This is a fun thread, Runcarla! I enjoyed seeing everyone's dressy capsules and yours is especially good. I bow down to your thrift karma -- a thrifted ball skirt, wow!!

For myself, I'm a bit torn. On the one hand...
-I have a very casual lifestyle and family members who don't enjoy dressing up. So, while I would be ok with deviating from my family norm, I have little real "need" for dressy clothing.
-My dressy capsule tends to be, let's be honest, a bit of a hodgepodge that doesn't really hang together. A smattering of dressy items...but can they be turned into dressy outfits? Doubtful...
-This is both because I tend to deprioritize my dressy capsule when shopping (bc no strong need), and because I have so little experience dressing up that I don't really *know* what I need in order to assemble a functional capsule.
-Plus, a size change last year means that a number of my dressy items don't currently fit very well. So, what was the point exactly of buying them ahead of need?

On the other hand...
-I am not good at shopping for specific items with a deadline!
-Case in point, that super-special dressy event that I posted about a while back is fast approaching. I bought a long silk skirt to wear but ran out of time/out of steam to assemble the rest of an outfit around it.
-I'll wear the skirt with a top I already had and a basic black dressy-ish support act I already owned . The result is fine but not spectacular. So I guess I'm...ready? Ready as I'll ever be!

I think I may need to make a dressy capsule overhaul a little bit of a project next year. It will take some analysis (which you know I love), but analysis that leads to action (not my strong suit) rather than paralysis (my usual m.o.). I know this post is probably sounding rather negative but I'm actually a bit excited for this idea. I will begin by studying your excellent mix-and-match capsule in greater detail, Runcarla. That should set me off in the right direction at least!