I have three capsules to build.
1) Work
2) Home
3) Out and about. (ie, coats, boots, toques, gloves/mitts and scarves.)

The season is long and consists of four parts:
Sept: Fall.
Oct/Nov: Mild Winter. (Everyone is well into winter coats with their Halloween costumes around here.)
Dec, Jan, Feb: Deep Winter. Minus 20 is the norm with occasional spells of a week or more at more than -25 (Sometimes even -40)
March: Slushy, snowy wet winter. (Temps in the minus teens. but always lots of snow. This "season" extended into April last year.)

Fortunately, I tend to run warm and my house is toasty in the winter.

1) Work. Objective: To look good and be comfortable in clothes I am willing to be wrecked.

Work is boring, sartorially speaking. Because I work in an orange apron in a department where I will eventually ruin something (just yesterday, a colleague spilled an entire can of paint on his shoes and trouser leg. He was able to get all the colour out of it--but we weren't sure he could get the glue out.) For work, I have asked Mom to make me another tunic and I will continue to wear items less than $20 each underneath. My colours are grey, black and blue.

2) At Home: Objective: To look fabulous and be comfy.

This is the fun part. My colours, in an ideal world, would be Navy, grey, winter-white, and cranberry and some sort of blue.

I read the "From scratch" series over at the Vivienne Files and came up with the following:

Toppers: 3
1 Loose and flowy
1 Close fitted
1 to be determined

Tops: 8 - 10
Denim shirt
White blouse
A tee to make a "twin set" with the fitted cardigan above
Turtleneck
The rest? We will have to see what's out there.

caveat: at least 2 need to be grey, and at least 2 need to be navy
(I like columns of colour.)

Bottoms: 5
2 in navy (most likely pants)
2 in grey (most likely pants and a skirt)
1 navy jeans

Shoes: loafers which are worn only in the house (and taken to others' to wear, though I live in a place where it is considered more polite to be in sock feet in someone else's house. I dislike it intensely.)

3) Out and about: Objective: to look smashing and stay warm and dry while getting to work on public transit and running errands (in the car).

Coats: 2 One for mild winter, one for deep winter.

Boots: 3. One for mild winter, one for deep winter (Fortunately, I already have these) one for slushy winter.

Special Need: There will be a Christmas party in December with work colleagues. I'd love a nice dress and shoes, though separates may be more practical (and easier to find!).

Now, for reality:

I have limited resources for shopping. Essentially, if the fat girl stores decide that navy is not something they are going to carry--there will be no navy neutral to build my capsule with. Ditto grey. I may be stuck with black.

I have a finite amount of money. (Don't we all, lol!)

There are two winter coats on this list. A good winter coat is expensive. I may have to pare back to one and lump through another year with the coat I currently have (which is truly on its last legs and looks it.)

I already have my heart committed to a pair of expensive mild winter boots.

I need to buy a pair of glasses. Very, very expensive.

So, I could pair back the At Home wardrobe to one neutral and revise the shopping list:

Toppers (0)
I already have a fitted navy cardigan and another, looser but several years old long navy cardy.

Tops: 4 (include one turtleneck. The rest must coordinate with the toppers. The "twin set" tee would rock my world.)

Bottoms: 2 navy pants--or one navy and one grey? An all navy wardrobe is going to drive me to boredom)
(I already have some jeans.)

My goodness, I am so sorry to have written a novella, here. And I must run and get ready for work.

If you have persevered to the end, thank you so much.

My question: what should my priorities be?

I plan to start with the mild winter boots and coat (Ideally a pea coat): is that wise?