First ever capsule - YouLookFab Forum

Having never built a capsule before, I thought I'd call on the collective wisdom of the YLF ladies!
In the next week I have to pack for a complex set of conditions possibly lasting until the end of January ( our summer, here in Oz). We are moving at the end of November, from Sydney to Brisbane. We will be meeting the truck in Brisbane (hot!) then heading down to the coast for a one week holiday we had booked prior to the move. We may stay on in Brisbane for a further week, or head back to sydney. We will then be in Sydney until Christmas, with work and a round of social engagements. I begin work in Brisbane in early Jan, but will probably spend two weeks of January in Sydney again, until finally settling in Brisbane!
Phew, if you are still, reading , thank you!
I'm wondering if you think the following is okay for this period, as honestly I have no idea I tend to dressier rather than really casual though work only needs smart casual, nothing too fancy.

5 x good tshirts/knits (dressy)
3 x casual tshirts
2 x cropped summer jeans
1x shorts
2 x knit tube skirts
4 x casual summer dresses
1x jeans
2x dressier dresses
2 x denim jackets ( weather can vary in Sydney a lot at this time of year)
1x cardigan
1x leather jacket
Loungewear - 3 x tunics, 2x leggings (also for exercise, walking )
Pjs x 2
I x jumper
Swimmers

Too much? Too little !? Too weird? Thanks for any advice you can give!

11 years ago

Elizabeth P

Veteran

Given two weeks of vacation, and a lot of travelling (in a car? I don't know the distances) I think I'd be wanting 2-3 more casual tees or tanks to avoid laundry bottlenecks. Esp if it's hot. And another pair of shorts or a skort. Otherwise it looks like a good mix. To me. After a very quick look :).

Good luck with it all!

Deb

So that is 8 shirts/ tops. 6 bottoms, 6 dresses, 3 jackets, 1 cardigan, 1 jumper plus lounge and sleepwear. I'd take a couple of swimmers for your holiday and maybe two extra tops. I doubt you'll need much for cool weather up in Brisbane at this time of the year. Have you worked out your accessories and footwear? It does sound like you have it well covered and enough variety. You could potentially make scores of outfits by mixing and matching your selections if they are relatively coordinated. Remember you can always launder clothes if you need to and purchase anything you may lack. Good luck with the move!

Liz

I'd suggest checking yourself by dividing the clothing items you've listed into activity capsules and see if you have all your needs covered.

You really need a whole bunch of mini capsules for this stretch:
• work clothes capsule
• social engagements clothes capsule
• grubby moving clothes capsule
• holiday/travel clothes capsule
• errands and activities capsule
etc.

These activity capsules don't need a lot of items each, and items might be used in three or four capsules.

Meredith

Congrats on getting your thoughts together to build your first capsule! I second Liz's suggestion to think about specific activities to make sure you have enough clothes for each. In my fall capsule (my first as well) I have 3 or 4 tops for every bottom at four levels of dressiness. I basically have jeans and black pants that can be paired with cute sweatshirts (for cleaning/walking dog, errands), basic layering tees (worn on their own or paired with a topper), dressy casual tops(for day to day), silk tops(meetings etc.). If you think about your activities and when they will occur you might realize you need to add a piece here or there because you have x dressy events in a row and no time for laundry. I'd add a few more tops, but I think you're off to a great start. Looking forward to reading what the other ladies suggest. There are some real master packers here!

Caro in Oz

Agreeing with the others that if you can make outfits from the clothes you've picked & they all work well together you have lots of options here. I would add a couple more casual tops too.

Lucy

Thanks, friends!

Elizabeth, you are right - I think there is general consensus I need a couple of extra casual tops. I will have laundry facilities everywhere I go, but I doubt I will want to wash all of the time!

Deb, accessories! I must do this next. It will be too warm for scarves, so I think I will take a 4 bangles and 2 necklaces. I always wear diamond studs and one watch, so that is easy And shoes. Must think about the shoes!

Liz, Meredith and Caro, that is a great idea to break it down into smaller capsules. I think I have the smart casual stuff down fine, it can go for more casual social events and also work. But did you notice how I actually forgot about moving clothes??? I guess the leggings and tunics will be fine, but I am not very practical! So thanks for that, I will double check it all....

Thanks for weighing in!

Sal

I think you will be fine, summer clothes dry in a flash in the heat.
I would work with shoes - and decide what you want to take there and make sure all options are covered.
ie
exercise shoes- double up removal shoes
work shoes x 2
beach holiday shoes x2
party shoes x1

I would think you would need at least six pair of sandals sneakers etc...Maybe one more or one less?

Sharon

I think this list looks good. You will have a better idea than me about what will work for Sydney, but Brisbane in December and January will be really humid. Like, sweat-down-the-backs-of-your-legs humid. I always find it too warm for jeans and gravitate towards shorts, skirts and dresses just for the ventilation. It might be worth calculating how much time you are spending in each city and tweaking the mix according to that.

unfrumped

What a challenging few months you've got! You sound like you're off to a good start.
Then, what Liz said. You have described a capsule, in the sense that it may be a subset of your entire wardrobe, and because "capsule" has a lot of different definitions (coat capsule and shoe capsule, versus "workwear capsule"; holiday capsule).
But, you're really trying to see if amongst these items you have mix&match outfits for your various activities based on how long/days of each one and what kind of laundry situation, and how much overlap you can allow (casual work place could overlap more with vacation clothes than business casual or more formal, for example).

THank you all for replying!

Kiwigirl, that is the perfect shoe capsule for this trip! Excellent, *writes it all down*

Sharon, yes you are right about the sweaty in summer! I spent a few weeks in Brisbane in summer in 2012, and it was super hot! But then it was into air conditioning for work, and it was really quite confusing what to wear. I've been focusing on cotton and breathing fabrics (though I hate to iron!). I guess I will see what other people do in my work place as well.

Thanks Unfrumped, I am hoping that some of the pieces will overlap between work and play, which is kind of how I operate now I think. One good piece for work with one more casual. Now I have a better idea of numbers I guess the next step is to work on mix and matching colours and shapes, so thank you for this advice!

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