20 Pieces for Your Capsule Wardrobe

After living in my trailer for several months, and only having a closet that held very few hangers, my style changed. I went from having way too many pieces to having just what I needed. I found this made it increasingly easy to put together outfits, which was a relief to me as I am not skilled in this area!

I work in an office setting that is somewhere between business casual and formal. If you work in a more formal setting, you may want to consider adding blazers, and removing the t-shirts to more tailored shirts in this capsule.

Psst! Before you begin trying to put together outfits, check out the primer on how to build a capsule wardrobe!

The List

Here is my list of pieces needed to build a work capsule wardrobe:

• 3-4 pairs of dress pants
• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 dress or sweater dress
• 3 cardigans
• 3-4 scarves
• 2 long sleeved shirts
• 3 t-shirts
• 1 pair of boots
• 1 pair of flats
• 1 pair of leggings

I went out on four different shopping excursions to get all the pieces that I needed. One of my favourites stores to hit up is Marks’. Their clothes are comfortable, and provide basics like soft Denver Hayes t-shirts or more dressy business attire. I have a hard time concentrating between all the activewear, Columbia goodness and hiking shoes! I can usually come out with several bags that will serve my wardrobe well.

Beyond that, I tend to go thrifting to find new clothing for a fraction of the price & support local charities and nonprofit organizations. My best advice is to go in with a list and try on everything. The hanger can be deceiving!

The Outfits

Out of these 20 pieces, I was able to assemble the following a multitude of outfits. I’m still finding combinations that I didn’t expect each week. The solid pants (grey, black with pinstripe and black) mix well with almost everything.

Here’s my favourite ones! If you want to catch others, follow us on Twitter & Instagram as we will be sharing more over the next week!

Top Left: DH3 Chunky Cable Long Cardigan – an easy throw over your favourite long sleeved t-shirt (maybe a soft cozy one like Denver Hayes Soft Everyday V-Neck?). Top Right: Blue Cardigan with Denver Hayes Soft Everyday Grey Shirt. Bottom Left: Red Sweater Dress with Black Fleece Lined Leggings and sweet Tan Boots. Bottom Right: Alfred Sung Striped Edge to Edge Cardigan, Denver Hayes Artisan T-Shirt. 

What other outfits do you think I could make with the pieces above?