Capsule Wardrobe Transition {Winter -> Spring}

Before & After + Item Spotlight

I’ve felt a lot of apathy toward my wardrobe recently. I’ve been spending way too much time trying to figure out what to wear, trying on a number of items, only to throw them back on the shelf. Eventually, I end up wearing something that I like, but not after a lot of frustration and a pile of clothes that I have to clean up.

I recognize this feeling for what it is now - it’s not that I need to buy more items so that I can feel excited about my clothes again, it’s that I need to switch out the ones that aren’t working for the ones that will.

This means that all of my heavy knits, as well as my heavier coats and jackets, need to be put into storage and my warm weather items such as tops and shorts need to be brought out into rotation.

I need items with less bulk, shorter hemlines and colors that are lighter and brighter.

Aside from a few more formal items and the cold weather items that I use to walk the dog, I keep everything in my wardrobe. Everything that I’m wearing for the current season is either hanging or folded on shelves. I also have a free-standing rack that I use for outerwear in the winter. Out-of-season clothes live in 2 storage bins at the top of the wardrobe. A third one contains my daughter’s out-of-season clothes as I am hoping to instill the ideas of a capsule wardrobe and quality > quantity into her clothes buying decisions.

My wardrobe refresh steps:

1. Clear off all of the surfaces in the wardrobe unit, and any other shelves in the closet. Move everything out of the closet, except for hanging items.

2. Do a deep clean, including vacuuming, wiping down all surfaces and baseboards, and dusting off any trinkets.

3. Take down clothing in storage bins and sort through, selecting items that would be good for spring and making room for the items that need to be stored away.

4. I choose the items from my winter wardrobe that I won’t be needing for the next 6 months. This includes heavier wool sweaters, heavy coats and jackets (i.e. wool) and some dresses.

5. Pack away the clothes that will go into storage and put the bins back at the top of the wardrobe.

6. Add the items for the upcoming season to my wardrobe.

Before

This is what my wardrobe looked like before the switchover. I ended up removing 5 items from the hanging sections (1 wool skirt, 1 pair of pants and 3 dresses). I moved the light jackets and blazers to the clothing rack, which is opposite the wall unit.

Red dots indicate winter items that were removed.

I removed 4 sweaters - 2 heavier grey sweaters, a dark green one and a blue alpaca sweater, as they are all too warm for the current weather.

I decided to keep 4 cashmere sweaters in rotation for now (2 grey, 1 black and 1 tan) as well as a charcoal grey wool cardigan, and the emerald green cotton cardigan will be perfect for spring!

I moved 4 pairs of boots that I didn’t think I’d wear again until next fall/winter to the shelves at the top of the unit so that I could make way for a few more pairs of shoes on the bottom shelves.

I also moved a pair of Dr. Marten Leona boots and a pair of leopard print shoes to the top shelf, which are not pictured here.

I removed 2 coats (a long tan one and a grey alpaca wool one) and 1 jacket (black/white checker) from the clothing rack where they have been hanging all winter.

In total, I removed 16 items from my winter capsule wardrobe into storage.

After

You’ll notice that the hanging sections don’t look drastically different. For years, I’ve had a goal to have as close to a year-round capsule wardrobe as possible and as a result of my no buy year last year, and the subsequent low buy year that I’m currently doing, I’m starting to realize that goal.

I ended up adding 23 items back into my wardrobe for the warmer weather (all additions that are visible are denoted by a red dot):

• 2 vests (1 denim, 1 sweater vest)

• 3 sleeveless tops (1 green tank, 1 navy tank, 1 black silk button up)

• 1 tie-front top

• 1 white linen shirt

• 1 blue chambray blouse

• 1 denim over shirt

• 4 pairs of shorts

  

• 1 pair of plaid pants

• 1 black silk jumpsuit

• 1 plaid dress

• 2 pairs of shoes (grey suede mules, white slingbacks)

  

• 1 quilt coat

• 1 checkered jacket

  

• 3 sweaters - only 2 were from storage (red dots), 1 was a repair project that I added back in (blue dot)

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Item Showcase

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about my wardrobe switchover a lot and there were a few items that I was really excited to get back out and start wearing again.

