Thrifted Favorites, Part 2: Striped Crop Top

As I progress through my spring capsule, one piece sticks out to me as one of the more versatile and fun items I selected. That would be my thrifted striped crop top. I don't have a long fun story like I did for my camel riding boots but I can say that this purchase took me completely by surprise. I remember picking it off the rack in a comely Goodwill and thinking, "Hey these stripes are nice." Next thing I know, its 9 months later and I'm still wearing it. This particular top has seen a lot of action on the blog, so let's review its uses:

In January:

 In March:

In March once more:

I love this shirt! I can layer it, dress it up or down, and its right at this perfectly weird length where you can't see my belly button but I can't wear it with low-rise jeans, so it functions as a crop top without it being too cropped. I can't wait for summer when I can bum around in this tank and cutoffs and ankle strap sandals, or in something a little more dressy like a midi skirt and flats.

I've looked high and low for similar tank tops to offer as alternatives, but pickings are slim! My only lament is that none of these options offer the same boxy fit that my thrifted one does. I think that cut is so fresh right now- we're moving away from the constantly tight and pulling tops of yester-year and towards something less form-fitting and more structured. Here is my best effort to recapture some of the magic!

Forever 21

If I destroyed my thrifted tank, this is probably what I would replace it with. It has a shorter length than mine, but I like the structure and the neckline.

Aerie

This tank is a looser, more casual option. Perfect with jeans or cutoffs in the summer!

Charlotte Russe

Definitely a crop! This is a great price and it seems to be pretty sturdy. This would be great with a full midi skirt!

Have you found anything excellent thrifting? What's from Goodwill or Salvation Army that has stuck around in your closet?

Red Suede Shoes

Since planning my spring capsule over a month ago, I had been looking for a pair of casual cool sneakers. I gave up on finding any before it was time for my summer capsule, but then I found these Brooks Vanguard shoes on sale (still on sale!) and I decided to go for it. Of course this is against the rules of capsule wardrobes, but I knew these would be a staple in the coming seasons. The red was only available in men's, and luckily I am well-into the men's sizes. They're red, cute, have a retro vibe, don't make my feet look huge, which is no easy feat, and were less than $60. I was couldn't wait for so-called Fun Friday to wear them, so I paired them with a relaxed black pullover and jeans.

Ann Taylor shirt, Gap jeans, Brooks shoes, Bulova watch

I wore this jacquard bomber jacket inside most of the day to complete this sporty look. I found this jacket for $16 at Nordstrom Rack over the summer and it immediately became my summer to-go jacket. It came with me in airplanes and grocery stores, it lived in my car for a few weeks- it was like my own Fuzzy a la Owen. As the temperatures jump (and I do mean jump) upward, I'm looking to this jacket again as a topper for work and class. Its such a basic piece, but the texture really enlivens it!

Nordstrom Rack bomber jacket (similar)

Look for more of these sneakers and this jacket in the coming weeks, I'm so looking forward to easy styles as school tapers off into blissful summer!

Trying on a Capsule Wardrobe

Last week, my sister-in-law Aleah and I were discussing shopping and my self-proclaimed mild shopping addiction, and she showed me this beautiful blog, Unfancy. After reading about Caroline's journey towards a simple, cohesive wardrobe, I was inspired. She created a system for capsule wardrobes that I decided ((full disclosure: Aleah totally convinced me)) that I would give capsule wardrobes a try for this season. Although I'm not totally convinced that this method will work for me, I don't want to continue filling my closet with great deals that gather dust in my closet. This post on shopping has given me great perspective about how to make my purchases (including thrift store scores!) more meaningful and this post really hit home with me about how I feel about so many things in my closet . This is her simple guide to capsule wardrobes, and while I didn't follow the rules exactly, I still found her method helpful.  This is the process I went through to get to my own 37 pieces ((full disclosure: more like 39. Or 40. I want to be flexible)) which, I will mention, that I did most of this process without looking at my clothing... So... I don't recommend that.

1. I wrote down  the items I wore all the time, both to work and otherwise. These are my go-to, wear all the time in every season pieces, like my black skinny jeans and button up blouses. If I had been at home during this process, I would have pulled them out of my closet and made a pile, but between 8 hours in the classroom and 3 hours of class every night... You get the picture.
2. I wrote down the items that I love, but don't necessarily wear frequently because I don't want something to happen to them (read: glue smears, marker dots, a 3 year old's boogers, salad dressing drips). Looking at my closet, I wrote down things like the beautiful blue silk blouse I've had for 2 years and have worn 4 times, the mauve button up I bought full-price because I couldn't wait to wear it. I added those to the list because I want to wear them. I realized that most of my wardrobe was bought from clearance racks and thrift store piles, and therefore didn't cost much. Almost all of my favorites are basics that are easily replaceable and therefore if something happens to it (read: a 4 year old is so excited to see me they don't wait to wash their hands after painting to give me a hug), I can always find a great deal on another similar piece. 
3. I filled in the blanks. I used Unfancy's guide to building a capsule, I rounded out my list and included some things I didn't think about immediately- like flats (I hadn't worn any since November until yesterday) and a blazer. 
4. I created a color palette. I think ideally this step should be coupled with the planning process, like before you shop or pull together your pieces- but being away from my closet I used this more as a check to make sure the colors I put together made sense. I used this tool, then shared my palette with Aleah. We compared our color selections and we nearly had the same palette- classic colors with soft accents. 
5. I actually looked in my closet. This step should probably come second, no? At this point I made my adjustments to my list- added slacks (I forgot to include workwear, that's why my list is 39 piece instead of the usual 37) and removed some sweaters (I forgot its Texas winter- its 80 degrees today). After I adjusted my list, I adjusted my closet. I moved my other items into storage, or made piles for giving away or selling ((full disclosure: this is still happening. Sorry for the mess, E!))

I found this whole process both exciting and exhausting- I made the mistake of starting building my wardrobe the same week my university semester began... Not recommended.

Although I've only been working within my capsule for a few days, I've had one insight: Having a capsule wardrobe gives you permission to wear what you love all the time. I'm no longer guilt-tripped every time I get dressed- I can wear my all-star piece every day! That alone might keep me using a capsule wardrobe. We'll see how the next two months go!

These are the majority of my pieces- a few of them are thrifted vintage pieces I can't find equivalents of online.