Friday, March 3, 2017

My summer capsule wardrobe


It's about time for my summer wardrobe post, since it is only three weeks away from officially being autumn here in New Zealand.  I liked what reader Karen T. had to say in her comment on last week's post.  She said that because where she lives has two seasons rather than four, you can get bored with wearing the same clothes for that long.

For this reason she prefers to spread her purchasing out over the six month season, buying the same amount overall, but keeping things fresh by not having it all at once.  That's what I have been doing this summer season, I realised from reading Karen's comment.

The two soft denim-y dresses above, from Esprit, I bought in January, and the wedge sandals were new this week.

I much prefer dresses to skirts for summer wear.  Not only do they suit my body shape better, but they are much cooler in the heat. My preferred type of dress is with no horizontal waist seam and fitting while still being loose-ish.  If they are too baggy or baby-doll style it is not a good look for someone with a bust.  The dress tents out from there and, well, who wants to look pregnant when they're not?

Below are my warmer weather weight trousers.  The two dark pairs - navy and black - are pull-on, no waistband, no pockets cuffed capri type pants.  They look like nothing off, but are comfortable and chic on, in my opinion.  I go for a simple look pairing these with one of my striped tops and a pair of ballet flats or Vans slip-ons.

The grey-green stretch jean-trousers (they are meant to be faded in and out) I have had for a while and I love to wear them with a black top, or my two green tops.



Can you see a theme where I find a shape I like and buy similar?  The two blouses on the left are a slight boho/smock style and I have found a couple that don't make me look huge (sometimes they are very gathered).  These two have floppy fabrics.  I like the striped one with my navy capri pants and the black/white/pink mini leopard one with my black capri pants.  The top is a slinky stretchy loose square neck style with short cap sleeves and is always comfortable and chic.



My three striped tops are still going strong, as I'm sure you can tell from my Instagram photos where I am in stripes more often than not.  The two green tops are the ones I like with my green pants.  The green tee-shirt is supposed to look old and wrinkled, promise :)



And then there are my shoes for the warm weather.  Again, a lot of duplicates, but in my defence I stocked up before we sold the shop, that's why I have four pairs of identical Birkenstocks.



So what did I buy new this season?  Not counting shoes from our own store, I bought the two denim dresses, two pairs of capri pants and orange wedge sandals (which are easy to wear because they have a platform - they don't feel like high heels).  Everything else I already had.  This is easier to achieve when you live in a temperate climatic like I do.

For many of you, it is coming into spring, and it is exciting for those of us in the southern hemisphere to be thinking about our autumn wardrobes.

Thanks so much everyone for all the great comments on last week's post '3 ways to fall in love with your wardrobe again'; I got some extra inspiration from them :)

Are you looking forward to the upcoming season?
What were your favourite purchases from this season?

Have a great week!


fiona

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Here are some other personal style posts you might like too:

28 comments:

  1. Love your summer wardrobe choices!

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  2. This looks so versatile. I admire that you have homed in on the silhouette that works for you. So smart!

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    1. I really think I have gotten down to what suits my figure!

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  3. I love it. It's so much fun seeing someone else's capsule wardrobe. The two dresses are my favorite!

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    1. The dresses are so soft and easy to wear too :)

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  4. Everything looks great, and I like the red wedges and chambray top combination - what beautiful colors! We are so much alike in that we buy multiples.

    D.

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    1. Oh, I just realized they're dresses, not tops. They're gorgeous.

      D.

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    2. Thanks D! One of the dresses is middish-thigh and one is above the knee.

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  5. Fiona, thank you very much for sharing your lovely wardrobe.
    I am going to update my wardrobe when I go on a short holiday next weekend.
    Since I come from a "season~less" weather, my dressing is more situational than seasonal! :-) And it's still fun.

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    1. Yes, in your area you wouldn't have to have seasonal wardrobes. I guess there are pros and cons to that. Situational is another good thing to think about. I love dresses, but I have quite a few more formal ones that don't get much wear, yet I live in them on summer days and only have two casual dresses!

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  6. Living in Australia I can relate to the two season per year - but where I live summer lasts for over six months and 'winter' is only two months so I have little opportunity to wear long sleeves (or rather my preferred 3/4 sleeves) and layers. Plus perimenopause has raised my thermostat so I am always hotter anyway. Conditions that make it impossible to be chic from November to April (and possibly longer) but I do what I can :)

    Thank you for sharing your summer wardrobe. I enjoy seeing everything together - I think we are such visual creatures - and the simplicity inspires me. I bought two pairs of quality jeans on sale at last year's end of season and am itching to wear those. I also bought two pairs of ballet flats (one neutral beige tone and the other gorgeous leopard skin) on sale which I have worn a few times. So my cooler weather wardrobe is ready and waiting. As soon as this blasted humidity drops I'm good to go ! Due to weight gain around my middle I no longer feel comfortable in tighter fitting tops and have been wearing looser around my middle so will discard those unsuitable (either give to my neighbour or to charity shop). Looking chic also means being comfortable :).

    Thanks for another great post.

