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Home » Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – November 2017

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – November 2017

November 1, 2017

Maybe it’s because the temperature plummeted this last week in Chicago… I decided that I’d find some winter coats for all of our heroines! Nary a black coat in the bunch…

Black would have been obvious here, so I went with grey instead! Yes, this might need to be cleaned more often – that’s the biggest drawback to a light winter coat. If you get splashed with slush/muck/salty water, your coat could be ruined if it isn’t cleaned promptly!

grey toggle coat with black accessories

Scarf – Hèrmes Carré en Boucles; hat – Lands’ End; gloves – Lands’ End; duffle jacket – Lands’ End; scarf – Lands’ End; boots – Bogs

Everything new fits in very well…

capsule wardrobe in black, grey and white with rust accents

Adding a new coat doesn’t really add new outfits to your wardrobe, but the scarf does give you some options:

3 outfits including a grey and black floral scarf

This is a coat that you would NEVER wear walking on city streets, but if your don’t have that problem you could wear this pretty outfit and be snug all winter!

a cream down winter coat with pink accessories

Scarf – Hermes Flanerie à Versailles; beret – Halogen; infinity scarf – Hollister; gloves – TJMaxx; down coat – Uniqlo; boots – Sperry

There are a variety of shades of pink here, but with the essential pieces in beige, everything still is useful…

capsule wardrobe in beige with pink, blue and ivory accents

3 outfits using a pink infinity scarf

There are a lot of color possibilities for this wardrobe, but I couldn’t resist a classic coat, with an equally classic navy beret!

a red wool winter coat with navy accessories

Scarf – Hèrmes Au Bout du Monde; beret – Madewell; scarf – GAP; coat – Jolie by Edward Spiers; gloves – Echo; boots – Hunter

Even though there are multiple shades of blue, and a few different reds here, this all works together pretty well; there a numerous outfits to be made from these pieces!

capsule wardrobe in shades of blue, grey, and shades of red

The new scarf is a natural with so much of this wardrobe:

3 outfits including a striped scarf in red, navy and grey

While an olive green coat might be more practical with this wardrobe, I thought that this bright orange would be wonderful to during the short, dark and gloomy winter days (and it comes in EIGHT colors…):

an orange winter coat with olive green accessories

Scarf – Hèrmes Collections Impériales; beanie – Banana Republic; scarf – Missoni; mittens – Banana Republic; stadium coat – J.Crew; boots – Bogs

This is a VERY unexpected assortment of colors, but there’s an inner logic to all of the choices that keeps things from being completely impractical:

a capsule wardrobe in olive green, orange, and shades of blue

The scarf might go with every garment in this wardrobe:

3 outfits with a Missoni scarf and olive garments

This jacket isn’t for everybody, and maybe the boots aren’t either – but for the right woman, this could be such fun! (do bear in mind that UGG boots are NOT waterproof; UGGs + puddles = cold, wet feet…)

blue fleece winter coat with grey accessories

Scarf – Hèrmes Etude pour un Iris Arc-en-ciel; hat – Everlane; scarf – Max Mara; gloves – UGG; plush coat – J.Crew; boots – UGG

Grey might seem boring to some people, but I think that this wardrobe is anything BUT dull…

grey capsule wardrobe with accents of blue and orchid

You can really invest in a beautiful scarf when you know that it will work with all sorts of different pieces in your wardrobe:

three outfits with a blue print scarf

Yes, another orange coat! This is a winter ensemble for the coldest of weather…

an orange winter coat with ivory accents

Scarf – Hèrmes Chemins de Corail; hat – L.L.Bean; scarf – Bindya; mittens – L.L.Bean; coat – L.L.Bean; boots – Timberland

The range of orange and red accent pieces here is well anchored by the solid core of beige and browns – it balances very well:

capsule wardrobe in shdes of beige and brown with red and orange accents

This scarf has been on The Vivienne Files before, but it’s such an excellent color combination, and such a good value, that I couldn’t resist bringing it into this wardrobe too!

3 outfits built around a brown, beige and orange scarf

I think I’m going to start analyzing these wardrobe during the last week of November, so that the December additions will be well-planned and practical…

Does your favorite wardrobe change from month to month, as mine does?

love,
Janice

For more in the 2017 “Build a Capsule Wardrobe – 12 months, 12 outfits” series, check out the following articles:

  • January
  • February
  • March
  • April
  • May
  • June
  • July
  • August
  • September
  • October
  • November
  • December
  • Evaluating our 2017 wardrobes…

Looking for more ideas? Follow along as we build a new capsule wardrobe in 2018.

Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits - November 2017

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11.01.17 20 Comments

Tags: 12 Months - 12 Outfits, capsule wardrobe, Hermes scarf
<<Updating a Navy Wardrobe for Autumn – Start with Art: Shattered Tree by Otto DixStart with a GORGEOUS Scarf – The Hope Scarf by KathKath>>

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    November 1, 2017 at 8:19 am

    I love the pastel wardrobe, although it's not for me. I'm a stronger, darker, muted sort of person. You've forgotten your "Post to Pinterest" at the end – I post it most days, and dozens of people save it! Linda M

    Reply
  2. Jazz says

    November 1, 2017 at 9:03 am

    Black is a core neutral in my wardrobe that I often do choose a black winter coat as my staple- it is such a safe neutral option. But if we do limit our wardrobe to some well coordinated accent colours, then it gives us freedom to splash out on an expensive boldly coloured winter coat because we will be able to wear it often and wear it well. This is a great aspirational goal.

