Winter Capsule 2018: The wool coat I found for $10

Winter Capsule 2018: Wool coat

Hello! I've been in MAJOR reflection mode (maybe a little too much) since the New Year. I really like this time of year to reflect on the last year and my hopes for the upcoming one. I've realized it takes me about a month to get back into the swing of things and I'm trying to be ok with that. One thing I've been focusing on is my winter capsule 2018 wardrobe.

Winter Capsule 2018: thrifted wool coat | Brave Girl Spirit blog | photo by Leigh Ann Cobb Photography

New: Capsule Wardrobe posts

I'm bringing a new topic to this space and eliminating some that no longer speak to me. Thanks to those of you who completed my reader survey to help me with this! It's so good to get out of your own head.

Capsule Wardrobe for the Seasons

So a topic I'll be digging deeper into is my Capsule Wardrobe. I've had one for 4 years now! There are different definitions for capsule wardrobes (my faves here and here) but for me, a capsule wardrobe is a set of guidelines to organize your closet and discover your own personal style (guidelines being the keyword).

I was talking to some friends about this as I was hesitant about sharing, but they made a good point. While a capsule might not be for everybody it's an interesting perspective about personal style worth sharing.

A capsule wardrobe is a set of guidelines to organize your closet and discover your own personal style.

As a designer, I believe it's crucial to be confident about yourself and your work. For me, it's hard to feel confident in meetings or at network events when I'm not comfortable with what I'm wearing. If I can't believe in me, how will potential clients who don't know me that well yet believe in me? So I'm hoping this can help you too if you're looking to refresh your wardrobe or update it a bit to feel more like you.

One of the best things I found about starting a capsule is understanding what my style is and growing into it. College was a mish-mash of tight and short items from F21 sales racks and prior to that, it was a lot of sportswear. Not the cute athleisure kind either. More like swimming in jerseys and sweatpants as an athlete.

After 4 years of about 55 items per season (including accessories + shoes!), I'm ready to shift the guidelines a bit to purchase conscious clothing options when I can. I need to be clear that I DO still buy clothing from places like Target, Marshalls, Anthro, Nordstrom, and other fast fashion brands so don't be thinking I'm some purist. But I'm making an effort to limit it in the name of slow fashion, essentialism, and having a smaller carbon footprint.

Winter Capsule 2018: Wool coat

Another way to limit fast fashion purchases is by thrifting. I used to go thrift shopping with my Mom ALL THE TIME. We still swap and trade clothing when we visit each other. In fact, she has her eye on this wool cape I was twirling around in this winter before the snow started flying. I'm not ready to hand it over yet though.

I found it 3 years ago at an estate sale across the street from the greenhouse I worked at. It was squeezed in between big shoulder pads and old prom dresses in unflattering shapes. When I saw the corner of this tan wool fabric I knew I found a diamond in the rough. I snagged it for under $10!

It has a couple of buttons near the top so I wear it both buttoned or unbuttoned depending on the weather. There's so much fabric to it that it's super warm. The subtle texture and fringe at the bottom are what I love most about it.

I often style it with an ivory or cream sweater and jeans with wedges for a more casual look but I loved adding a bold neutral pattern like these high waist trousers to change it up a bit.

Winter 10x10 Challenge

I've added links to similar items below if you want to try out this look too! But what I think would be even better is if you'd join me in a Winter 10x10 Challenge starting this Friday, January 19.

It's the first time I've ever done one and I'm excited about the challenge! 10 pieces of clothing over 10 days...in the dead cold of a Michigan winter. What can I say? I'm in hibernation mode and want to do something fun to reenergize my winter wardrobe. More details from the challenge host Lee of Style Bee right here. You definitely don't need a capsule wardrobe to do this. It actually might be good practice to decide if a capsule wardrobe is for you by doing it for a shorter time period like this.

Comment below if you want to join or have any questions about capsules. And be sure to tag me in the comments of your #winter10x10 photos so I know you're along for the ride. xo friends, Em

Wool cape (thrifted) similar here
Sweater (similar)
Boots (similar)
Eyeglasses in Marzipan Tortoise
Buffalo Check High Waist Trousers, Mini Crescent Lune Necklace c/o Joon+Co

Photos by Leigh Ann Cobb

Winter Capsule 2018: Wool coat

New: Capsule Wardrobe posts

Capsule Wardrobe for the Seasons

Winter Capsule 2018: Wool coat

Winter 10x10 Challenge

Winter 10x10 challenge: My 10 capsule items

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