Welcome to my wardrobe for Winter 2020!

Yes, I am aware that we're already a month deep in the season, but I never got round to doing this post in december and I was missing my capsule after a season of limitless wardrobe use. I just feel like limiting myself to a capsule gives more of a sense of direction to my style and I do like that feeling.

So, what have I included in my winter wardrobe?

• 7 coats/jackets
• 5 sweaters/cardigans
• 7 tops/blouses
• 4 trousers
• 4 skirts
• 3 dresses
• 5 pairs of shoes

Which brings us to a total amount of 35 pieces. I also added some bags and accessories to the collage for fun, but I don't neccesarily have to limit myself to these. I did not include into the count: tops that I only wear for layering underneath sweaters, loungewear, sportswear and underwear. 



Outerwear

The first thing you might notice is the exhuberant amount of coats, bazers and jackets. What can I say? I'm jacket obsessed and I couldn't choose! It was already hard limiting myself down to just 7. This meant not including my long brown leather coat nor my biker jacket, both will be missed for sure, but I figured they both get loads of wears during spring and fall already, so I really focussed on my more wintery pieces, like my long checked coat that I bought at a fast fashion retailer 4 years ago, and that hasn't gotten nearly enough wears lately.

There a few new-to-me pieces in here as well, like the leather parka I thrifted for no more than €3 a few months ago. It's also got a fur trimmed removable hood which isn't depicted here. It has been such a faithful friend on rainy days that I can say with my hand on my heart: best €3 ever spent!

The teddy jacket was a preloved online purchase from Zara's previous winter collection. I felt a bit bad buying this, since I just felt like sponsoring a fast fashion addict to continue her current behavior. But I'll admit, I have very much enjoyed wearing this piece already. It's surprisingly warm and makes me feel very cute and cuddly.

Knitwear

I included almost every single piece of knitwear I own, except for some knits that are too thin to keep me warm these days and my camel coloured oversized jumper. Most of these are 3 to 5 years old already and they still look sooooo pretty. Which really proves that investing in good qualty wool knitwear and washing these as least as possible really does pay off!


Tops

Yes, that is correct, I included two leopard print tops in my capsule! And why the heck not? One has a shirt collar and the other one is a wrap blouse and I just felt I coudn't miss either of them. Furthermore we have two pink numbers here, one floral blouse and one marroon coloured blouse from Armed Angels that I got for free at work to wear as a uniform (I work at a sustainable fashion store), but I happen to like pretty much, so decided to add it to my personal wardrobe.

Trousers
 
Nothing much to add here, just my all time favourite 4 years old H&M jeans and then some extra pairs of trousers I'll harldy wear, because my faves hardly ever leave my legs. No just kidding, but yeah, basically, no really!

Skirts

Four skirts, 2 of them thrifted, one 8 year old Zara skirt and an Armed Angels denim skirt I bought last summer, but looks really cute with black nylons and my patent croco boots too!

Dresses

I'm honestly quite surprised myself to have no less than 4 skirts and 3 dresses in my capsule, since I always considered myself more of a pants person. Don't be fooled though, my jeans will definitely get the most wear out of them, but dresses and skirts are always fun for more styling options and versatality on the ol' Instagram feed!

Shoes

This must be the first time in like ever that I didn't add any sneakers to my capsule and that cn only be so because I have found THE most comfy AND elegant lace-up booties everrrrr known to human kind. I swear I could live in those shoes, but of course my croco embossed calf high boots are also very cute and I love my "hiking" boots for a more tuff gal look.


Well, I do believe we have discussed everything at lenght now. Kudos to you if you're been reading ;).

35 items.
2 months and 7 days.
I for one can't wait to see all the different combo's I'll be able to come up with. Be sure to follow along on the gram!



psssst: Wanna start your own capsule, but have no idea how? Check out my previous posts on moodboards, finding your key items, best combo's and capsuling!

How to find your closet essentials.

Getting started with a capsule closet is not easy. There are so many methods and different types of capsule challenges (like Project 333, the 10x10 wardrobe challenge, the classic 37 pieces wardrobe) and probably also many misconceptions or clichés that you've got on your mind (such as: every capsule needs a breton striped top and a beige trench coat, because those are classic pieces!) that are scaring you off or holding you back.

It has taken me years of actively analyzing my own clothes and style and what I liked on other people, to finally come up with a closet that feels coherent, practical, full of items that I actually love and mainly very much like "me".

