Well, as you can see, documenting my winter capsule here was short-lived. I learned that after posting all week to Instagram, it often didn’t feel like the best use of time to repeat documenting my outfits here when I could be planning other content or talking about my capsule in a more meaningful way. So for spring, that is what is on the agenda! I’ll be sharing my capsule over on my Instagram when it comes to daily outfits, and keeping content here to longer-form posts on various topics and reflections on some of my favorite outfits.
Beyond learning about myself and how I like to spend my time, I learned a lot about my style from my winter capsule.
- I wore only about 50% of the items the majority of the time.
- As much as I like to think I get dressed for myself, I do get dressed for other people. My least-worn items were things that required steaming or ironing, because I felt there was no point to steaming clothing for a photo, to then sit at home.
- It was a fun capsule, but it wouldn’t have been practical if I were leaving the house and going to the office every day – we had such a cold winter. I enjoyed playing dress up a little during this time, but I think that if I repeat a capsule challenge next winter the outfits will look a lot different and probably less interesting.
I also had some observations about capsule wardrobes and blogging generally that I thought were fascinating – mainly, that I find people talk a lot about how they love and want to see influencers outfit repeat, but I definitely noticed a dip in response to my posts when I wore the same things over and over. It could be a lot of factors: time of day that I posted, quality of photo or outfit, my captions, but it was interesting nonetheless. And I am making the assumption that at least some of it was perhaps our subconscious desire for novelty. I mean, some days I was pretty bored with my wardrobe, too, so I don’t blame anyone! Being aware of that helps me fight unnecessary consumption though, since I know the root of the feeling – it isn’t that I have nothing to wear, it’s that I feel like I have nothing to wear if there isn’t something new and exciting all the time.
Another challenge was that capsule wardrobing is sort of inherently incompatible with being an “influencer.” It was definitely challenging to turn down partnerships that didn’t align with keeping my closet small – I’m only human! I questioned a lot if being more stringent in the partnerships I accept was the right thing to do this year. But reducing the gifted products I accept and the things I promote feels right for me in this season of life, and for my beliefs about living sustainably. The hardest part of it was when (generally former) affiliate partners would reach out and tell me I wasn’t “selling enough”, and figuring out how to navigate that tension between sustainable consumption and sales. There is a lot of good to be created through conscious consumerism, but for me, it is just one part of trying to walk on this earth more responsibly. I’m grateful to the brands I continue to work with, who I’ve been able to have really meaningful conversations on this topic with.
I am looking forward to my spring capsule and the warmer weather, which is my favorite season for fashion, and to continue to learn about myself and the clothing that makes me feel most comfortable. I am also interested to see if I notice the same patterns in how people respond to repeated outfits, and to see how I personally can stay true to my style this season as brighter colors and 90s silhouettes become more popular. My spring capsule is made of a lot of old favorites, as well as a few new items for inspiration and to mix things up just enough.
Spring capsule, minus a few things in the wash.
Happy spring – catch up with you all soon.
xx
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