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    1. I love the sound of your new autumn pieces, Lara. I like to wear tops that skim my mid-section too :)

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  7. I bought very little last season because I am going through everything and downsizing. But I did add two tees and an unconstructed sweater in burgundy, a new color for me. I also added a dark teal long sleeve tee which I love. I really look forward to spring and summer since winters are so harsh here. I already know that I am adding one or two pairs of shoes, a sandal and a ballet flat. Then I will do the same thing with my spring/summer clothes that I did with the winter ones-try to wear everything and dispose of anything that doesn't fit or that I am not thrilled about wearing.

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    1. You are an inspiration with your reverse project 333, Kristien :) Excited to hear how spring/summer goes for you.

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  8. A perfectly curated wardrobe. Here in America, I'm planning my summer wardrobe now and am looking for something such as those chic, simple black and navy pants. Is the cuffed part tight or loose on the ankle? And Is it a brand I can pick up here? And the striped Breton tops are perfect, as well. Is there a brand you recommend? So far I've got a pair of loose linen black pants to wear with tank tops in navy, black, and forest green. In addition, I have some cropped dark denim jeans to wear with black, navy, and forest green tee-shirts. I'd love to include some black cropped pants like yours and a striped Breton top to mix it up a bit.
    Always love your wardrobe posts. xx Sorry for the dupe post.

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    1. Hi Kristi, the pants are made in New Zealand - they may post overseas? http://www.sills-and-co.com/sills/pants/cuffed-hepburn/e1063.aspx?c=1 They are the 'Hepburn' pant from Sills. The cuff is not tight and they end between the calf and the ankle. I bought a size 10 and I think you and I are the same height and a similar weight? I'd normally buy size 12 (which is an American 8) but the 10s were better because of the stretch. They are definitely not too tight.

      My striped tops are by Esprit also, coincidentally. Those and the two dresses are the only Esprit things I have.

      I'd love to get some summerweight jeans, all of mine are too warm to wear when it's really hot. Your linen pants and tank tops sound great - very Saint Tropez :)

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  9. Cute! Will check out the pants and I have always loved Esprit. Thanks.

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  10. Dear Fiona, your summer wardrobe is cute, well curated, and very inspirational! I especially like the 3/4 sleeve striped tops and the chambray dresses. Thank you for sharing!

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  11. Hey, Fiona, I love the denim dresses--to me they are a great way to make denim a more feminine casual option for women, plus they are the kind of dresses you can keep wearing over and over again and no one would think anything of it, just like they wouldn't if you wore a pair of jeans repeatedly. I want to tell you I recently purchased 4 of your paperback books, and they have been a lifesaver. The escapism plus practical ways to make daily tasks fun and femme again. Thank you so much for being the chic mentor I have been needing. I'm in my early 30s and I like to think of you as the sister I never had! Much love, Jen.

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    1. Hi Jen, that's true about both the points you make of my denim dresses - yay! Thank you so much for ordering my books and I'm very happy that you are enjoying them. I would love to be your sister in chic :)

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  12. What a lovely summer wardrobe, Fiona! I shall have to sort my clothes out again soon, and I know I will need shoes for summer, and sandals. I don't like summer shoes because they don't give my feet sufficient support but one can't wear winter shoes all year round! I bought some Converse trainers but they are NOT COMFORTABLE so I will have re-think what to wear with jeans and chinos. I can no longer wear hears, nor flip-flops because of arthritic feet (although they are not misshapen feet, they look quite good actually, but they just hurt!)
    I thought your 'dresses' were tops, they are so short, but very pretty! I loved the dresses I wore in the 1950s and 1960s, nothing has come anywhere near as nice as those, sadly! Now they are 'vintage' wear, tee-hee, and I used to wear them when they were the height of fashion!
    Margaret P

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    1. I agree, Margaret, Converse are not as comfortable as many say. I wear mine for a look, but not all-day comfort. Have you tried Skechers Go Walks? They are so soft on sore feet, and in certain colours can look attractive with jeans and chinos. I would choose navy, black or taupe. They look nicer with a white sole than an all-over colour in my opinion - a little bit sporty.

      I wear them at home mostly, but love them for travel too. They are a sacrifice in style, but when you want comfort, nothing beats them. Go try some on and see what you think :)

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    2. I love black Skechers Go Walks, and wear them with jeans all the time. They really are comfortable.

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    3. Thanks for that tip, Fiona. I shall certainly now try Sketchers! And I love neutrals such as you suggest, and as Karen T has also mentioned, in black, navy or taupe.
      Margaret P

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  13. Hi Erina, I wear muted tones rather than clear (saturated?), being a 'soft summer' in the Colour Me Beautiful world. And I wear black, which strictly speaking is a little bit hard on me. I stick to tones that are neither too warm nor too cool. For example I love a soft coral red on me but a purply-pink or orange would be too far in either direction for me.

    Yes, I use that colour theory often. One of the colours I get the most 'you look nice' comments on is a deep slate blue which is the colour of my eyes - a dark grey-blue. Straight charcoal grey with no blue in it doesn't look nearly as good on me, it's quite flat and heavy and makes me look tired. Plus I suit beige/caramel/oatmeal colours which tones with my hair, andI like a nude blush pink colour which is similar to my skin. Eyes is meant to be the main colour though so have a good look at your eyes close-up in the mirror and see what you already have that matches.

    Yay for library books, thank you for asking them! Yes, I was very tickled when I saw my books with the library stickers on the spine. What a day that was :)

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Merci for your comment. Wishing you a chic day!

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