Hey y'all! Some of you may know that I’ve been putting together a capsule wardrobe for winter. If you haven’t heard of a capsule wardrobe before, here’s the scoop. Essentially it is a mini wardrobe made up of really versatile pieces that you totally LOVE to wear. That definition comes from Unfancy, one of my favorite capsule wardrobe blogs. (That’s right, this is so popular now there are multiple capsule wardrobe blogs.) There are several different ways to do a capsule wardrobe. Caroline of Unfancy chooses 37 pieces, Courtney of Project 333 chooses 33, and so on. Most people seem to choose between 30 and 40 pieces. Some people include accessories (bags, jewelry, etc) some don’t. There are no hard and fast rules for a capsule wardrobe. You gotta make it work for you.

And that’s what I’m doing! I’ve decided to let myself have 45 pieces in my winter capsule. That sounds like a lot compared to the other blogs I’ve mentioned, I know. But since I work in a corporate setting, I have two very different styles. Most days I’m wearing black pants or a skirt with a top along with plain black heels, but after work I change into more casual wear like jeans/boots and often a different top. Some capsule wardrobe gurus recommend having two separate capsules in situations like this. But I'm trying to follow the KISS concept in my life these days.

So to keep things simple, I expanded my total number of items for my capsule. 45 pieces of clothing it is! Now, let’s talk about what is included in that number. You can do it any number of ways, but for my project I am choosing NOT to include accessories in that total, nor am I including underthings (underwear, bras, camisoles, leggings, etc) or coats/jackets (because Oklahoma weather is totally unpredictable, I may need my parka coat one day a light jacket the next). I may choose to include some of those in future capsule wardrobes, but for this first go around I’m not. Also, I am not including work out gear or lounge wear/PJs in the capsule wardrobe number. I know Caroline of Unfancy does her own little capsule wardrobe for those, but I’m not worried about them at this point.

I’ve been working on this capsule wardrobe project since the end of 2014. I actually spent New Year’s Day starting my big closet purge (more on that another day) and I’ve been dressing out of my capsule wardrobe for about two weeks now. I wanted to give myself some time to get used to the idea before I started blogging about it. It’s actually been incredibly freeing to go into my closet and only see that small segment of clothes. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve changed up my style much so far. I’m wearing pretty much the same things I was wearing before, but now I don’t have to wade through all the other clutter that was filling up the rack. I’m sure as the days go on I’ll start mixing things up a bit more now that I can’t reach for those one-off items I used to wear every so often. But that’s the whole point, right?

Well, not entirely. There’s another point of this project. To stop spending money on clothes! 2015 is going to be a year of simplifying and going back to the basics (I’m reading Essentialism right now and loving it!), but this year I’m also planning some big financial changes. I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck for way too long, and it’s time to stop. Cutting back on shopping is only one way I’m going about it, but I think it will be a huge help. I am allowing myself a few exceptions. I ripped my favorite pair of jeans and I need to replace them, and my go-to black heels I wear to work are starting to wear out. So if I can find reasonably priced and well-made replacements for those, then I will buy them. Other than that, I’m keeping my cards in my wallet where they belong.

There is one more exception to this capsule wardrobe: I’m going to DC next weekend, and while I’m there I’ll be going to a pre-Broadway show of Gigi at the Kennedy Center as well as attending an event on Saturday night that calls for a much nicer dress than anything I have in my capsule wardrobe! I’ll be renting two dresses from Rent the Runway for these events. I paid for them back in 2014 so technically I suppose it isn’t cheating, right?

So that just about sums it up: 45 pieces of clothing, not counting underthings, outerwear, or accessories. No shopping for three months (with small exceptions). Wear all 45 items in as many ways as possible to learn more about my own style. Pair things I’ve never tried before. Make Stacey London proud. Keep it simple.

I’ll be doing regular updates throughout the project, and I’ll try to do daily Instagram pictures of my outfits. I’m not a fashion blogger by any stretch of imagination, so don’t expect Kendi Everyday here (she’s a fabulous fashion blogger for those who don’t know). But I’m going to do my best! The real goal of this project is to discover my true style, simplify my wardrobe (and life), and save money, not magically transform into a fashion blogger :)

Have any of you tried a capsule wardrobe? Would you ever consider doing one?