Summer Office Wardrobe-The numbers

Dear YLFers ,
I wished I had taken photos of my summer office outfits before I wore them so that you could weigh in , but since I didn't and I already flaunted myself outside with said outfits I see not much point in doing so now.
However I thought that it would be interesting to show you the items I paired, how many of each , so that I could also have an idea of how many I need for the following season.Also because I usually like to see this kind of posts from others.
For me it was interesting to start with because of the sheer number of items. I always think that I don't have a big wardrobe, but for an activity that takes me 30h/week my capsule wardrobe has 29 /season. Considering that I also have 'capsule wardrobes' for Life outside the office, Going out/dressed up Events, Formal Events and even a small workout wardrobe, my wardrobe is anything but small.
The other interesting thing that I noticed is that although the shades vary, the colours I wear are always pretty much the same , in this case white,blue, black, pink and red.
Here is the breakdown :
1. Shoes- 4 pairs
2. Dresses- 3
3.Skirts-3
4. Blouses with sleeves- 3
5. Sleeveless blouses- 5
6. Cardigans- 4 (one of them short sleeve)
7.Pants-3
8.Extras(things I wore once)- 1 jacket,2 tops, 1 skirt
I don't want to bother you with the full description of the shapes an fabrics but have to say that I felt that I had enough variety and at the same time it was very easy to pull things out of the closet in the morning and get out of the door.
My level of happiness with the outfits varied mostly because they needed tweaks like tucked-untucked, this neckline with that neckline, and things of the sort.
I was very happy with my shoes and run them to the ground. The black ones and the sling backs will need to be substituted next summer.
Every item got a lot of wear which makes me happy.
The only items that are passing to my Transitional Fall wardrobe are the navy slim pants and maybe the cropped black ones if I find shoes I am happy to wear with them.
I will try to post some Fall 'formulas' so you can weigh in on what looks better.
Thank you for reading so far.
Feel free to comment, suggest, ask anything you like.

This post has 8 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

11 years ago

cloud9

Veteran

That's great analysis, I always mean to do that myself but never got around to it. You inspire me to be more disciplined.

For the summer wardrobe, I don't think it's big. They give you enough variety and I can use them as my guideline too as I ponder in my own closet. Your mix/match strategy certainly works, I love your colors as they have variety from solids to pattern, light to dark. Thanks for this inspiring post.

Elly

It is great to see this, Cecilia. I guess what I want to know is how you feel about it--- were you happy enough that you want to keep a similar size next year? Have you caught the downsizing bug and are thinking or purging some items and not replacing? Or thinking about working with outfits rather than pieces (since you mention issues with only some pieces going together)? Either way, I think these exercises are a fun way to end the season.

Personally, your numbers do seem a little high for 30 hours a week, but working in a "office" situation I think variety is important.

bj1111

Celia, thanks for the visuals to go along with the numbers. I see a consistency in the silhouette with variety in the colors and especially the textures of the tops that keep things interesting. I can see how everything works together to make dressing easy and hopefully fun.

I don't think I can survive with less than this if I had to show up more than two days a week to the same location! I am taking notes on your top selection as I am struggling with this at the moment.

celia

Thank you for your comments.I am happy that you enjoyed the 'show and tell'.

Elly, I found that all of the pieces went together, they just needed some touch ups that I am sure YLF could spot and I couldn't. Actually the versatility of the pieces impressed me. I originally thought that I would want a smaller wardrobe but the numbers were ok and I would keep the same size. Also some of these items would also work in Spring (which this year I was working still from home) so the number per season might go down a bit. Or not, because I think I could have done with at least one more pair of shoes. I would still think of mix-and-match because the idea is fun for me.

Really great, Cecilia. So glad that your wardrobe is making you happy and functioning for you. Shoes are a big one for me-- I always had a minimum number of pairs, but working full-time feel the need for more!

Ornella

(website)

Enjoyable and educational post (thanks for ‘giving back’ the type of post you enjoy reading) and beautiful, beautiful wardrobe. I too see consistency in colours, silhouettes and chosen items, which tells me you know what you want. Amazing shoes, btw. Everything is very ladylike, which I adore, and which is why the only thing I miss in this post are some action photos :-).

Category