A Fall Capsule Wardrobe + What I've Learned From A Full Year Of Intentional Shopping

A Fall Capsule Wardrobe + What I've Learned From A Full Year Of Intentional Shopping

Olivia Youngs
Slow Living

Fall has been in full swing for a few days now (although, some days the weather has yet to catch on...) and I wanted to wait to share my Fall capsule with you all until I was totally sure about the pieces and flow of it. 

This season marks a FULL year of my experiment with capsule wardrobes so before I give you a peek into my closet for the season, I want to share a few things I've learned after 12 months of capsuling and several months of buying only from ethical retailers (to read more about that, be sure to check out my intro to ethical fashion). 

Knowing your personal style is key: 

Before I started using a capsule wardrobe, I didn't really have a definition of what my personal style looked like. I appreciated lots of different fashion genres, and often bought pieces just because I liked how they looked, but ended up never really wearing them. (Sorry, adorable floral romper I bought and only wore once). 

One of the best things about this year is that I've gotten to know myself and my personal style so much better. I've learned that I'm much more drawn to basics and neutrals than I am to fancy cuts or elaborate patterns (as you'll soon see after looking through my capsule). 

Buying a few "fun" items is great — you don't want to get bored with your wardrobe, after all! But by and large, the pieces you buy for yourself should be true staples that you can mix and match for lots of different outfits. However that looks for you. 

Buy for your lifestyle, not for the "what if's":

This was a huge lesson for me. So many of us buy pieces that we think are cute, but don't really have an occasion to wear often. Sure, there will be the occasional wedding or the vacation you'll need a few extra-fancy pieces for, but for the most part, you should be investing money in clothes that fit your day to day life. 

For me, that means clothes I can be a mom in. I need to be able to move, get dirty, and not feel restricted by what I'm wearing, so basics and easy to wear staples are my new go-to's. 

Quality over quantity matters: 

Buying from sustainable brands and interacting with lots of the shop owners, designers and manufacturers of some of the items I own, has been a game changer for me. Not only does it feel amazing to support companies that are actually benefiting the people who make their clothes and the resources they use to make them, but the clothes just are SO much higher quality. 

Seriously. You know how most clothes from fast fashion retailers last you an average of one season, maybe two if you're lucky? That's because they're not designed to last. 

Slow fashion brands, on the other hand, makes pieces that are designed to last a lifetime. They're made from the best quality materials, from people who are passionate about what they're doing. And I'm in love with that. 

Capsule wardrobes are so much more than a closet full of basics. It means dressing for your lifestyle, learning YOUR personal style, and buying pieces you won't get sick of after a year. Here's the three biggest take-aways from my first full year of…

And now, here's my capsule for the season: 

A special THANK YOU to each ethical brand who collaborated with me for this post! Ethical brands are marked with an *. You can read more about each of them on my guide for affordable ethical fashion. 

*keep in mind that I'm transitioning my wardrobe still. Some of the items I have were bought before my commitment to shop ethically.*

Tops: 9

  • Striped Tee: American Eagle (Old. Ethical option)
  • Grey Tee: Seamly*- ethically made in Denver. 
  • Black off the shoulder tee: H&M Conscious. Old. 
  • Green Light Sweater: Beklina* - a mother-daughter team out of CA. 
  • Striped long sleeve tee: H&M. (Old. Ethical option.) 
  • Silk Top: Forever 21 (Old. Ethical option.) 
  • Chambray: Target (Old. Ethical option.)
  • Flannel: Thrifted. Old. 
  • Striped Button Down: Thrifted. (Penny Thrift)

Bottoms: 6

Sweaters/Outerwear: 9

Dresses: 4

  • Black Shift Dress: Sotela* via IMBY* (SO in love with their "last dress you'll ever need" slogan. Go check them out!) 
  • Grey Tunic: Liz Alig* (Their dresses are timeless AND have pockets ;) 
  • Black Long Sleeved Dress: Amour Vert* via Thred Up
  • Blush Dress: LA Relaxed* (I carried this one over from summer because it's that comfy.) 

I'm still waiting on one or two pieces to arrive, but other than that, this is what I'm working with for Fall. I'm so excited about each and every item in my capsule this season. I can imagine so many different outfits that my head hurts from trying ;) 

Also, if you want a good laugh, take a look at my capsule from last Fall. And then please come back, because I promise my photography skills have improved. 

What does your Fall wardrobe look like this year friend? 

Need help creating your own capsule wardrobe? Sign up for The Art of Simple Living to kickstart your minimalism journey. 

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