Keturah - thank you for spearheading this challenge! Count me in! And sorry, in advance, for a very long post! For my part, I already know this is not going to be a 'build up' of a fall wardrobe, but more of a 'distill down' to something elegant and cohesive.
My influences this fall are dieselpunk & cyberpunk: 1930's, sleek, sci-fi, urban, futuristic, military, action-adventure, Rocketeer, Bond Girl... with a minty hint of Indiana Jones on safari. I don't expect to 'nail' that look every day, but it is something fun to shoot for
Here are my reference points/links for planning:
Into-Mind
Un-Fancy
The Vivienne Files Starting from Scratch Series (Part One is here)
With Into-Mind, I already laid some groundwork and created my Pinterest boards... I plan to re-visit these again, and I expect I will cull some pins, add others.
Fall/Winter
Spring/Summer
I am going to reference both boards, because Atlanta is a seasonal crapshoot, and you might have a 60-degree day, or a 90-degree day in late September/early October.
Yesterday morning I read Mona's post, Building a Core Neutral Wardrobe. Her words, and the many, meaningful responses prompted me to take a close look at the Starting From Scratch series, and that is when I realized... aside from black, I didn't have a real idea of what my wardrobe color palette is. So I opened my Excel wardrobe inventory sheet, and started counting how many of every color I owned: clothing, shoes, belts, scarves, etc. I assigned one full point to solid-colored items, and half a point to secondary colors that appeared in clothing. I was genuinely surprised to find I had less of some colors than I thought, and far more of others. My breakdown:
Black - LOTS. I didn't bother to count
Off-White/Cream/Ivory: 19.5
White: 19
Pale Pink/Blush/Fuschia (yet another surprise): 18
Nude/Light Tan/Beige (Surprise!): 14
Charcoal/Dark Gray/Gunmetal: 12.5
Brown/Cognac/Pink Chocolate/Taupe (Surprise again!): 11
Silver/Pale Blue/Grey: 6 (again a surprise. I thought I had more)
I also thought I had more reds, teal greens, corals, purples, and royal blues than I actually do, only around 4-9 pieces, mostly tops and accessories.
My next step - which I am working through now - is to look at exactly what is represented by each color. Seasonal? Basics? Statement/occasion pieces? Accessories? Shoes? For example, I am already noticing that my browns, teals, and reds are predominantly cold-weather shoes & accessories plus bags. The royals and corals are warm-weather tops, skirts, and bags. The pink stuff is more-or-less year round, but for layering - for winter-spring-summer.
At this point, here is the color palette I see emerging, and already, it is helping me plan:
My neutrals: Black, Whites/Off-Whites, Pale Pink as a neutral, Warm Beiges/ Nudes, and Charcoal/Dark Grays. I feel like I already have a very 'colorful' wardrobe just based on this - and yet, it has never occurred to me to think about how these shades could be mixed!
Secondary neutrals that can be used as color: cognacs for fall, silvers/silver-blues for fall-winter-spring
Color capsules (based on what I currently have, and when I generally wear it) :
Turquoise/Aqua/Pale Aqua: year round
Olive/Bronze: Year round
Pale Gold: Year round
Cognac: Late summer/Fall/Winter
Silvers/Silver-Blues/Pale greys: Fall/Winter/early Spring
Teal/Jade Green: Fall/Winter
Purple: Winter/Spring/Summer
Royal Blue: Spring/Summer
Coral Pink: Spring/Summer
Pale green/new leaf green: spring/summer
So for fall, here is my planned fall color palette thus far:
Neutrals (Jackets, Coats, Skirts, Pants, Blouses, Sweaters, Shrugs, Accessories, Bags, Shoes) : Black, White/Off-White, Warm Beige/Nude/Light Tan, Charcoal/Dark Grays... and Pink.
Secondary Neutrals/Color (Shoes, Bags, Jacket, Sweater): Cognac, Pink Chocolate, Silver, Silvery-Blue, Pale Gray
Colors (Tops, Shrugs, Accessories) : Turquoise/Aqua/Pale Aqua, Olive/Bronze, Pale Gold, Teal/Jade Green, Purple (blue-based)
My next steps/goals:
1) Cull/Update my Pinterest boards - adding some more casual, everyday outfits
2) Build some actual outfits based on my Pinterest boards
3) Build my fall capsule - numbers still to be decided.
4) Create a shopping list. I mostly already have everything I need - but I would like a dress for weddings, having recently culled my old standby. I want something that is seasonless, a sheath in a pink color that doesn't look bridal-competitive, and can be worn fall-winter-spring.
5) Photograph my WIW's on a daily basis. I am all kinds of lazy about doing this.
