Spring/summer wardrobe planning: Step 1 and maybe 2

I have decided to be very mindful about my Spring and Summer wardrobe planning for 2015. More mindful than I have ever been in my life. I am going to pick a color palette, look over what I already own, figure out what I need, make a shopping list, etc. I am not entirely sure what else I need to do in order to be successful with this so if anyone has suggestions as I go along, please feel free to chime in.

I started out with a clothing purge and assessment. I pulled out the plastic under the bed bins holding my spring/summer tops, and I took my Light Summer color palette and eliminated anything that was obviously the wrong color. This turned out to be around 1/4 of the items in 1 bin, and just under 1/2 the items in the other. I have never had as many spring summer clothes as fall/winter. I am left with a very mismatched bland assortment of tee shirts and a few light weight sweaters of various cuts and weights. It is not enough to make a good base for a wardrobe. I am disappointed. I honestly thought there would thought there would be more to work with.
I have 3 linen tees, 3 logo tees (all from my alma mater), 1 embellished tee with a v neckline (not my best), 2 body con tees that can go underneath something, 1 white tee for layering, one 3/4 sleeve tee and two linen sweaters in drab colors. That's a grand total of maybe 5 tees that I might be able to make use of for work, plus the two sweaters. The rest are pretty much weekend wear. If I were a minimalist, I would be all set, however, I am someone who wants to have more variety, plus I am a professional, and these are very plain looking tees. I need something a bit more polished for work. The linen sweaters would work but the color of one of them is drab tan, the second one is pearl, and I think it's fine.

In terms of bottoms, I am definitely set in the jeans department. I just counted them and I have 38 pairs. I have a pair of white flare leg jeans on order. I don't like Capri length and tend to wear full length or skirts. I don't usually wear shorts to work, they are for weekends only, but it would be nice to have 1-2 pairs in my color palette. I like the J Crew chino shorts with either 5" or 9" leg. I have 4 pencil skirts that can be used, two are denim, and the other two are not really in my color palette, (peach, citron) but I still like them. I also have 8 sleeveless blouses, most of them are Ivory. They are slightly warmer in tone than the white in my palette.

I have 5 summer dresses, none in my current color palette, but they are all still light enough in color that they are ok. I would love to find some in my color palette that are easy care.

I am all set for handbags.

I could use some colorful ballerina Flat shoes. I was eyeing some Fly London sandals, and maybe a pair of silver Birkenstocks. I could also use a comfortable pair of pull on sneakers.

We have a transition to summer that lasts around 3 months, April -June. The weather is unpredictable. It can range in temp from snowing and sub zero, to hot muggy and in the 80's F. It's hard to plan for, but layers work best. I assume that I will need two separate wardrobe capsules that will interchange with each other, so the color palette will need to be the same. One capsule will need to focus on light to medium weight long sleeve layers, the other would be more typical summer garb.

I have been very happy with the color palette I picked for my fall/winter clothes. I might go with more color and fewer neutrals, and I would also keep the grey and white for my pants, skirts, and occasional cardigan or blazer. Knowing this, I looked at my colors and picked the following as a potential color palette. It will likely need to be tweaked based on what is in the stores, but that's fine. It's a starting point.

Main colors: turquoise, cool light lemon yellow, coral pink
Accent colors: cornflower blue, light Aqua, mint, watermelon
Neutrals: light gray, white, (denim blue)

I need to work out numbers next. I'm not sure how to go about that. How many tops? What type? I think a more thorough assessment of the outfits I can currently create with what I have now will help. I plan to do this next. My goal is to have at least 21 outfits that I love for Spring and the same for summer. That allows for a three week rotation without repeats. I feel good about that number. From this assessment I suspect I will mostly need to purchase tops and toppers, to accomplish my goal.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

11 years ago

columbine(erin)

Veteran

You have thought through what colors work best for you and a detailed plan of action, good for you! One question I have, are the 21 outfits all going to have the same or very similar silhouette and will you be happy with that in changing weather. Oh, and do find some more coral, you look great in that color.

Sal

From reading your list it appears maybe jackets/toppers and tees are the priority.

