Tag: Capsule Wardrobe

What I Wore In Eindhoven

interchangeable pieces

I’m coming at you with a bit of an epic outfit post today, as I’m sharing not one but four outfits in today’s post. I’ve been a bit awol over the past couple of weeks here on my blog but if you follow my instagram you’ll know it’s because I’ve been super busy, as last week I was abroad twice: At the start of the week shooting for a job in Portugal and at the end of the week/over the weekend in Eindhoven for a bit of a different city break. A photo heavy travel guide on Eindhoven will be coming very soon but I thought that first I would share what I actually wore on my trip to the city.

Damien and I were in Eindhoven from Friday to Monday and I seem to have mastered the art of travelling light, as once again we managed to take one carry on case between us – the joys of having an interchangeable wardrobe means that you don’t actually take up that much luggage space.

I hadn’t expect Eindhoven to be quite the little shopping destination it was, with a few stores that were right up my street, including Hotspot which is now a new found favourite and I only wish they had one of these in Manchester!

Being one to keep my shopping to a minimal, I only purchased a couple of things whilst browsing round the shops, which included the stripe T-shirt featured further down in the post (which I bought at Hotspot) and the polka dot trousers (also in this post) from Monki.

As I steer away from wearing jeans quite so much I’m constantly finding myself on the look out for trouser alternatives. I spotted the polka dot trousers in Monki and had to try them on right away and I have to say that I am in love with them, so much so that I’ve barely stopped wearing them and am in fact currently wearing them as I write this post.

Anyway, I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking before I risk waffling on too much, so scroll down to see what I wore last weekend whilst in Eindhoven.

Samio x

Outfit 1

Trainers – Converse | Jeans – Asos | T-shirt – Cos | Biker Jacket – Zara, old (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade | Watch – Kartel

<br />

Outfit 2

Trainers – Pinko | Trousers – Monki | Top – Topshop | Biker Jacket – Zara, old (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade

<br />

Outfit 3

Trainers – Pinko | Trousers – Topshop | T-shirt – Selected Cotton | Denim Jacket – Old (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade | Watch – Kartel

<br />

Outfit 4

Trainers – Converse | Trousers – Monki | T-shirt – Rock On Ruby | Denim Jacket – Old (similar here) | Belt – Asos (similar here) | Jewellery – Pernille Corydon | Bag – Kate Spade | Watch – Kartel

<br />

May 19, 2017
Decluttering, Changing Old Habits & Trying Out The Capsule Wardrobe

It was around last autumn that I had started to majorly downsize my wardrobe and had began thinking about creating a capsule wardrobe, which I talked about here. At the time the thought of clearing out the majority of my clothes to focus on the limited amount of items that I actually wore and refine that selection to create a ‘capsule wardrobe’, was both scary and exciting. Even once I’d got into the swing of mix and matching certain pieces on repeat, I still had a large selection of clothes that I’d been hoarding (but never wore) incase I ‘got bored’ or ‘needed something different’. As the weeks and months passed, I realised those were two scenarios that never actually occurred and although I was quite content with my new outlook on style and how I now dressed/shopped, I still wasn’t quite ready to let go of my safety blanket – which was basically all of the clothes that I was keeping for the sake of keeping them.

Trying To Start Anew

Although I was no longer adding to my unworn clothing collection, the clothes were still there. There were plenty of clear outs (I actually lost count) but it was the last and biggest one that was the hardest. I knew I didn’t want to take all of that stuff to my new house but a part of me didn’t want to part with most of it either. So for a good while, there it sat, bagged up, between homes, unsure of where it was going. It annoyed me, it got in my way, it definitely pissed me off but for some reason I just couldn’t part with it…until eventually I actually forgot what was in some of the bags and so then I knew, it was definitely time to let it go. It still sounds a lot easier than it actually was – I mean, it’s just clothes after all – but I’m so glad that I eventually did it.

Where I’m At Now

Fourteen months later and I’m finally at the place I had only been able to dream about a year ago. It sounds extreme but at the time, I had discovered a few things that really made me want to change my clothes shopping habits (something I’ll go into more in a future post) and I also started to realise that I really wasn’t finding fulfilment from all the things I owned and that the clutter I had created was just causing a distraction, not to mention slowing me down when it came to something as simple as getting ready in the morning (I definitely do better with a lot less choice). Fourteen months later I moved into our house with one suitcase of clothes plus a coat and a few jackets (that I bagged up separately) and I’m currently the happiest I’ve been with my style and my wardrobe in a long time.

