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How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe for Work

February 6, 2019

By:

Erin Schrader

CREATING A WORK CAPSULE

It’s a request we are asked for often – more work wear please! And we get it, we do. Ever since I have worked from home, my wardrobe has quickly become leggings and more leggings with sweatshirts upon sweatshirts. While this is fun and all, most people have a little higher regard for their appearance than mine, especially in the work place 😉 Instead of bringing you just one or two easy yet cute head to toe outfits for the office, we thought “why not create an entire capsule wardrobe?!” for all of you hard working women out there. And so that’s what we’re doing here today. Consider this your work wear request on steroids.

WHAT IS A CAPSULE WARDROBE?

If you aren’t familiar with what a capsule wardrobe is, I’ll quickly explain – a capsule wardrobe is where you take several pieces (10-20) that all work together within your wardrobe to interchange and get creative with. The point behind a capsule wardrobe is to minimize the number of items you have on hand while maximizing the number of ways you can wear each piece. From a creativity standpoint, it’s awesome – a capsule wardrobe will force you to be more intentional about making sure all items work together in multiple ways, which really will make you feel like you have a closet full of options with just a few pieces! This not only creates a lot less headache and time in the morning when deciding what to wear but also saves you money as well. I think we can agree that we like saving on all of the above.

HOW TO BUILD A WORK CAPSULE

For our work capsule wardrobe, we went with a color scheme of black [always, duh] with pops of color in shades of yellow, reds and blues. We were also diligent about only purchasing items that you could truly wear at work and on the weekends. There is nothing better than a top or dress that is professional enough for the office but also can be dressed down enough for a night out! For this capsule, we included one blazer, one cardigan, four layering tops, a basic pair of black pants, pencil skirt, a pair of denim [YAY for casual Friday’s!], one dress, two pairs of shoes and a tote to top it all off! With just these 14 items we were able to come up with 23+ different outfits for both work and play. Curious what pieces we chose for our capsule? Here you have em’!

Tops: 

Jacket / Cardigan: 

Pants / Skirt:

Dress:

Shoes: 

Accessories: 

MEET THE PIECES IN THIS WORK CAPSULE:

  1. Let’s start with the Jacquard Square Neck Sheath Dress – this piece is so classic and can truly be worn at work or on a girls trip to Vegas. The material isn’t see through at all, feels like great quality and I love the neckline and hemline. Added bonus: it’s long enough so you don’t have to worry about the whole “is this inappropriate for work!?” thought. Whether you wear it alone with a pair of pumps, or under a blazer for a fierce boss babe look, this dress will easily be one of your most frequented go-tos!

2. Next up, the V-Neck Button Front Hudson Tank in Boysenberry Blue. I love this pop of color and how well this tank layers. While in most offices you may not be able to wear this tank alone, it is great with either the cardigan or blazer, pumps or flats! 

3. A must-have workwear staple? This Silky Zip Front Gramercy Tee. I always wore these when I worked outside of the home as they are nice and lightweight, classic and come in some of the most fun colors! You can truly wear these tops SO many ways [just add black jeans and fun heels for the weekend] and they tuck into pencil skirts perfectly.

4. Oh, how I love this Slim Fit Satin Striped Ruffle Collar Portofino Shirt. I wore Portofino shirts from Express CONSTANTLY when I worked at the credit union for years and years. I think the cut of these tops are so flattering and they are so easy to layer or wear alone. They also work perfectly with pencil skirts. Express has so many colors and patterns in these tops, I highly recommend whenever you can get them on sale!

5. Last but certainly not least, this Button Front Chelsea Popover. You know we couldn’t make it through a capsule post without a little bit of yellow. This top comes in so many colors and it is just as cute for dinner out on a Saturday evening as it is in the boardroom on Monday mornings.

And that my friends, completes all of the work looks that you will need for the next month of life. I hope this post was helpful to those of you with an 8-5 outside of the house and if you have any more requests on what you’d like to see more, always drop them below!

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