Pantone Fall 2017 Capsule Wardrobe!
I’m so excited! I’ve been planning this little capsule for weeks now, and it’s been really satisfying to pull it all together!
First off, the colours:
This is Pantone’s Fall 2017 colour palette for New York. I’ve done a lot of thinking on my own blog about colour palettes, and, well, these are definitely not my colours! I usually wear jewel tones and always prefer cool colours. That just makes this a more enjoyable challenge though: Can I make a mini capsule wardrobe in these colours that is flattering and fun to wear?
I had a few ground rules:
- incorporate clothes that are already in my wardrobe wherever possible
- keep it flattering so that it will get worn
- use my Cali Fabric order to add in colours that were lacking in my wardrobe!
I have to say, Cali is a great store to shop at when you are looking for specific colours, because everything is organised by shade. It was simple to scroll to the pink or burgundy fabrics and chose the best one for me!
Speaking of pink and burgundy, here are the three projects I’ve posted about so far:
From left to right: a rayon sweater knit cardigan; a double brushed poly tank; and a double brushed poly cosy tunic/top!
Next, I started pulling items from my existing wardrobe that fit the colour scheme. I was excited that two of the pieces actually came from Cali Fabrics too, including this coral leopard jersey dress which I shortened into a tank, and another tank sewn from leftovers from this model jersey dress!
I also pulled in a simple grey cardigan, RTW grey jeggings, the Ginger jeans I’m wearing with the tank above, this spruce green shirt, and a new floral top that included lime green and navy.
Here is how my plans looked when I sketched them out!
That’s a total of 18 options, plus a few more if I get creative!
You’ll notice I did totally ignore the orange shade – and that comes back to my self-imposed rule about keeping it flattering. Harsh orange is not my colour, and neither is that Buttercream… but at least the buttercream can be introduced more easily with camel-coloured shoes The green is another difficult shade for me to wear, so I only used it in one print!
Ready to see my mini capsule wardrobe?
First, tanks and a tee with both navy and grey jeans…
… and layered with my grey sweater…
…or the burgundy one! For the photoshoot, I just used one pair of shoes, one necklace,and one scarf, but in reality I think accessories would add a lot of variety to these looks!
Long-sleeved tops with both jeans… the navy jeans are actually much darker and more distinct in real life, but I know in photos the two pants look very similar! These tops are actually both the same pattern, and can also be pulled down and worn as tunics with leggings.
And here you have the whole collection:
Overall, I had so much fun revamping my fall wardrobe with this capsule collection. I made me combine existing pieces with different colours, and I got lots of very wearable outfits. In retrospect, I could have had more variation if I’d included at least one dress, or more dramatically-different jeans. That said, this is exactly how I dress for work and play, and I know everything will get worn!
Have you even made a capsule or mini-capsule wardrobe? And if you were going to add just three pieces to spice up your fall wardrobe, what would you add?
I always love a walk through your wardrobe planning process Gillian 🙂 Last year I discovered I only owned one blouse and went on a blouse making binge – really I only ended up with one more although I learned a lot and will make more in the future (the Harrison is my favourite so far) As fall was approaching I realized I only own one knit top with 3/4 sleeves in navy that I’ve almost worn out (not surprising since I only own one!) so I’m working to fix that starting with a shorty raglan Ebony. I’ve lengthened the sleeves and I’m just quickly sewing up my practice to see how it looks then I’ll tweak it and sew up a few 🙂
You know (and this is truly odd) I’ve been thinking of sewing a Harrison lately! I’ve got this african wax print that I want to sew, and I’m totally lost on what to do with a stiff coven cotton… if it wasn’t a totally overwhelming time at work, I might do it! Give me a pep talk, Kathleen!
It came together really well! And though it’s odd to see you in these more muted colors after following your blog for this long, they do look good.
I attempted a capsule wardrobe once, probably around 8 years ago. It was a disaster. Most of my fabrics were purchased online and didn’t coordinate nearly as well as I’d hoped, and the silhouettes of the pieces didn’t go together that well either. I don’t think I even finished it, because it was so demoralizing. I’ve had better luck in sewing single complete outfits since, and the capsule wardrobe posts on the CSC over the summer were really inspiring! So I’m sketching out possibilities for a 4×4 capsule, and may give that a try. I just need to settle on what colors and what season my wardrobe needs more, since my current sewing rate means it’ll probably take me 2 years to finish even if I can find some pieces already in my wardrobe to start with!
I find combining the silhouettes hard too! And the grey and navy jeans I picked for this capsule read as really similar on camera, so I don’t feel like I’m getting a whole new look by switching bottoms. I feel like a slowly develop capsule combining sewing, thrifting, and a bit of shopping would probably be the most cohesive and functional, so that you could make sure each piece will fit in!
I like these outfits! You’re so good at making items that go well together. I’ve been thinking about making a weekend travel capsule (all knits) and a work capsule. I need to go through my stash and work on matching colors and pairing patterns with fabrics accordingly.
That sounds great! There are so many textures of knits now that I think it’s easier to make an all-knit capsule that won’t just look like athletic wear! And a work capsule sounds smart, too… any time saved in the morning is worthwhile!
This is such an inspiring post! Now, I can’t wait to do pantone capsule wardrobe! Love all of the makes, and that tawny port colour: heck yes!
I”m loving that colour too – even if I call it “burgundy” in my head! 😉