Hello, again...! And work capsule advice?!

Hello! I first stumbled across this website last year while I was trying to get the nerve up to cut my long hair very short. I introduced myself back then, fully intending on joining in the conversations here, but it turns out that working from home provides very little motivation to dress up much and I haven't really bothered much - and so I became a lurker rather than a sharer.

I have however been becoming much more intentional about what I wear and about my personal style (simple, clean, minimal, and feminine-but-not-frilly) and over the past year and a bit I've cleared out the vast majority of the clothing I owned, leaving me with only a handful of things I really love. So far so good.

Then last week I was selected for a job that I'm really, really excited about. The only thing is that it will mean working in the real world again and in a prestigious art gallery at that. I start next week and suddenly my owning only a handful of clothes becomes a problem.

I need clothes for the office, for meetings (internal and with local communities and businesses) and for the occasional gallery event.

The bright side is that I get to create a clean, intentional capsule wardrobe for work. The not-so-bright side is that I have very little idea of where to start and can't afford a whole new wardrobe in one go!

I'm thinking I'll need something like:

3 pairs of all-round smart trousers
3 all-round smart skirts
a couple simple dresses
some tops to augment what I have already
a button up shirt or two
some top layers (cardigans?)
oh, and a jacket
and a bag...
and a pair of shoes.

Does that sound about right? Have I missed anything?

I have more tops than anything else, and I think some of them can be included in a work capsule. I have one pair of smart trousers I love and a pair of soft grey jeans I can probably get away with for the office after I'm no longer the newbie. And I have a simple navy dress which could work for office. My favourite skirts are a little too statement-y to be part of my everyday capsule but will be fine for occasional wear and for events.

Does anyone have any advice for creating a capsule from nearly scratch?!

8 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welcome back, Eva.

You'll need a few pairs of shoes, and the rest sounds like a solid start. Not sure if you need button-ups, unless you LOVE the style. Jackets are essential is arctic a/c, so you might need more of those.

Eva

Active Member

Angie: Thanks for such a quick reply – I hadn't thought of a/c! Warmer layers will have to go up in priority! I'm glad you don't think button-ups are essential, I don't love them unless they're in a particularly lovely style and fabric, so if they're not necessary I can hold out until the perfect one comes along

Also, yes... I'll definitely need a few pairs of shoes but I hate shoe shopping so I'm pretending it's not true. I bought a new pair of shoes for my job interview so at least I have something nice to start with!

texstyle

Veteran

Nothing much to add other than congrats on your new job and I'd love to see the statement skirts you mentioned - maybe they can work for some regular work days, depending on what you pair them with...

Anonymous

Unlike you, I love shoe shopping. My advice is to try and gauge how much you'll be on your feet, how much walking you'll likely be doing, and if your feet are fussy. You can then look for the appropriate footwear.

texstyle: Thank you so much! I'll take some photos of the skirts tomorrow and post them here. I really love them and I would love to wear them for some days at work. My problem is that they're also among my smarter clothes so if I over-wear them on regular days I'll have nothing to fall back on when I need to dress up for more formal days or events. But you're right about it depending what I pair them with – I can dress them down or up I suppose!

BC: Hehe, I can't tell you how much I wish I liked shoe shopping! Especially for work. When I last had to shop for work shoes I was in retail and had to shop purely for practicality and durability, and I knew I'd have worn them out in a couple of months no matter what I bought. Thank you for your words of wisdom – I have a pair of shoes I can start with and once I start my job next week I'll have a better idea of how much walking it entails and what I'll need. Maybe this is my chance to rediscover some shoe shopping joy!

BrieN

That's a lot of shopping to do!
Do you have a Nordstroms near you (or can you order from there)? I have been eyeing their Halogen skirts this season, and wishing I had a reason to purchase one. They may fit the bill for simple and feminine (but not frilly). There are coordinating tops and/or jackets to go with if you're looking to make it easy. The grey is actually rather thin -- it's a warm weather item. The tweedy blue is somewhat thicker.

Nordstrom

Welt Pocket Pencil Skirt (Regular & Petite)

$59.00

View Info

Top Pick

Welt Pocket A-Line Skirt (Regular & Petite)

$59.00 $35.40

Sale

BrieN: Ooh, I love those! The second one especially is exactly the kind of thing I'd like!

I have no idea whether I can order from there here in the UK, but I'll look into it. Either way this has helped me visualise what kind of skirt I'm looking for. I struggle with skirts as I find most of the shops hardly stock them at all these days, and the ones I do see are not very nice. This gives me hope!

Helen11

Congratulations on your new job!
I don't have any advice about building a wardrobe from scratch, but I think it would be a great opportunity to create that intentional capsule where most items mix with most others. I hope you enjoy the process and maybe share it here.

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