…And The Capsule Wardrobe

As for the capsule wardrobe, I don’t strictly have one. I’m much more of a go with the flow person and if I really love something I’m not going to stop myself from buying it just because it doesn’t stick to a certain number of items. I do however like to stick to certain colour pallets. I’ve moved away from bold prints and bright colours, instead favouriting more ‘grown up’, muted tones but that’s not to say that it isn’t possible to have a brightly coloured capsule wardrobe or even just a pop of colour when you fancy it (as I had lots of fun trying to create an example of here). Limiting what I let into my wardrobe has just helped me to discover that I now prefer to dress much more relaxed and casual and I feel most comfortable in more minimal, simple pieces. I also think that if you’re like me and maybe don’t like to stay completely within the rules but can be helped by a little guidance, just planning a capsule wardrobe can be a great way to help you realise the things you actually really want in your wardrobe and it can also be a great way to help you to refine your style.

The Verdict

Without rambling on too much longer (I could honestly talk about this topic for hours), in a nutshell, decluttering has been a long and slow process but one I’m definitely glad I started. It’s helped me think differently about how I shop and yet buying less, opting for better quality when possible and owning less has actually left me feeling much happier about the way I dress and the pieces I own. I guess I can now say I really understand the meaning of ‘less is more’.

<br />

Thank you to the fabulous kind hearted soul that is Onyi for taking these fabulous photos for me and thank you to those of you who actually read this post to the end because I know it was a long one.

You can read more about my decluttering journey here.

Samio x

October 10, 2016
Planning a Capsule Wardrobe

I’m currently in the process of downsizing my wardrobe… I say this but my actual wardrobe storage space is due to expand as my our plan for one of the rooms in mine and my boyfriend’s new house is to create a closet space (or walk in wardrobe if you like). This is an absolute girlhood dream come true for me, having a room dedicated to clothes! However, since starting to plan the space and trying to figure out what I want to do with it, I’ve realized one thing I don’t envisage is clutter.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved to shop and accumulating new things is something I’m very good at. What I’ve noticed recently though is that quantity over quality is not always the best thing and I’m starting to re-evaluate my shopping habits and want to really think about the items that I buy and own. I think that moving to a new house is forcing me to think about the items that I really value and want to bring into a newly refurbished and uncluttered space.

I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a capsule wardrobe. This is something that’s still very new to me and people who know me would laugh at the thought of me surviving with a minimal amount of items in my wardrobe (hello, self confessed shopping addict over here). However it’s just something I feel I should at least think about. I’m already beginning my much needed clothing/shoe/accessory clear out and so whilst browsing online the other day, I thought I’d put together a sample capsule wardrobe that I’d maybe like to create (or take ideas from) for this coming Autumn…

1. Light grey T-Shirt, Topshop Here.
2. Black T-Shirt, Topshop Here.
3. Halter neck crop top, Asos Here.
4. Fred Perry polo shirt, Asos Here.
5. Stripe sweatshirt, Asos Here .
6. Stripe turtleneck, Asos Here.
7. White shirt, Topshop Topshop.
8. Denim shirt, Topshop Here.
9. Fred Perry polo dress, Asos, Here.
10, Stipe bodycon midi dress, River Island at Asos, Here.
11. Black side split dress, Asos, Here.
12. Black A-line mini skirt, Asos, Here.
13. Black midi skirt, Asos, Here.
14. Moto Jamie jeans, Topshop, Here.
15. Moto black Jamie jeans, Topshop, Here.
16. Camel coloured coat, Asos, Here.
17. Tripp NYC leather look biker jacket, Asos, Here.
18. Isle Jacobsen rain man, Coggles, Here.
19. Black knit cardigan, Asos, Here.
20. Oversized square scarf, Asos, Here.
21. McQ Alexander McQueen Chelsea boots, Coggles, Here.
22. Clarks burgundy tassel loafers, Here.
23. Senso Sara heeled boots, Asps, Here .
24. Vans croc slip on trainees, Asos, Here.
25. Dr Martens, Coggles, Here.
26. Purified woven block heels, Coggles, Here
27. Black heels, Office, Here.
28. Ballet pumps, Asos, Here.
29. Aspinal of London, My Bag, Here.
30. Eastpak black leather backpack, Asos, Here.

I feel that the more I plan, the more I’m starting to think seriously about permanently downsizing my wardrobe, it would certainly help me a lot when getting dressed in the morning.

Have you ever thought about creating a capsule wardrobe for each season? What are some pieces that you would include?

Samio x

August 21, 2015