee/cognac). I got sort of overwhelmed at the prospect of capturing that info in the spreadsheet so I just...didn't, in the end. I can see though that a larger proportion of printed items would be good to look out for.</p> <p><b>Joy</b>, how great that you learned so much from your winter capsule this past year. I remember those woolen items in soft, chalky whites that you wear so well and I look forward to seeing them come out to play again this winter!</p> <p><b>Sterling</b>, THANK YOU. Your encouragement helps more than you can know! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945327 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 16:02:44 +0000 bj1111 1945327@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>First, I applaud your meticulous approach to documenting your closet needs and desires, especially assigning the number and type of items you want in each color family. Very very interest in how you will implement this in your shopping. I would love to hear an update, say mid-fall after you’ve had a chance to shop for some of your burgundy items.</p> <p>Second, I am always in awe of this type of analysis as I tend to be very impulsive in buying items. And I buy the same thing over and over. My new trick is keeping a list of items that I need to build an outfit. essential tops that lighten up a mostly black/navy closet. If you have tips, I’d love to hear them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945315 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 15:39:40 +0000 Anonymous 1945315@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Inspirational post. &nbsp;I love the entire thought-provoking process. &nbsp;What thrills me the most is how compiling, organizing, and analyzing the data yielded your marching orders. &nbsp;The idea of cognac footwear as a signature was revolutionary. &nbsp;YAY you. I will watch for future posts related to implementation and how well it worked for you. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945237 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 05:25:47 +0000 Anonymous 1945237@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have done something very similar and like the changes these capsules make at times when I need a change. You are wise to include colorful tops and white/cream in your fall/winter wardrobe. Mine was too heavy with dark neutrals, especially after the holidays and before my "cold spring" season. I found myself cheating and pulling out those spring colors in winter weight fabrics before I'd intended to. This year I plan to work toward incorporating more color in January, if I feel the need. Sometimes the holidays puts one on color and sparkle overload so that January's neutrals are a relief. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945209 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 03:13:02 +0000 Jenn 1945209@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is fascinating to me. My mind doesn’t work in quite so regimented a way, even though I’m quite organized about my wardrobe. I just have a limited color scheme and add with intention at the start of a new season. </p> <p>I do think it’s wise to think in complements, to avoid having orphaned items. Are you at risk at all of purchasing to “fill in the blanks”? I have done that in the past, because I felt like I needed balance (ie: a black tank and a cream tank, because those are both my neutrals) and it rarely worked out as well as I hoped. </p> <p>What about items that incorporate multiple of your colors? Those are great for tying the whole capsule together. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945201 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 02:44:09 +0000 Becky 1945201@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Being the color lover that I am, I really like the colors approach to organization. I think that would be the only way I could get my head around capsules. It seems like my major downfall is a lack of tops to coordinate. While I might have one or two tops that fit with a color capsule, I don't have enough to really make the whole mix and match capsule approach work. That should probably be my shopping focus . . . </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thinking-about-building-capsules-from-complements-fall-edition#post-1945185 Sun, 05 Aug 2018 01:58:02 +0000 SarahD8 1945185@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For those who enjoy my long analytical posts, I gotcha right here. For those who don’t, *waves* — I get it, look forward to seein’ ya around other parts of the forum. :-)</p> <p>&nbsp;I’ve been doing some thinking about my fall wardrobe and how to organize/prioritize adding to/editing it. Thanks to <b>La Pedestrienne</b> for getting this discussion going on her recent thread.