And you wanna know what the good part is? I don't put any limitations on how many pieces I include in my wardrobe! If I buy something new, I don't have to toss two items out, because I love every item in my closet and I don't want to part with any of it! I haven't adapted the typical "neutral" colour scheme, but simply stick to a colour palette that I chose because I love it (of course it involves a lot of  pink). And I certainly don't abide to any rules about "classic, essential staples", but rather I have taken the time to figure out my own essentials!

Wanna find out how to get a wardrobe like that of your own?

Spring 2019 capsule closet

Spring is around the corner, and y'all know what that means: time for a new capsule closet! But before we have a look at what I picked out, let me break down my capsule wardrobe guidelines. First of all, for me, capsules are not about keeping yourself on a tight leash of 37 items, which must include the so-called classics, such as a trenchcoat, a striped top and a black blazer.

Nor is it about carefully selecting 37 items, wearing 'em for 1 season and then locking 'em up for storage for the rest of eternity. I use and re-use a lot of the same items over different seasons and you will notice that I've taken a lot of my winter capsule pieces with me into spring.

Why even bother making them, then? Well, I just like to use this tool as a way of adding some intention into getting dressed. It also gives me the opportunity to keep myself occupied with the topic clothes and fashion in a less harmless way than, let's say, going on shopping sprees. It's just one of those many ways to help you learn define your own style and to help you love what you already have, which is so important in a sustainable lifestyle.

But enough of that now. Let's have a look, shall we?

5 tricks to become a better thrifter

When I talk with friends about my sustainable shopping habits, something that often seems to come up is that they can't understand how I find so many decent preloved clothes (like all of the items in the picture above). Most of my friends have tried going down the secondhand road, but they never find stuff in their size, everything just seems old, scruffy and messy and they give up before even hitting the fitting rooms. Sound familiar? Well then, I am here to rescue with some tried and tested tricks to become a true thrift shopping queen!

Winter 2019 capsule wardrobe

We're officially already over a week deep into Winter, but I wouldn't want to break my habit of starting my capsules a bit late, so here we are ;). I hope you all had a lovely Christmas dinner, without the usual indigestion to follow - I know I sure needed some time to recover from mine! But anyway, let's dive into that closet now, ey?!

3 natural foundations tried and tested.

Okay, so technically it's two BB creams and one foundation, but since one of the BB creams actually gives more coverage then most foundations and still requiers a daycream underneath, I figured I'd just throw them all into the same pot. So, like I've said here before, I am no make-up pro, but I do have an honest opinion about these products and I always like to share.

Summer 2018 Capsule Wardrobe

9 days overdue, but here it finally is: my summer 2018 capsule wardrobe! Care to have a closer look at my selection?

3 natural deodorants reviewed

Transitioning from the regular beauty counter to the natural one, isn't always easy. And that sure counts for deodorants. I wish I could say that my armpits naturally smell like fresh spring blossoms, but unfortunately they don't. I have quite a physically intensive job and I tend to sweat easily, so I need a deodorant that can cope. I tried several ones in the past that don't contain aluminium chloride, but none of them did the trick for me. That is why I have been religiously holding on to my Dove classis deo stick, long after I'd switched up all of my other beauty and care products to a (more) natural alternative. But, about a month ago, I decided it was time to grab the deodorant by the armpits - or something like that? - and to keep searching till I found what I needed. So I tried and tested 3 different products, and here's what I discovered:

Spring 10x10 style challenge recap.

I'm a bit late with my Spring 10x10 recap, but I'm not gonna beat myself up about that, because the Buddha wouldn't want me to, right?

Anyhow, getting right to business: this 10x10 might have been my third one (read more about my previous experiences here and here), but I can tell you it did not go like a charm! First things first though let's have a look at the items I picked and the looks I created.

Spring 2018 Capsule Wardrobe

Under the motto "better jump late on that ol' bandwagon than never" I decided to create my very first Capsule wardrobe for this Spring. Care to find out which pieces I picked out and how I went about the process of choosing them?

Spring 2018 Capsule closet: The moodboard

I decided to create my very first capsule wardrobe for this spring (raise your hand if you're excited!!! Oh, and yes, I'm completely ignoring tht fact that it was snowing last weekend, spring is right around the corner folks!). It will be 35 pieces large (shoes and handbags included) and I'm sharing all of it this Friday. But today, I just thought I'd pop in with a super short blogpost about my spring moodboard.

