Capsule out of My Wardrobe

My relationship with capsule wardrobes is somewhat complicated. I love looking at other people’s (real or hypothetical) and as someone who prioritises versatility, the concept is highly appealing to me. On the other hand, every time I attempted to make one, I found myself overwhelmed with having to make decisions on what to keep or discard, as well as never knew where to stop so that the wardrobe is still capsule. Which is silly, since when doing the ‘pack for Japan’ Lolita Blog Carnival prompt, a capsule wardrobe is basically what I created. As well as that time I went to Wales and wore only lolita that whole weekend. So this is all psychological barriers, all made up by some sort of perfectionist anxiety. To work on that phobia, I’m taking part in this week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt, which asks to create a capsule wardrobe out of things that I personally own. Challenge accepted!

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of style, which can be augmented with seasonal pieces. The idea is to have a minimum amount of clothing with as many outfit options out of them by getting pieces that work well together and are interchangeable. There isn’t necessarily a set number of pieces one must have for this, although there are some versions of this challenge that do dictate that, like Project333.

At the moment my lolita collection is pretty big (I have a total of 43 main pieces alone), as well as pretty diverse, meaning there are likely several options for capsule wardrobes, depending on the theme and colour scheme I needed. In order to avoid overcomplicating the challenge for myself, I decided to keep it true to my signature look: a tricolour capsule with retro elements. I will be using stock pictures for the collages, so where I don’t have a stock image for something I will use one of an item that resembles it as closely as possible. The idea of this particular capsule wardrobe is that it would be all-seasonal for the North of England (moderate climate, often rainy and windy, with rare spells of hot temperatures) and I will not be including bloomers or petticoat in this, as these are essentials that any lolita should have, regardless of the size of their collection. For the sake of the collages being more cohesive, I’m also not including any jewellery or accessories. 

With all those preambles out of the way, let’s pick some clothes out!

This capsule includes: 3 JSKs, 2 skirts, 1 OPs, 3 outerwear pieces, 5 blouses, 4 pairs of shoes, 6 pieces of legwear, 6 hair pieces, 2 bags and 1 other (parasol). Click to enlarge the image.

Selecting the pieces was simultaneously easier and harder than I thought. On the one hand, since tricolour with retro touches is my signature look, there were some go-to’s that were no-brainers to select, particularly amongst builder pieces. On the other, it hurt to have to ignore several pieces that I truly love with all my heart, both main and builder, just because they would not fit this scheme and theme. This process also made me realise how often jewel and true/pastel shades of blues and reds mix in my collection. I started off with several jewel tone things in here, only to realise that they weren’t working with everything as well as I’d hoped (particularly the wine ones) and I needed something different. Granted, I did decide to stick to having only 33 pieces, since I thought this would help me maintain structure and focus. I probably could’ve stretched it a little, let’s say to 40 pieces total, which would also allow me to include some other small bits, thus making room to incorporate navy or wine better, but decided against that in order to make this more challenging.

Speaking of the pieces chosen, there definitely is a good variety of seasonal things. There’s a coat, a parasol and a pair of boots that can be worn in the rain, key items for anyone living in the UK. There’s also a crop top and a short sleeve OP for those rare times when lolita and heatwaves coincide, as well as a warmer long sleeve blouse for extra warmth and layering. All main pieces can be dressed up or down, depending on need. Although I prioritised getting a variety of socks instead of hair pieces, there are enough of both to go either more casual or more OTT, even if the colour matches are sometimes a little tentative. Lastly, I included two bags, one versatile enough to work with everything, regardless of colour scheme or level of fanciness, and one that will lean more vintage. From sweet to classic and everything in between, this capsule wardrobe truly manages to compress my signature look down to a set of 33 items.

Most of what I’ve learnt about capsule wardrobes comes from Roli’s blog. And she wouldn’t do a hypothetical capsule wardrobe without doing some coordinates to prove that the selected pieces offer both versatility and variety. So here you go, three outfits for each of the main pieces, using only the elements from this capsule wardrobe.

Click to enlarge.

Haenuli’s Whipped Cream Kitty is quite a statement piece in itself, so even a simple coordinate with it can feel extra fancy. I had to include that signature look of mine with the sailor pieces, but it works just as well in an all red x white versions for both cooler and warmer weather.

Click to enlarge.

Although still sweet, Innocent World’s Revival Sweet Teddybear is much more subtle than Whipped Cream Kitty, which allows for more classic looks. Although I can tell you that the blues don't match (well, the heels and the bonnet match each other, but not the dress), it is an easy base for an OTT look that only required some jewellery and other accessories to really make it pop.

Click to enlarge.

Skirts have become my favourites for casual wear, as well as travelling. This one, Meta's Polka Dots tiered skirt, is particularly comfortable thanks to full shirring. It would definitely look cute in autumn/winter months with the coat and the boots, and while it is a bit risky, I think it might work in a cute summer version with the crop top. Breaking a few rules there, but doesn’t everyone do that in summer anyway?

Click to enlarge.

The only OP here, Innocent World’s Strawberry Tarte Lace OP. As you’d expect with OP’s, it isn't particularly versatile, though I think there are a few options in this capsule that I haven’t explored yet. While it could work in warmer autumn months with some extra layers, its main purpose is to be a light, breathable and easy option for those unexpected UK summer spells.

Click to enlarge.

Then we come to the white pieces, the most versatile of the lot, starting with AP’s Cinema Doll JSK. Again, it is quite a statement piece on its own and at the same time, as the print is less busy, it can feel a little toned down. It works with all three colours in this capsule and thanks to being cotton, should be great for all seasons (though truth be told it is a tad on the heavy side, so maybe not quite for very hot weather.)

Click to enlarge.

Last but not least is this skirt from Bodyline. It is simple, yet elegant and probably the most versatile piece in this collection. Thanks to the boned high waist, it can definitely work dressed up, while simple ruffled tiers are plain enough to work with casual looks. And also, it’s Bodyline, perfect for when you need something durable and easy to maintain in case the occasion takes you somewhere unexpected. (Having said this, except for Cinema Doll, which I haven’t tried washing yet, everything here is machine washable and at least 3 pieces don’t wrinkle, so it’s all low maintenance here.)

Looking back at it now, I think I managed. All of the above are just the first looks that came to my head and I know that there are plenty more that I didn’t get a chance to showcase. Which I guess means that I was indeed successful with this capsule. That fills me with a sense of accomplishment and now I feel inspired to have a go at creating other kinds of capsule wardrobes from what I own.

How do you think I did? Do you like it? Do you think that it does actually work together? Is there anything that you’d swap for something else? I have a spreadsheet with my wardrobe, that I try to keep as up-to-date as possible, so you’re welcome to have a gander at what’s there to see whether there is something that you’d swap. (On an unrelated note, if you fancy doing any sort of ‘dress her up’ challenge or use my wardrobe to put some hypothetical outfits for your own blog etc. sort of collaborations, or if you want to throw capsule wardrobe theme ideas at me, let me know, please, I’m up for all that!) And of course don’t forget to check out other bloggers’ capsule wardrobes!

Roli's Ramblings
Ruffle Road