Winter Capsule Reflections: The Good, The Bad, and I'm Ready to Burn It All

Truth time: I’m ready to burn this winter capsule.

No joke. This season was…rough. For starters, I had very little to build on as I’ve never had a great winter wardrobe. (I blame it on being from Florida.) What I did have were bits and pieces that had been worn to death, or reminded me too much of being a teacher. After purging and donating, I think I started off with 2-3 turtlenecks and my few go-to pairs of jeans. Let’s just say things didn’t really get better from there.

Shopping-wise, I think it was an “off” year, as the trends just weren’t working for me. Texture and bell sleeves don’t flatter me, and any simple sweaters I did find contained wool. I’ve never found it so frustrating to shop as when I’d fall in love with a sweater only to discover it was 2% wool. Two percent? What’s the point? Just have it be all cotton/acrylic at that point. I now understand PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign all too well, since apparently one has the choice to either go naked or wear wool. Despite my setbacks, I’m standing firm in my resolve to wear clothes that are completely animal-free, so I’ll just keep searching for those perfect sweaters.

On the bright side, my MVPs from this capsule were amazing. I found some real gems. But for every “wear with everything” item I found, I returned another that just didn’t work. My final capsule count was around 21 items, which is crazy small! No wonder I felt like I had nothing to wear. Below I’ve marked my original capsule with the items I never wore/returned, and my MVPs with a star.

Like I said: no bueno.

Again, finding wool-free items is what really threw a wrench in my plans. If a sweater wasn’t the right proportions or didn’t flatter me, it was nearly impossible to replace. (It had taken me hours to find one vegan option in the first place!) This capsule may have been my smallest, but it’s also the one where I learned the most. Here are my top takeaways:

More variety. Holy Toledo, I didn’t realize until the end of January that ALL my sweaters were turtlenecks and they were all the same length. Talk about feeling like you’re wearing the same thing over and over. In the future I’ll mix it up with a few cardigans, crew necks, and tunic lengths. I ended up never wearing my cute Spanx leggings because my sweaters were all too short. Lame! Luckily I recently found an amazing tunic for spring that will help me get lots of wear out of them.

Dressy tops. If you’ll notice, other than turtleneck sweaters I had….long sleeve tees to wear. What was I thinking? When hosting my friend’s shower in February it was unseasonably warm and I felt like I had nothing to wear. (Because I didn’t.) I ended up pulling out one of my PIKOs from my fall capsule, but I felt super underdressed for such a special occasion. Note to self: be ready for a party. Adding some versatile, dressier blouses to my shopping list.

Jewelry. I need some. I made it through the season with a pair of gold Kendra Scotts, a pair of faux diamond studs, my favorite bracelet….and not much else. My jewelry box is a sad empty wasteland, y’all. I need a statement necklace, a delicate/everyday necklace, and some more fun earrings at the very least.

Sigh. I’ll be so happy to pack up this stuff and move on. Live and learn, y’all! This chambray/black pant/leopard flat outfit is one of my few that will transition to spring, so I’ve had it on repeat. These leopard flats have certainly been an MVP of this capsule, and I’m 100% adding them to my spring wardrobe.