Then, as I was going through all of the items in the storage containers, there were a few items that I either forgot about or ones that I took out that I was unsure about.

I thought it could be fun to go through those items with you!

Items I’m Most Excited About

I think I’ve already teased this item in previous newsletters, but I’ve been dreaming about getting the quilt coat that I made back out! It’s one of the items that I’m most proud of having made and the experience of making it is probably why I’ve sworn off making coats in the future 😅

I found the most beautiful quilt back in 2021 and I immediately knew that I wanted to make a coat with it. I wanted a boxier fit and I found a vintage coat pattern that I really liked.

I kept the original scalloped edge of the quilt as much as possible and I had to cut the pattern pieces down to fit me properly so in the end, it wasn’t the coat from the pattern. I free-styled the collar, made it reversible and added binding around collar to match the original binding color as much as possible.

One area that I’ve been struggling with is how to close it. I didn’t want to add buttons because I hate adding buttons. I also didn’t want to add snaps since it’s reversible. As I was looking at it the other day when I pulled it out, I remembered the leftover fabric from my sewing declutter that I was going to make a tote bag out of and instead, I’m going to make a belt for this coat!

I had only planned to add 1 item to this category, but I HAD to add this little vintage Orvis patchwork jacket that I bought back in 2019-ish. I sometimes struggle to wear this item because it’s so colorful but I think that is because in the past, my warm weather wardrobe has leaned very dark.

But I’ve made a pledge to myself to not add any black clothes during my low buy year (or very minimal, at least) and because of that pledge, my wardrobe now contains a few lighter items that I can wear this jacket with.

I’m very excited to style this in my outfit diaries!

Item I Forgot About

I’ve never been able to make a white shirt work - I even wrote about it in a recent wardrobe staples newsletter, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately that I’d like to try one again. I was remembering a white linen shirt that I thrifted years ago that mostly went unworn, except as a swimsuit coverup.

I was pretty certain that I had decluttered it last year, but imagine my surprise when there it was just chilling in the storage bin! It definitely needs an iron (quilt a few items do but I haven’t got around to that yet) but I’m looking forward to styling this soon.

I actually think that the addition of some lighter blue jeans has been really helpful with some of the items that I’ve had a hard time styling in the past.

Item I’m Not Sure About

Once my no buy year was over last October, I did quite a bit of thrifting, and this blue sweater vest was one of the items that I picked up. I tried it on in the store and liked it but once I got it home, I wasn’t so sure - it felt like despite completing the no buy year, I hadn’t learned anything and I was right back to where I had started (now I believe that it was just a part of my experience that has gotten me to the point that I’m at today).

When I saw it in the storage box, I was excited to give it another chance. Honestly, with it’s fitted waist, this vest seems like more of a warm weather vest, to be worn alone, or at least that’s how I’m envisioning it. I think it’ll look cute with white shorts and sneakers, or with a pair of jeans and sandals. And if I don’t end up wearing it, I’ll pass it along!

Item I Wasn’t Sure About But Now I Am

This sweater has a cute acquisition story - when my son went to his first homecoming dance, he wanted a “grandpa” sweater, the kind you can only get at a thrift store. I was definitely up for the task and I was excited to take him along with me. We went to a preloved mid-century modern store that has a clothing section first which is where we found this sweater - Woolrich, cotton, great texture and color. But it was $40 so we decided to go to another store to see if we could find something cheaper. We did find a sweater for $10 but he didn’t like it as much as this one (I didn’t either) so we went back and got it.

He wore it once and then it hung in his closet until he decided to declutter it, at which point I took it. I rarely ever wore it but thought I would hang onto it in case he wanted it when he got older.

When I saw it in the storage bin, I decided to give it another go since it’s cotton.

A few days after the switchover, as I was photographing these items, I was wearing a pair of grey-green pants and I thought they would be a good match for the sweater in a monochromatic outfit kinda way! And guess what?!?

I loved how the two items looked together! I think it would also look great with my white vintage shorts, a pair of slouchy grey socks and my silver sneakers!

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Have you switched over to your spring wardrobe yet? Or do you have a year-round wardrobe?

Thanks for reading! x Gillian