My daily natural skincare routine.

Though natural beauty and skincare products are very much on the rise, they're still far from being mainstream. They're often more expensive than your regular drugstore or supermarket alternative, and definitely a leap from the brands we have all known and used for years. That's why diving into natural beauty, body and skincare products might feel a little risky to some.

I must say, I feel pretty damn good banning (certainly unnecessary but more probably harmful) chemicals from my daily routine. It's not as if I notice any shocking differences in my body, it's more of a mental thing. Like I feel safer using these products and also like I am taking care of my body in a more intentional way.

Anyhow, I'm not here to convince anyone of the pros of natural beauty products. I'm sure there are more than enough people who've already taken on that job and do it way better than I ever could. I'm just here to give some of my honest, independent and non-sponsered reviews on products that I recommend to anyone who is already interested in natural beauty, but doesn't really know where to start. I already talked to you about my favourite make-up products, and today I'm sharing some much loved bathing, body and skincare products.

A Sustainable shopping guide pt. 2

To be sure, the offer of sustainable styles has vastly improved over the last few years. The days of tree-hugging fashions are happily far behind us. But still, finding brands that offer really fashion foreward pieces and at the same time make an effort to minimise their environmental impact and/or improve labour conditions for their manufacturers? Not always an easy job! That's why I started a small series in which I go on a quest to find brands that meet all of my standards.

Read Pt. 1 of this series right here if you hadn't already! Or head straight on to Pt. 2 for which I selected 3 brands and one multi-brand shop. Be prepared for some serious shopping cravings, because they all offer lovely pieces!

A sustainable yoga wear shopping guide.

In the light of transparency, let me begin by confessing that the outfit depicted above is alas not particularly ethical or eco-friendly. I bought it at H&M last September (during my shopping diet, nota bene!), because I had started taking yoga classes and mainly because I wanted a treat. What can I say, making mistakes is part of the process of learning.

Anyhow, finding myself 26 days deep in the Yoga with Adriene True journey (okay, truth be told, I'm a bit behind, day 22 it is), my craving for pretty yoga stuff seems to grow stronger by the day. And to make sure that I won't fall headfirst in the same trap, I decided to peruse the net for pretty yoga stuff. Care to have a look?

Winter 10x10 style challenge pt. 1

As some of you may remember, last summer I embarked on a little style challenge, called the 10x10. And now, in the bleak midwinter, I decided to do it all over again! But before I get into my hopes and goals for this particular challenge, let me refresh a bit what this challenge is all about.

3 awesome natural beauty brands you need to know about.

Before we start this post, let me confess to you that I am by no means a beauty connaisseur. Yes, like a lot of women I have been wearing make-up daily since I was about 15 years old, but to me it was always more of a functional thing. I was never that teenage (or twenty-something, or whatever) girl that could spend hours on end experimenting with new products or perfecting her techniques. I've also been quite the low budget shopper when it comes to make-up. So maybe, I'm not the best judge when it comes to evaluating make-up brands.

That being said, I absolutely LOVE the 3 brands I'm about to discuss below. So, if you're interested in an amateur's opinion...

Lessons learned from 11 months on a shopping diet.

As the year is coming to an end, looking back on what has been, is traditionally part of the deal. Since I spent the biggest part of 2017 (starting from february , that is) on a shopping diet, it seems only logical to evaluate how much of my intention I managed to make true, and how the experience has been for me. Exited to find out how I did and what I learned ?

A sustainable / small business Christmas gift guide for procastinators.

 
Ho, ho, ho mateys! My "tree" is all set, the only thing that's still missing are the presents! Yes, yes, I procastinate. But not for long, because I just fabricated a collection of the cutest gifts and stocking fillers from around the web. I included some of my favourite Etsy shops (shop small business y'all!) and some fair trade and sustainably made stuff. Go and have a peek! Or are you telling me that you're one of those A-types who already did all of their Christmas shopping weeks ago?! No, I didn't think so!

The 10x10 challenge pt.4

A week overdue, but here we are: my 10x10 challenge round-up. I you have no idea what I'm talking about: read all about it in pt. 1. I you are curious to find out what I took out of this little experiment, do read on!

The 10x10 challenge pt. 3

Part three of the 10x10 styling challenge y'all! I have to admit that things got a bit more difficult towards the end. Turns out styling 10 outfits with 10 pieces isn't that simple after all. But first let me talk you through what I wore.