You all probably know by now, that I tend to stay away from a colorful capsule wardrobe.
And while it’s true that I do prefer a robust palette of grays, whites, taupes, and blacks I have a little secret for you…
I actually do like colors. I’m just a bit afraid of them.
Seriously.
What scares me is that color will make my wardrobe chaotic if I let it take over. Monochrome is very safe. Color is a bit more…
complicated.
But apparently pregnant Karin is more willing to take those risks and I’ve found that color has crept into my pregnancy capsule.
You see, I had this revelation:
instead of adding color into my wardrobe based off of a palette that I predetermine and therefore feel bound to (so that things don’t become chaotic), I’ve realized that it’s better to add color based off of key words that you assign to your wardrobe.
Key words that describe your personality, likes, and interests… or key words that describe your style.
It doesn’t have to be super complicated either (we tend to over complicate things don’t we?).
For example, I decided to assign these keywords to my wardrobe:
Classic, Feminine Tomboy, and Romantic.
I came up with these keywords by focusing on my lifestyle, what styles I’m drawn to, and what sorts of things I love.
Let me break it down for you:
I’m a stay at home mom so I need to be comfortable (tomboy), but at the same time I love to feel put together and chic (feminine). I’m really drawn to stripes, clean lines, and easy shapes/fabrics (classic). I love Jane Austen, love stories, and listening to music that reminds me that there is good in this world still (romantic).
Easy right?
I know I’ve heard from a lot of you that this part is really hard for you…. and honestly I don’t have any magic advice that I can give you. All I can really say is to try your best to stop getting in your own way.
Also, figure out what you actually like… not what you think you should like.
Once you have these keywords, it’s pretty easy to figure out what patterns/colors will work for you.
For me, this looks like:
Colors = pinks, reds, and other soft colors.
Patterns = florals, stripes, and maybe some animal print.
Instead of worrying about narrowing down your colors to a palette and your patterns to a minimum, focus on having a wardrobe that describes who you are.
What do you think? Is this something you are already doing? Do you think it would work for you? Let me know in the comments below!
Until next time,
Outfit Details:
Top: Exact.
Maternity Pants: Exact.
Backpack: Old. Similar Ethical Version.
Kit’s Sweater: Exact.
Kit’s dress: Exact.
I am so glad you decided to post about this topic! Especially since many moons ago you asked me to put together a guest post about a colorful capsule, and I never got around to it…. This post is so much more suitable for Truncation then anything I could have ever written. And I never thought about using color to express the many styles that make up my wardrobe! But I feel like your method has naturally made it’s way into my color scheme. I love a beachy, casual look so turquoise, coral, and white emulate that. But I also like preppy and utilitarian looks so navy, tan, brown, and dark greens work well. Plus a little bit of glitz and glam with gold and leopard print. Excited to see you back blogging, Karin!
Haha! Life happens right? And thanks Lauren! I love your style and the way it all comes together. I think you’re a great example of someone who mixes in color without sacrificing a streamlined closet. 🙂
Let me just say that in researching capsule wardrobes for my newsletter, I found it very difficult to find anything with color. Even Pinterest pins demonstrate neutral capsule wardrobes 9 or more times out of 10. Now I understand why, minimalists feel that color might take them outside the box of the capsule or they may find the urge to bring in to many more pieces when adding color. Thank you for the honest thoughts on this. I like your idea of adding a little color. We all need more happiness through color in the world. Thanks!
You sound just like one of my best friends who is always trying to get me to where more color. 🙂 Honestly though, I do prefer neutrals on myself, but I’m learning that a little well placed color is not such a bad thing. I do FULLY believe that you can do a colorful capsule wardrobe… even though there are not many visual examples of that on Pinterest. It’s really all about versatility at the the end of the day. I think as long as each piece you add can be paired with at least three other things in your wardrobe then, by all means, add as much color/texture/pattern as you want!
I added color to my wardrobe in a way very similar to this. However, I realized that with my Spring and Summer wardrobes, I had too much color! I culled the pieces that I did not love, and decided to rebuild with a simpler palette [but not too simple]. Now I have a couple of feminine pieces, several classics, and a couple of trendy pieces that are not so trendy that they will not work for a few years. I am much happier with my wardrobe now!
It’s so easy to get off balance isn’t it? I’m trying to be more laid back about how I approach things, but in that I have to be careful, because I want to still guard myself from adding things that I don’t truly love. I think I’m getting there though so it’s exciting!