Autumn Capsule Wardrobe '18
Monday, October 22, 2018
I enjoyed having a monthly capsule over the summer but I'm back to seasonal capsules now. My autumn capsule still has a lot of my staple colours of grey, navy and black, but there's a lot of colour in there too. There's a mix of old and new, or new-to-me items and I'm looking forward to creating new outfit combinations from it all.
I've got 36 items in this capsule, 14 of which are pre-loved. After watching Stacey Dooley Investigates: Fashion's Dirty Secrets (read more about that here), and discovering just how polluting and damaging the fashion industry is (I knew it wasn't great, but I had no idea about extent of the problem), I have a renewed determination to reduce the amount of new clothing items I buy.
I have plenty of clothes. I don't need any more. And need is the key word here. I've been keeping track of why I've bought the things I've purchased this year and almost every purchase has been made because I wanted it. I don't go out every weekend and buy bags and bags of clothes, I think my purchases are quite small in terms of quantity and most are pre-loved, but when I see the devastation the fashion industry causes, it makes me stop and think 'do I really need to buy brand new?'
The answer is almost always 'no'.
What the fashion industry is doing to this planet is nothing short of terrifying. I feel that the only thing I can do is to restrict the number of new items I buy to the things that I genuinely need e.g. underwear or shoes. I know that I can find anything else I might want in charity shops, they always have plenty to offer, although sometimes you do have to be patient for something specific to turn up.
I have found that having a capsule wardrobe helps me to make purchases that fit my wardrobe, I can tell instantly if I have something to wear with anything that catches my eye. The capsule means that I'm looking at what I have in my wardrobe every season and I'm more aware of all the clothes I have, this means I make fewer purchase that turn out to be a mistake.
Life has been busy so I have to admit that I've been reaching for a uniform of jeans and a jumper recently. So far I've only worn 13 items from this capsule during the first 22 days. The same outfits have been worn time and again.
As life returns to a more normal pace, I'll be experimenting with some new outfit combinations, wondering which item in my wardrobe will be the next to earns it's #30Wears Badge of Honour.
13 comments
You've got some nice cosy and comfy items in your wardrobe, which is good as the temperature is set to drop in the next couple of days. Is it too early to start looking forward to spring?
ReplyDeleteIt's never too early!
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Liking the mustard on you, the stripey jumper and the green skirt.
ReplyDeleteWhat months do you term as Autumn? I never know when it's supposed to start and finish!
My undies last me years (until I bought 2 new bras from M&S in Feb 2017, it had been 2010 since I'd last bought one!) and some of my tights are over a decade old. A friend reminded me of how we used to dye our old knickers with Dylon dye back when we were teens to give them a new leash of life - I'd forgotten all about that! xxx
For my capsules I start at the top of the month as it's just easier. Autumn starts Oct 1st for me. But then for the actual start of autumn you've got either the meteorological start date or the astronomical start date to choose from!
DeleteMeteorological is September 1st, astronomical is Sept 21st-23rd. I like to go with the astronomical date when thinking or talking about the seasons, but as I say I go with the top of the month for my capsules.
I have pants that pre-date Andy, but my tights never last that long, probably because I buy cheap ones, because I wear them so rarely. 'They' say bras should be replaced regularly (I think it's every six months) as the support and elasticity goes but with my small bust I don't think it makes much difference! My bras last a while, but I haven't reached 7 years - there's a challenge, haha!
xx
Thanks for that - I always feel that Autumn only lasts a couple of weeks, a cool and damp end of Summer before the frosts of Winter. I'm such a townie, aren't I?
DeleteI'm not well blessed in the bust department either but at 51 they're still in the same place as they were when I was a teenager. I reckon that 6 month rule is just a ploy to make us spend money! xxx
To be honest I didn't know exactly when the seasons started until I started writing seasonal to-do lists and was confused by meteorological and astronomical seasons, why not just stick to one?
DeleteI'm beginning to think everything is a ploy to spend money!
xx
Your autumn wardrobe looks so cosy - I love the red skirt.
ReplyDeleteI should really try to make an effort to buy second hand, but charity shops aren't a thing here and the second hand shops are more of the "vintage (i.e. expensive!) variety. I do keep most of my clothes for ages though - the majority of my newer clothes were gifts, except my new boots that I actually need for autumn because my only waterproof pair of shoes (apart from my winter boots) finally gave up and started leaking. I finally got rid of a skirt recently that I had had since I was about 16!
I don't think there is anything wrong with buying new, the problem is buying too much new and seeing it as disposable - which you clearly don't. And I bet you recycle old clothing rather than sending it to landfill?
DeleteThe thing I struggle with is that now even though we all know of the problem, there will only be a portion of the population that do anything about it. If the effort was widespread it would be much easier to make a difference to the issue, but there will always be those who won't see it as their problem, and won't change. Meaning the rest of us, who do want to see a change, end up doing more. But it doesn't seem to me that you are adding to the problem, you seem to wear what you have and wear it for a long time, which is pretty damn good.
xx
I definitely keep/wear my clothes for a long time! And none goes in the bin, unless it's truly beyond saving... except underwear. I can't imagine anyone wanting to wear my old knickers ;-) Clothes and shoes I don't want go in the charity bags that regularly appear. I can only hope they actually do what they claim and don't just send them to landfill!
DeleteI love seeing that the green skirt is still around! Such a versatile piece isn't it? That skirt must have really earned its keep by now! Great to read that there's quite a high percentage of pre-loved items in your capsule, too. The pink and stripey jumpers really caught my eye! xxx
ReplyDeleteYes, it's very much still around. It's been worn so much, certainly more than 30 times. Most of my purchases are pre-loved now, but a lot of staples are purchased new. But, I do try to wear my clothes until they fall apart so as long as I continue to limit my brand new purchases, and wear them as much as possible I'm happy.
Deletexx
I haven't watched the documentary but I can imagine that it's pretty terrifying watching. When I walk into a high street clothes shop I often wonder how they are expecting to shift all that stock and where it goes. Thousands of items each month.
ReplyDeleteI do love to shop second hand and feel that on average I'm a better shopper than many but I'm sure my habits could do with improvement.
Love that mustard jumper, it's a fab shade and you look lovely in it and super happy! xx
Oh Sophie, it's awful! The devastation and pollution is dreadful, and cotton is the worst offender, who'd have thought it? I do buy new on occasion and I don't think there is anything wrong with that, it's the throw away culture that's the issue, this ridiculous idea that you shouldn't be seen in the same outfit twice. So much ends up in landfill and the synthetic fabrics rarely breakdown. I read somewhere that synthetic clothes from the 80s were dug up in landfill recently still fully intact, wearable - after a jolly good wash. Buy less, buy better should be the rule for the high street, but it'll be a gargantuan task to get everyone to play ball.
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Thank you for taking the time to comment x