Something I have learned in the past few years is how important it is to build yourself a capsule wardrobe. By this I mean, a wardrobe of clothes with which you can create a multitude of outfits to suit various occasions, moods and seasons. Predominantly constructed of good quality basics, these items are mostly neutral, to which you can add a personal touch of print, colour and cut as you go. These may come across as a little on the simple, or even more 'boring' side, but I am thinking of versatility, value for money, quality, comfort and style.
I made up a few boards which has helped me to shape my capsule wardrobe, and found that sticking within these limits helped me to avoid spending money on random items which, when I looked back on months later I had either grown sick of seeing too much on others or just didn't like. Within the capsule wardrobe I prioritise pieces which avoid 'trend' and retain 'staple'.
I had so many Audrey Hepburn books growing up, and the classic pieces I saw her wear, have informed my love of elegant style. I think I bear her in mind more often than I realise.
The boards pictured make up my 'Must Have Shoes For Any Woman'
I think there are essential shoes which should make up your wardrobe, to carry you through any outfit. I made up a couple of boards with the shoes I own, or as similar to mine as I could find at the time.
I tend to stick within black, white, cream, tan, nude and khaki. If I go with a print, it tends to be an animal print, but in natural colours, or some kind of black and white combination. I have also owned bright shoes in orange, red, blue, silver or gold, but these I consider a part of the add-on, occasional shoe. At the end of the day, any of the items in these boards can be styled with an occasional piece, which adds a little extra something to the look. I also think you can have multiple variations of these shoes, but as a general rule, if you have the list below, you can get through any 'what shoes do I wear?' debacle with happy feet.
Broken down the list looks like this:
- 1x Black leather pointed pump heels, (can be patent, suede or a mix)
- 1 x Nude / tan leather pointed pump heels (the nude will make your legs look longer, which is nice)
- 1x White leather heels, I prefer these to be either a pointed pump or thick strapped heeled sandals
- 1x Hidden wedge sneaker in chalk, or in black (Isabel Marant though, all the way!)
- 1x Black studded, buckled ankle boots (these Chloe ones get worn every week)
- 1x Black heeled ankle boots (cool with dresses, skirts, or skinny jeans)
- 1x Black strappy open toed heels (nude is also okay)
- 1x Animal print pointed pumps (make sure they are leather, but can have a faux pony hair finish)
- 1x Converse sneakers in white, black or khaki (or Keds, Vans etc)
- 1x Black patent oxfords (they have more arch support than ballet flats, sorry Audrey)
- 1x Black, white, tan, silver or gold thick strapped sandals (I DO NOT ENDORSE THONGS/ FLIP FLOPS)
I will be bringing you more of this sort of post in coming weeks, so stay tuned, and please share any comments or ask any questions below.
Happy Capsule creating!
xx Jenelle
Instagram @jenellewitty