I would look at jackets that work with your ivory summer shirts and existing pale tees, so perhaps three in your palette. They will work with your skirts and pencil skirts too. I guess slightly different weights would be good and even sleeve length. I have two jackets with three quarter sleeves that are great in Spring.

A couple of quality tees that also work with the jackets/toppers would provide you with further options.

rachylou

Very thorough! Is your silhouette/formula jeans, tee, and topper... or the occasional skirt? Any dresses?

Spring is very hard for me to wrap my head around. Sunny but cold and breezy, usually lasting here only for the briefest moment. It's probably my least favourite season. I prefer early summer...

jackiec

I just want to say that I like your focus and resolve. Good idea to put together a plan and stick to it. Yes, you are sorted for handbags, aren't you?

Staysfit

Rachy, I am still giving thought to the silhouettes. You're right on target. I think for Spring/transition it will mostly be jeans, tee and topper; pencil skirt and fluid blouse and cardi. I would love to wear a dress but I think the weather is so unpredictable that guessing what material and sleeve length is tricky. I have more flexibility with separate pieces.

For summer I like to wear dresses more frequently. I might wear them 3 days a week, and jeans or linen pants on the remaining days. On weekends I wear shorts.

Alassë

You have put together an excellent, detailed plan: owned items, planned silhouettes, 2 capsules to mix depending on weather, and preferred palette (sounds beautiful, by the way). I think you're doing very well!

Next I'd like to know how many outfits you can make currently. Are you happy with the current # of skirts (4)? Do you have any transitional toppers? Then I'd look at number of tops needed to complete 21 outfits.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Sounds like you have a good start, and yes, tops seem to be the first priority. Remember, once you've gotten through a whole year with your new colors you'll need to buy much less and it won't be as much of a slog.

I think Alasse is right - start with the outfits you have and figure out what missing pieces you can fill in to get to 21.

Joyce B

You have a well thought out plan.
I find that my Summer items last much longer and go out of style faster than the clothing for the other three seasons, plus they get worn less because of where I live.
The light palette looks beautiful on you. It just needs to be washed more often but that's how it goes.
Thank you for posting how many jeans you have. I counted 26 pairs so I am not too far behind but they are only weekend and after work wear for me.
I also have to plan for Spring and Summer shopping. Suede slip-on sneakers are definitely on my list as well.
Sorry that I don't have too much to suggest. I will be following your interesting thread.

unfrumped

Sounds like a good plan!
You may want what Angie refers to as ... Oops, now I can't remember , but maybe upscale, ? refined? knitwear, in linen and cotton blends . I have found those to be essential for summer. I still like just some simple drapey rayon T's worn tucked with pencil skirts, but have started keeping an eye out to collect a more interesting item here or there. I also need longer summer tops with pants and need those to have certain style and detail to be anti/ frumpy with trousers.
I have found these in multiple places, from JCrew to Gap.

Suz

Ah, yes. How well I know it.

I actually find spring the toughest season to dress for. Most of the available clothing traditionally is what I would call summer weight -- not really much good for our early spring. And yet by April we have light and feel the need to wear something fresh.

I have found that a few pieces in a winter weight, but a spring-like colour, can be very helpful to mix in. Pieces that function this way for me include a white leather jacket, a pale blue cashmere sweater, a bright navy merino sweater, a pale blue silk blouse, etc. I wear these the most in March/ April.

Then, as it begins to warm up a little bit, I switch from the leather jacket to light wool ones (mine are taupe and navy) underneath a trench if I am outdoors (because it's still cold outside at least in April and often May, too).

As we move into June, it's fewer jackets (in most years) or if I wear one, it might be cotton or linen.

As UF mentioned, some knits in linen or linen/silk, linen/cotton, or cotton/silk blends can be really useful transitional pieces. J. Crew is a great source of this kind of knitwear and you know you get a good fit there, so I would keep my eyes open for that.

UmmLila (Lisa)

What are you thinking for spring coats? That's always a spot I find difficult...as you say, it's often still freezing out at that time of year, but you don't want to be caught dead in a dark wool coat or puffer.

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