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Home » Start with AN OWL! Building a Wardrobe 1 Step at a Time

Start with AN OWL! Building a Wardrobe 1 Step at a Time

I haven’t done this for AGES, and it always feels like something that I need to think about at the turn of seasons. Now that warm weather seems to have finally arrived in Chicago, this might be what I should do in my own closet so that I have a solid capsule wardrobe ready for the fun to come…

Snowy owl photo with color palette and style guidelines

I will never quit believing that every woman (except those who only wear skirts and dresses) needs a good pair of pants. Nothing rarefied, nothing that has to be kept for “special” occasions – just something to wear frequently, in order to dress a notch up from jeans or (heaven forbid) leggings…

Start with a pair of pants and a good pair of shoes

Pants – Eileen Fisher; loafers – ECCO

If you’re really starting from scratch, the 2nd step gives you both a “suit” of sorts, and then a top that gives you a complete outfit. A really BASIC outfit, but think of it as the perfect base for all kinds of jewelry or scarves…

black cardigan and white tee additions to a Step by Step Wardrobe

Cardigan – Eileen Fisher; tee shirt – Eileen Fisher

Let’s bring a little bit of color into this wardrobe! And a pair of jeans… If you’re not one to wear jeans, a different style of pants, or even a skirt, would be equally useful here.

Adding a shirt and jeans to a Step by Step Wardrobe

Jeans – Lands’ End; shirt – Thomas Mason for J.Crew

If these were the only steps that you took toward a new wardrobe, it would leave you with a solid core of pieces:

5-Piece Core Wardrobe

It’s not an infinitely variable wardrobe, but there are certainly at least a few outfits to be assembled from these pieces!

8 outfits from a 5-piece core wardrobe

For the next 4 days, I’ll continue to build on this until we’ve got a pretty solid capsule wardrobe. Should I look at accessories too?

love,

Janice

how to build a capsule wardrobe step by step starting with nature

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05.02.18 11 Comments

Tags: black, purple, white
<<Build a Capsule Wardrobe in 12 Months, 12 Outfits – May 2018Second Phase of Building a Wardrobe, based on an Owl Photograph>>

Comments

  1. Ardyth Eisenberg says

    May 2, 2018 at 4:26 am

    Yes to accessories!

    Reply
  2. Chris from Indy says

    May 2, 2018 at 4:40 am

    The owl! Yay! Terrific start to a wardrobe – am looking forward to more.

    Are outfits even “complete”without accessories? You always manage to find the most interesting ones! Feather motif, maybe?

    Reply
  3. Jazz says

    May 2, 2018 at 5:12 am

    I agree. I also really like the new look AND the new logos are really great as well- they suit you so well.

    Reply
  4. Scottie says

    May 2, 2018 at 5:35 am

    Love the colors! And LOVE your new site ??

    Reply
  5. ROBIN says

    May 2, 2018 at 6:08 am

    Accessories? Why yes, and what a perfect place to incorporate those gold eyes!

    Reply
  6. Katherine says

    May 2, 2018 at 8:30 am

    Feather motif for the accessories is a great idea! These are my absolute favorite posts of yours!!

    Reply
  7. Margie from Toronto says

    May 2, 2018 at 9:05 am

    This is pretty much what I am starting with as I switch over so 4 more episodes will be great – and “yes please” to accessories!

    Reply
  8. Barbara Lucas Thompson says

    May 2, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    Yes, to accessories, please. That is the part I struggle with the most!

    Reply
  9. Carole says

    May 2, 2018 at 4:57 pm

    I’m glad you are building a wardrobe from scratch. I have attempted to do that, starting with what is in my closet as much as I can. I have never taken it to completion. I am looking forward to the rest of the articles in the series.

    Reply
  10. Carol Melancon says

    May 4, 2018 at 12:51 am

    Using the deepest shadows in the reference photo, I believe you could even allow the color of the year (at least a desaturated version) to stick a toe in.

    Reply
  11. Bri says

    May 7, 2018 at 11:49 am

    I know it won’t fly in every workplace but if your business casual is more on the casual side you could also wear the blue button-up shirt as a jacket over the white shirt, stretching these few pieces even more. Love these colors! ?

    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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