The first of the Spring flowers are starting to bravely peek above the soil, a sure sign of warmer times ahead.

While Spring has the biggest impact on our plates and also our mornings (hopefully brighter!)it’s also the time of year we find ourselves spending longer mulling over the fashion pages in the papers, reading the trend guides and being captivated by blooming window displays in shops, on the way to work.

And then, somehow, we end up buying a slightly too bright, and too short top and a trendy full skirt that the sales-girl told us we looked great in, but back home suddenly felt silly and uncomfortable.

It lurks in the back of our wardrobe; still sporting it’s shiny tags, until it’s too late to return and then remains, a sign of an impulse buy that just didn’t cut the mustard.Slowly, over the years, I have become fascinated with the idea of a capsule wardrobe. A collection of clothes, distilled into a lineup of perfect silhouettes, colours, shapes and textures, that flatter, comfort and look wonderful.

Slow Style:Capsule Wardrobe Challenge Week 1:

Coming from a styling background I have had my fair share of wardrobe malfunctions; being a slave to trends and feeling pressured to buy bags of new clothes for a new season. However, sick of seeing my unworn, impulse buys piling up and eating up valuable space, I started buying less and buying better. I began researching classic styles, versatile styling combinations and looking at heritage brands that stood the test of time. The result was a clear idea of what I already owned and what I needed and way less visits to the shops.

An embroidered Zara skirt that was a dupe for a Celine creation no longer tempted me. Although it was beautiful, I realized I would never wear it…Most of my life is spent in the countryside and trips to the city mean lots of travelling and rushing about. The clarity of this simple realization meant the skirt went back on the rail after an appreciative glance and I moved onto something I needed.

This Spring I am determined to start as mean to go on with a Capsule Wardrobe Challenge. The challenge is a way to keep myself on track and prevent myself from accumulating pieces I don’t need and also to help myself build a capsule wardrobe of clothes that suit my lifestyle (and that I adore!). I am really hoping that some of you will take the challenge too and keep me company through this! I’ll be putting together some Q.s and ideas each week to challenge you to re-think your wardrobe and help you figure out what’s missing. To help you along, I’ve already completed this weeks challenge, my answers are at the bottom of the post.

Capsule Wardrobe Challenge: Week 1

Questions:

This week start by tracking what you wear during the week (or think back to a typical week and note that down instead) and then answer the Q.s below. You may find it useful to collect as you go as I have in my answers below. Pinterest is a great tool for this!

 

  • What are your five most worn outfits in your wardrobe?

 

  • What do you love wearing? (maybe because of it’s texture, how it makes you look or how it makes you feel?)

 

  • Who’s wardrobe could you happily borrow (think celeb/style icon) and why?

 

  • What are your favourite clothes brands?(doesn’t matter if the brand is out of your budget)

Conclusions:

Looking back at your answers, maybe with the help of a friend for a fresh set of eyes, identify recurring themes and start compiling a visual mood board. This will be your style inspiration board that you can add to as we go along.

For Week 2 we will be taking the conclusions from this week and begin looking at the wardrobes we currently have, making small adjustments that will start to create our capsule wardrobe.

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 My Answers

  • What are your five most worn outfits in your wardrobe?
  1. High waisted, light wash jeans or white jeans in summer. A V neck navy cashmere jumper, brown ankle boots.
  2. A blue patterned velvet coat-smock style fit. Green skinny trousers and thin poloneck. Tight knee boots.
  3. Waxed black jeans, black V-neck, black ankle boots. Mid length black and white tweed coat.
  4. Navy aran jumper, jeans, grey biker boots.
  5. White cotton top, Dubarry quilted jacket, mid blue jeans, ankle boots.

 

  • parisan-chic-navy-sweater-white-jeansWhat do you love wearing? (maybe because how it feels, how it makes you look or how it makes you feel?)

Skinny fit jeans-practical and flattering.

Loose V neck cashmere jumpers-love the softness and flattering shape. Knee length dresses-pretty and flattering,

¾ length sleeves elegant and practical.

 

  • Who’s wardrobe could you happily borrow (think celeb/style icon)

Although I want to be really cool here and say Laura Bailey as I really admire her style, I’m going to be honest and say it would be a toss up between Kate Middleton, Priscilla De Laforcade and Rosie Huntington Whiteley. The reason being, I love the femininity of how Kate Middleton dresses, the Parisian casual cool of Priscilla (and her messy mane of hair) and RHW’s combination of slouchy tops and skinny trousers-a kind of elegant casual I really like.

  • What are your favourite clothes brands and why?

Beluah-pretty dresses, unique.

Temperley London-feminine, English inspired.

Cabbages & Roses-quintessential English styling, simple and casual.

Isabel Marant-Parisian cool, very casual, street style.

beluah-style-english-brand-country-chic-1024x742 My  Conclusions:

From looking at my answers I can see I really get good use out really classic simple pieces like V-Neck jumpers and jeans. I know that good quality fabrics will elevate these items and add some luxury into my everyday outfits. I can also see that I admire in others a quite simple and refined style with a casual look. But I also know that I love pretty, day dresses so could look at investing in some for Spring perhaps? I also really like fashion brands that have a sense of heritage and place.

Ready for Next Week’s Slow Style Challenge? Click here!