    Reply
  3. The Bride says

    November 1, 2017 at 9:53 am

    I always love these and I can never pick which one I like best.

    Thanks – I'm looking forward to December. And, again, to next January.

    Reply
  4. No Fear of Fashion says

    November 1, 2017 at 9:59 am

    Janice, I think you really excelled yourself with these combinations. My goodness what a possibilities, what a great colour combinations! For me the olive with orange would be the most tempting. Coincidently (or is it in fashion?) I have invested heavily in these colours. Your examples have given me new ideas though. Like hey.. I have an orange scarf in a drawer, never used it, why not try that with my new olive and green sweaters?” So thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
  5. Scottie says

    November 1, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    Exquisite!

    Reply
  6. KBG says

    November 1, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    No more practical! These wardrobes need party clothes! A little flash, a little glitter! Doesn’t anyone have fun anymore?

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      November 1, 2017 at 10:48 pm

      I love the variety of practical clothes in these wardrobes but it is party time! Hugs and happy dancing! Carol S

      Reply
  7. Virginia says

    November 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm

    As the wardrobes have filled in, my favorite has changed. At first, I was smitten by the beige-based pastel (although I can't wear that much beige), then it shifted to the gray-based pastel, but as the months went on, my heart drifted to the black and cognac/rust. And BTW, thank you for including REAL winter boots.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    November 1, 2017 at 1:19 pm

    Just got my own winter coat for everyday and because inspired by your blog, did not get black, but a dark green. My preferred green is more loden/forest than olive and that's what this coat is. But to find it–oi vey!

    How to find something at once fairly technical (because rain, sleet, snow), knee length and, while sporty, a little more feminine than the average outdoorsy coat because it's for urban wear and travel? Finally encountered Lole, a Canadian brand, and then found a good sale price because that green must not be so popular.

    Reply
    • Jane says

      November 1, 2017 at 4:04 pm

      I agree! Shopping for winter coats is hard work! They're expensive, so you don't want to make a mistake. I want warmth and fashion. I'm petite, so finding the right length/sleeve length/hood size is tricky. It needs to go with all my clothes. Like I said, hard work.

      Reply
  9. Suzyn says

    November 1, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    I am a big fan of the accent coat. I have a wool pea coat in strawberry red that just makes me SO HAPPY. I'll get some fun kicky boots when my Born boots wear out. Seeing as they're >10 years old and look practically new (granted, they don't get much wear), I'll have to wait for a while.

    Reply
  10. cheryl :) says

    November 1, 2017 at 3:19 pm

    I love this series. As soon as i got out of bed this morning and was making my bed the thought popped into my head….yay we get a new addition to the series today, lol. I like it that much. You rock Janice.

    Reply
  11. Nancy/n.o.e says

    November 1, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    It's hard to believe there's only one month left in this series! The wardrobes all have such distinctive personalities, and it's always fun to see how the additions fit in. This month I really love the olive and the brown wardrobes – although I could never in a million years wear an orange coat, and beiges and olives are not for me either. – nancyo

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    November 1, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    I've been following this all year, and doing a mix of the grey wardrobe and the red/navy wardrobe. I now have a closet full of clothes that I love and they all go together. Thanks for all the hard work you put into this, it is appreciated by those of us who lack the ability to dress ourselves!

    Diane T

    Reply
  13. Cee Pluse says

    November 1, 2017 at 11:11 am

    We have finally started feeling the cold here, so adding a winter coat now is perfect timing! The last wardrobe is once again my favorite this month because I love the scarf and the beautiful cayenne color of the coat. Red and orange are my favorite colors and I am really liking them as the accents for this wardrobe. Even though I have gradually come to realize that khaki/beige apparel is not especially flattering on me, I could replace those items with dark brown or olive options and make the collection work.

    I can't wait to see how you finish off these wardrobes next month. You have done a great job with all of them. Who knows, my favorite could still change – I really do love that inspiration scarf in the first wardrobe…

    Reply
  14. Jane says

    November 1, 2017 at 9:52 pm

    How Timely! I was on Uniqlo's web site last night looking at coats. Saturday I am shopping at their Michigan Ave. store. My favorite capsules are the black (minus the caramel items) and the grey (minus the orchid). Maybe I could combine the two? Oh dear, if I could only make up my mind.

    Reply
  15. Rebecca says

    November 2, 2017 at 1:48 pm

    I love the first wardrobe, those touches of camel are just amazing. For December, it would be nice to see some festive attire for these wardrobes.

    Reply
  16. Jane says

    November 2, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    Forgot to mention yesterday, but I would love to see a winter capsule of toasty, warm pieces. It's COLD in the north! We northerners want to look nice and be warm. Please?

    Reply
  17. Anonymous says

    November 4, 2017 at 3:35 am

    Thanks as always for the inspiring post! I was a bit surprised that the colors in the orange & olive palette seem very surprising to you, but then I'm a redhead, so those are my basic colors.

    Reply
  18. Marcile Marker-Petrilli WWP, LM, CPM says

    December 4, 2017 at 12:14 am

    The best, the absolute best. I hope you do this every year. I'm way to busy and like like to shop. Thanks to you I loved every minute of my monthly shopping with you and I look fantastic and live everything in my closet for the first time in 58 years.

    Reply

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The Vivienne Files is a unique personal style blog with carefully-selected capsule wardrobes based on color palettes drawn from works of art, nature, and more. It helps women buy less clothing, and to love what they buy. Read more...
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