I’ve been referring to myself as a capsuler for the last two or three years after discovering Caroline from Un-Fancy. However, after ordering an obscene amount of dresses from Zara last week I’m beginning to wonder if I can really keep the title?

I’ve admitted before that I have a mid-season top up shop. I really don’t believe you can buy for a whole season three months in advance what with our unpredictable British weather and the constant drip of new and very pretty products in to the stores.

I recently made a huge change to my working life and left my corporate role to work on a few more personal projects and take on more responsibility at Rock My Ltd too. Now I’m based more at home there’s no need for the black skinnies and smart dresses that dominated my weekday wardrobe and I’m struggling to find appropriate outfits to wear. In fact James asked me the other day if I was going to work or going to a wedding when I was sat at my desk in a silk top and pleated skirt. The truth is my wardrobe just doesn’t cut if for my new working location and I need some more casual pieces.

Anyway back to the capsule wardrobe. There are a couple of things I’m doing which mean I can keep my capsule crown, but mostly it’s slipped quite considerably.

Capsule Approach

  • Trying on all last year’s clothes at the start of the season to see if they’ll make it to this year’s collection
  • Making a list at the start of the season of all the gaps I need to fill
  • Avoiding sale shopping unless it’s something I’ve had my eye on for a long time
  • Only buying items that I already have something in my wardrobe to wear them with

    • Capsule Cheat

  • There are significantly more than 37 items in my wardrobe. Although the open Ikea wardrobe you see above is shared with my husband and also includes evening wear which as far as I’m concerned shouldn’t be included in the quota.
  • If they’re in good condition and still fit I still keep clothes from seasons gone by even if I don’t plan to wear them that year. I’ve been wearing a cobalt blue pleated summer dress on repeat this year even though it hasn’t seen the light of day for two or three years.
  • I buy more than once during the season

    • At the end of the day, capsuling isn’t meant to be a chore. It was too contrived for me in the beginning and up until I changed my working patterns a flexible approach to the concept was all fine and dandy. Whether or not I can truly call myself a capsuler is debatable but I do seem to spend far less time shopping these days.

    Oh and if you’re wondering I sent all but one of the dresses back. What is it about billowy dresses with ridiculously high hemlines? Even if I’m at home I’d rather not be flashing my thighs to the window cleaner. I might get my hands on this cute striped jersey dress from Joules but if you do see any easy to wear dresses then I would love it if you could send them my way.

    Have you been cheating on your capsule too?