Capsule Wardrobe for Rockies '23 Trip
My first 10x10 challenge for a week-long trip in the Canadian mountains!
Optimized Seasonal Clothing Options AKA Capsule Wardrobes
I've been following some slow fashion influencers for a few years now. One activity that many of them do is create a capsule wardrobe for each season. I always enjoy seeing them curate these, over the years coming to recognize some of their same staple items that they pull out each fall / spring / etc.
Creating a capsule seems like a great exercise, because it helps bring organization and thoughtfulness to the clothes that we have and how we wear them!
Whenever the seasons change, I tend to swap out the clothes that are in my dresser and closet with off-season stuff I keep in storage. It's definitely not the most intentional capsule; I have a ton of different colours and styles no matter what time of year, and there are a lot of items. Could I even call it a capsule? Probably not.
But... Having a smaller number of clothes in view does help me feel less overwhelmed and more organized. I also love how it gives me that new-clothes-feeling every few months!
Now, I’ve always wanted to take this one step further, and actually develop a capsule wardrobe. The idea of having a well-thought out set of clothes to wear, that mix and match efficiently, that look awesome together, and that make me feel good sounds like a lot of joy!
My Wardrobe Struggles
Too Many Clothes, Too Quickly
Something I often wrestle with is making sure that each item I acquire (or put in a capsule) easily pairs with the rest of my clothes. I have a tendency to buy stuff on a whim at the thrift stores because items are relatively cheap there. If I’m inspired by it in the store, I’ll bring it home, often only to realize in a couple of weeks that it is a fun piece but it doesn’t go with any of my other stuff.
Clothes as Identity Builders
I think this is all part of discovering your own personal style, and learning how to put things together in a way that consistently feel like you. And I guess I’m still learning to define what it is that makes me feel most comfortable, confident, embodied.
Practical Applications
Another problem area has often surfaced when I go to pack clothes for travel. Since my regular wardrobe isn’t optimized for interchangeability, when I pack for a trip, I always end up packing too much and the items definitely don’t all go together. This means I end up wearing the same thing or a subset of the items most of the trip.
10x10 Challenge
When we had a trip to the Rockies planned this month, I thought that it would be the perfect application for me to try a little mini-capsule curation, more specifically a 10x10 challenge.
I first heard about the 10x10 through slow fashion influencer, Jessica Harumi. You can read more about it on her blog here! The idea behind the challenges is to select:
10 items
That create 10 outfits
To be worn over 10 days
My trip was only for 7 days, but I limited the clothes I packed to be 10 items that could be worn interchangeably!
(Okay, minus the outfit I picked for the plane… I needed something that could be worn in the 27 degree weather we left. Other exclusions from the count included footwear, my coat, and underwear. And…. I bought a hoodie as a souvenir that I had for the way home).
My Goals for the Capsule:
Have casual, vintage, outdoorsy, chalet-kinda vibes
It’s gotta be comfortable for lots of time spent on scenic drives in the car
Warmth! April in the mountains is not the spring we get back home
Include a couple of combos that can be dressed up for if we go out to a nice dinner
The Capsule Details
Based on some 10x10 challenge blogs I read, I decided to break down the 10 items by packing 3 pairs of pants, 2 outer layer type things and 5 tops. I’ll walk you through all the items!
Pants
From left to right: I have these flare-ish black jeans that are so comfortable and feel very Lorelai Gilmore chic (except they’re high waisted). They go with anything and I thought they could be good as the dressier option if needed. Then always a pair of blue jeans. And finally, I’m loving doing a monochromatic look these days, so I brought my brown pants because I knew I wanted to wear them with a brown turtleneck. I also like how they look with my brown Blundstones.
I thrifted both the black and brown pants. The brown pants are from a brand called French Design Jeans - I don’t know where this brand retails but I love the fit! And the black pants are from a brand called Bellina. No idea what it is, but again, I love them! My blue jeans are from Everlane, and I did buy these new. They were expensive, but they’re my primary set of blue jeans and they’re wearing really well, since they’re made from a 100% cotton material.
A Little Side Note on my Buying Philosophy…
If I’m going to buy new, I really want to try and buy quality items that were produced sustainably and ethically.
I know the price has to reflect this process.
I also know that the fair and thoughtful process should produce higher-quality items that last, especially if I take care of them. From what I’ve researched, Everlane does a decent job at sustainable and transparent operations, so they earned my money for the classic staple pair of blue jeans.
