Winter Capsule Wardrobe

The first day of winter was back before Christmas, but it always feels to me like winter starts after all of Christmas is packed away. Warm socks, sweaters, and boots come out and we prep to endure the bitterly cold months ahead. In the midwest, these months can be long and gray and cold. They can also be magical with blanket forts, snow angels, twinkle lights, and hot cocoa.

I’ve just recently put together my winter capsule wardrobe. There are more clothing items because more layers are needed when it’s 15 degrees outside (or -15). It’s simple math. However, I took a different approach this time when I was choosing things to keep in my wardrobe. I asked myself one question:

If I were to go shopping today, would I buy this?

This simple question helped me to narrow down my wardrobe considerably and only choose things I really love to put on my body: my trusted gray sweatshirt, my high rise leggings, those thick wool socks, that sweater that matches my eyes. The question afforded me new eyes in which to look at my closet and helped me to finally donate some items I just don’t get excited about anymore.

Here is the breakdown of my wardrobe:

5 sweatshirts/comfy shirts

1 dress

3 short sleeve t-shirts

1 dressy tank top

3 cardigans

6 sweaters

2 button down tops

2 vests

2 pairs of leggings

1 pair of skinny black jeans

1 pair of high rise skinny jeans

1 pair of brown ankle boots

1 pair of black ankle boots

1 pair of black knee high boots

1 pair of waterproof boots

1 pair of sneakers

1 winter coat

I didn’t plan it, but somehow I ended up with 33 items, the same number of items for Courtney Carver’s Project 333. If you’re interested, check out her site for more information. It’s a great challenge.

I’m not big on having or not having a specific number of items, but I’m always interested to see how many items there are in my capsule wardrobe.

Have you put together a capsule wardrobe for this winter? I would love to hear.