</p> <p>Many of you will remember that I’m interested in dressing around seasonal capsules based on different color palettes. I really like this idea, but just gathering together all the clothes I own that fit my desired palette doesn’t always translate into a functional capsule.</p> <p>I realized that even though I might have some items in the various colors of a given palette, I don’t necessarily have the <i>right items</i> or the <i>right numbers</i> for the capsule to really work. It hit me: <b><u>a seasonal capsule is really just a collection of different color complements</u></b>. MAJOR a-ha moment.</p> <p>I spent some time thinking about HOW I like to create outfits — the balance between neutrals and colors, where on my body I like to put pops of color and value contrast, etc. — and also which colors I wanted to be major and minor elements of my capsule.</p> <p>Then I worked out a loose rubric for the number of items I wanted in each complement. I think I may have shared this before but here is what I came up with:</p> <p><u>Neutrals:</u> 2+ bottoms, 2+ tops, 1-2 toppers, 2 shoes</p> <p><u>Major colors:</u> possibly 1 bottom, 2 tops, 1 topper, possibly 1 shoes, 2 scarves, jewelry</p> <p><u>Minor colors:</u> 1 top, 1 topper, 1 scarf and/or jewelry, possibly 1 shoes</p> <p>Then, (NERD ALERT) I made a spreadsheet and input my existing collection of fall clothes to see where any holes and imbalances might lie. Screenshots from spreadsheet are below. </p> <p>In the spreadsheet, colored cells (light green, light blue, lavender) indicate what I think are core items for building each complement, and gray cells are optional items. Where I own more than the “required” items they are listed in cells with white background.</p> <p><b>Photo 1: Neutrals — Black, Navy/denim, Gray, Burgundy.</b></p> <p>The first three of these seem fine. I would like to add 2-3 pairs of straight leg pants (likely black ponte, medium-wash denim, and dark gray/faded black denim). I can see that I *could* add more gray overall, and more gray and navy footwear, but this doesn’t feel like a high priority. I like to mix neutrals, and rarely wear “column of color” looks, so this collection of items feels pretty adequate.</p> <p>But holy cow, major lack of burgundy. I’ll say that I’m actually not sure whether I want burgundy to be a “neutral” or a “major color” (I’m more drawn to the idea of burgundy bottoms and footwear than I am with most of the other non-neutral colors in this palette, BUT I also like the idea of wearing burgundy scarves/jewelry which I don’t feel I need for with black/gray/navy). In any case, building out a burgundy complement is a major priority — especially because it’s a color I’d like to wear heavily across multiple seasons. Tricky part is that there are a LOT of wrong burgundies out there (my right burgundy is very red, a bit purple, and not at all brown — almost like a dark raspberry, or black cherry kind of color).</p> <p><b>Photo 2: Major colors — Teal, Forest/bottle green, Rose</b></p> <p>Yes, teal and forest/bottle green can kind of shade into one another. That said, I see a need for tops, in teal, rose, and (as discussed above) burgundy. I would like at least some of them to be prints (esp. dark florals and paisley) because I know I like to create outfits by pulling a minor color from a print for a pop of color.</p> <p><b>Photo 3: Minor colors — Plum, cornflower blue</b></p> <p>These are in more decent shape than I would have thought. Still: Print tops.</p> <p><b>Photo 3: Specials — White/cream, Cognac</b></p> <p>I realized that I like to wear these colors, which would usually get classified as neutrals, in very specific ways. I really only like to wear white on top. And I like cognac footwear but that is the ONLY brown (save for that camel cardigan, which is an outlier but I do think it works) in my entire wardrobe. The white/cream situation seems fine (I should add some of my pearl jewelry to the spreadsheet). I am embracing <u>cognac footwear as a signature in cool seasons</u> — it semi-bookends my hair and is a good way of creating color contrast and “warming up” cool-toned outfits (I tend to wear mostly cool colors near my face). So, even though I already own several pairs, I think I could potentially add more.</p> <p>That leaves me with my <b>marching orders for the fall:</b></p> </p> <ul> <li>BURGUNDY — across all categories of items</li> <li>Colorful tops, especially prints (burgundy, teal, rose, plum, cornflower)</li> <li>Straight-leg pants</li> <li>Cognac footwear</li> </ul> </p> <p>If you made it through this monster of a post, GOLD STAR! I hope it stimulates some helpful or interesting thoughts about your own wardrobe. Grateful for any musings, ideas, or suggestions you care to share.</p>