Warm Outer Layer Type Things
From left to right: For these, first I picked a cozy flannel Banana Republic button-up. It’s oversized on me, but I didn’t care because I really just was going for cozy. This one feels sooo cozy but it looks smarter than just wearing a hoodie or something. I thrifted this shirt a few years back (technically for my partner), but I like to wear it just as much!
The second piece was a vintage MEC fleece that we thrifted a few years ago. It’s oversized as well but I love the way it falls on me. It’s got a kangaroo zipped pocket on the front which is so handy for my phone, baby’s pacifier, or a snack.
Tops
In no particular order: In the wintertime, I pretty well live in turtlenecks, so I knew I wanted to pack a few of these. They are cozy and smart. The green one is thrifted a few years ago from Club Monaco, and it’s probably one of my favourite shirts ever! It’s a cashmere silk blend - ultra luxurious - and a really lovely shape. The oatmeal coloured one and brown one were both recent acquisitions from a clothing swap with my sister. Oatmeal is a stretchier blend of cheaper material, but just so comfortable. And the brown one is some sort of rayon blend that is also so comfortable! These work great for layering under a sweater in colder weather, or can be worn with more loosely-fitting pants.
The white button-up shirt is purposely oversized, it’s an item that I bought new during pregnancy from Boob Design. It’s fantastic for nursing (although you’d never guess it was a nursing-friendly shirt!), and can be worn two ways, so it’s great for creating multiple looks within one piece. I thought this baby would be good to wear out for a nice dinner, or layered over one of my tighter-fitting turtlenecks.
The white t-shirt I purchased online from KOTN, it’s a fitted plain white T made of organic cotton. I was super excited about this purchase when I made it a few years ago for it’s ethically produced qualities. I think in all honesty though, it’s been a bit of a disappointing buy. It’s not the most flattering cut on me, although it does have a nice neckline. I mostly wear it layered under other stuff, as was my intention for this week.
OOTD Combinations
Okay, now for the fun part! Here are the outfit combos I put together with these items. (As you can see, the pics are full on real life! I’m no fashion influencer haha so no fancy mirrors or studio aesthetics, just our hotel room and baby stuff 😉 )
I have to say - it was really easy to dress for this weather because it was consistently cold. (On Day 5 btw, I wore the green fleece over my white T and blue jeans, but I think I had left it in the car overnight). The turtlenecks were a good call! And the green fleece was the definite all-star of the week. I wore it at least three days.
Takeaways
As I reflected on this fun little challenge, I definitely learned a few things that I’ll keep in mind in future!
First off, 10 items for 7 days was plenty! (Especially since we had laundry available in our suite). I didn’t even wear the white button-up shirt, and I only wore the flannel shirt and black pants once.
Specifically, I can see 3 pairs of pants being a great base for any capsule, even beyond 10 days. Especially if your pants had a little more variety than mine did - perhaps a wide-legged pair or printed pair would be a nice alternative to the brown or black.
I might have liked to have one more long-sleeved shirt, rather than a button-up. When we went out for dinner at a more upscale restaurant, I just wore my monochromatic outfit and I felt actually pretty chic with my nicely styled bangs and a touch of make-up.
Looking at these pictures, I feel like I definitely have a specific style going on. Most of my outfits were very similar looking, which is neither good or bad, it just goes to show I gravitate towards certain looks. I should keep that in mind when I’m adding to my wardrobe…. (i.e. But could I wear ___ with a turtleneck??! lol)
Finally - and this is maybe the best learning - it was really easy to get dressed all week and I loved that! I didn’t find myself wasting mental energy on what to wear or frantically trying different combinations of clothes as we were trying to get out the door or our baby needed me to put her down for a nap. I knew everything looked good with everything, so basically I couldn’t go wrong with my choice! Having done the thinking ahead of time, getting dressed was just FUN. And I want it to always be like that. 😁
Using a capsule was a brilliant application for travelling. My partner, daughter, and I fit all of our clothes (and then some) for the week into 2 carry-on suitcases.
Overall, I think that was a great experiment. I’m excited to now take some of these learnings into my seasonal spring changeover that I will do soon.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed coming along for this adventure. Have you tried a 10x10 challenge before, or do you consider yourself a capsule wardrober? I’d love to hear your stories and tips. Drop them in the comments or send me a DM!👇🏻