Capsule Wardrobe Challenge RECAP

Here are the outfits for the week all together:

What Day worked the best?
	Monday
	Tuesday
	Wednesday
	Thursday
	Friday
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10 Items worn:

1. brown Kohls corduroy blazer (worn Monday only)
2. black ATL knit pocket dress (worn Monday, Thursday)
3. black reversible neck Talbots top, both low and high neck style (worn Monday, Wednesday, Thursday)
4. aubergine AT sheath (worn Tuesday, Friday)
5. purple-brown-black patterned Connections dress (worn Wednesday)
6. purple silk-cotton AT boyfriend cardigan (worn Tuesday, Wednesday)
7. mustard yoked Halogen cardigan (worn Thursday, Friday)
8. brown Kenneth Cole leather jacket (worn Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)
9. brown Franco Sarto back-zip riding boots (worn Monday, Tuesday)
10. black Vince Camuto cowboy/wingtip boots (worn Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)

The 5 Accessories:
1. red-ivory cabbage rose J Crew scarf (worn Monday)
2. 3-in-1 multi-stone necklace, worn long and choker style (worn Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday)
3. muddy black-purple reversible skinny belt, only worn muddy black (worn Tuesday, Thursday)
4. maroon-mustard cotton paisley scarf (worn Thursday)
5. plum-brown Coach bag (worn every day)

Here is the jacket and bag, which were worn daily.


What Did I Learn:

-I need to prepare better for weather changes. I swapped out flats, a camisole, the cotton dress, and a grey sweater to fit in a jacket, more boots, the longer-sleeved knit dress and a long-sleeved top once the temperature dropped 20 degrees.

-Trying on accessories with pre-planned outfits is a must. I swapped out the light scarf and the mustard belt I thought I was going with when I realized they didn't work with the rest of the outfit.

-Multi-use or reversible items saved me. I loved the flexibility of them; knowing I could change the look of the outfit with a flip of the belt helped me feel less trapped by my choices.

-And I did feel *trapped* by the limitations! Every morning, I would look longingly at the rest of my closet, and I felt stifled creatively by only being able to wear from the challenge set. I did not expect that strong a reaction.

-I needed to better pre-plan the schedule of the tops and the bottoms. I scheduled the dress wearings so they worked out evenly through the week, but I ended up wearing two sweaters two days in a row. If I had worn Friday (aubergine sheath and mustard sweater) on Tuesday instead, it would have been more even.

-Doing an all-dress week was easier than I thought it would be. Because I had to lose one sweater for the leather jacket, I lost some of the versatility of the tops, but I think I managed to make the dresses look different with each wearing. Certainly no one at work noticed I was wearing the same ones twice in a week!

-I kind of feel like I cheated a bit by using so many different tights and hose each day, because they definitely changed the feel of the outfit. On the other hand, I deliberately stuck with the same glasses all week, instead of using the 4 pairs I have as accessories like I usually do.

All in all, I liked this challenge; it forced me to get creative with what I had in front of me, which got easier as the week progressed. I don't think I could do it every week, but I probably will participate again next season, just to keep myself challenged. I might even try some pants or skirts then!

Thank you so much to Jane at The Small Fabric of My Life for coming up with this challenge, and a great job to all the participants I was following, (many of whom I have now added to my blog roll, thanks to meeting them through the challenge): Fashion Junkie, Sheila, Bella, Shiny, Make Do Style, Dawn, Chewy Spaghetti, Lorena, Kasmira, Kari, Audi, B/C Changeover

Now I have to go check out the other links Jane had on her blog, to see who else I missed! :)