For an introduction to the 6 Scarves 2021 project, see this post.
For a description of my method, see this post.
Now that we have completed our May additions to the capsules, it's time to check in with the wardrobes to date, see how our new items work in context, and look ahead to June additions.
I don't know about you, but here in St Paul, MN we are switching between cool/rainy days and warm/sunny days (in which I am running our air-conditioner at every opportunity). It's definitely spring-turning-summer, so my willingness to look at winter outfits is very much lacking at this point. So for the Jan-May recaps, I will focus on building a few more-or-less weather-appropriate outfits integrating our new May garments with the items from previous months.
(I have also built out new outfits for the entire capsule because I'm completist like that, but we can peruse those at a time when they might be of greater interest and relevance...at least to those of us in the Northern Hemisphere.)
Outfit #1 is a good transitional option for one of the cooler days of spring (like today for me...high of 55 F and raining). This striped T + tuxedo jacket combination could be worn again and again in so many different ways. Here they are paired with a trio of tonally coordinated burgundy items. If it warms up, you can remove the jacket and scarf layers and still have a complete, cohesive outfit.
Next let's build a couple options based on May's soft white textured tunic. In Outfit #2, a black and white base is accented with pink crystal earrings and the dusty rose cardigan. The cat scarf could certainly be worn the usual way, but I'm thinking it would make a nice hair band because it is lightweight and silky.
As I've mentioned before, I do not routinely gravitate toward all-neutral outfits, but I like to experiment with them anyway. In Outfit #3, I wanted to try the light owl scarf with the textured top, and I filled the rest of the outfit with a variety of neutrals from there.
But if you are feeling the desire to brighten this outfit up, an easy scarf and bracelet substitution will do the job. I think we have the start of a bright pink beauty bundle going here; I would love to see a pair of bright pink ballet flats to round it out. It seems that a trio of accessories in the same color that highlight the face area (scarf, earrings, necklace), the mid-body (bracelets, belt), and the feet (shoes, socks) would lead the eye down and all the way back up to the face. What do you think? Have I just watched the Marx Brothers movie Horsefeathers too many times? Here's the lesson as given by Professor Wagstaff: "The blood rushes from the head, down to the feet, gets a look at those feet and rushes back to the head again."
Finally, in Outfit #4, I tried dressing up May's easy-going elastic-waist floral pants a bit with the addition of the tipped blazer while keeping things comfortable with a black T layered underneath. For an in-office workday, I could easily imagine spending most of the day at my desk sans blazer with the sleeves of the top scrunched up, then putting the blazer on for a meeting in one of the well-air-conditioned conference rooms on the executive floor.
Here is the entire wardrobe so far. I wonder what would be useful for June? With the arrival of summer, clearly short-sleeved tops are needed. And for me, a lightweight vest or cardigan is a summer staple. I tend to wear a lot of skirts from mid-May to the end of September, and though we are well set with print skirts, the wardrobe doesn't have a solid one yet. In terms of our color palette, blue is still the missing element, so that would be an interesting addition to see.
Our accessories collection is developing nicely. I know that this a LOT of accessories by many people's standards, but I really like having a lot of options to change up outfits. Obviously summer is sandal season for most people, but I don't like to wear them, so a different summer shoe, like a pair of ballet flats, would suit me well. (Bright pink to complete the beauty bundle would be terrific!)
Now let's take a quick step back in time to late winter so I can show a couple outfits featuring the burgundy and mint bird print blouse from our capsule. This first outfit incorporates several of the pieces from this capsule, not just the blouse. I could substitute the wine pants for these burgundy skinnies and the pink/rose "planet" necklace for this grey one to create a very close rendition of this outfit straight from the capsule. What can I say, I love burgundy and grey together!
And yes, April is typically still late winter in Minnesota; you can tell it's not true winter because I'm wearing a pair of purple pumps rather than boots! (These oldie-but-goodie pumps I've had for a very long time were a Goodwill purchase that I decided to pass on this winter because the straps across the top were feeling a bit tight the last time I wore them. They served me well.) I did make a nod to the calendar with the white skirt, and I repeated that lightness in the pearl and chain necklace. (This necklace is pretty much a pre-styled one-and-done neck mess; I love it.)
As a bonus: how I've worn the striped maxi skirt in this capsule. I tend to wear it as weekend wear, which is the time when I am the least likely to photograph my outfits. (I'm working on that.) So the only one I have to share is this April outfit with a black blouse and a print-mixing scarf thrown on top. A maxi skirt is very useful for the spring transition when you are done with tights, don't want to wear pants, but still need a bit of leg coverage.
In my world, there's no better way to wrap up a capsule wardrobe post than with a review of our rabbit menagerie! With summer coming, it's time for these bunnies to consider a seasonal shed of excess fur, don't you think? Francoise the French Angora at the upper right could really use some cooling off. Somebody get her a frozen water bottle to rest herself on stat!
What does your "seasonal shed" for the warm weather look like? Do you switch out closets? Create a new capsule for the season? Start switching out long sleeves for short sleeves or otherwise warm-weather-ize your go-to outfit formulas? Switch to new outfit formulas altogether?
In my next capsule wardrobe post, we will review the wardrobe (and rabbits) to date for #2 Navy & Beige, Darcy.
I link up with:
Shelbee at Shelbee on the Edge (2nd Monday; 3rd Thursday)
Mica at Away from the Blue (Mondays)
Debbie at My Random Musings (Mondays)
Leelo at Beauty by Miss L (Mondays)
Roxanne at Glass of Glam (Mondays)
Laura at I Do deClaire (Tuesdays)
Emma at Style Splash (Tuesdays)
Jess at Elegantly Dressed & Stylish (Tuesdays)
Gail at Is This Mutton? (Wednesdays)
Shelly at The Queen in Between (Wednesdays)
Carrie at Curly Crafty Mom (Thursdays)
Ada at Elegance and Mommyhood (Thursdays)
Jacqui at Mummabstylish (Thursdays)
Suzy at The Grey Brunette (Fridays)
Nancy at Nancy's Fashion Style (Fridays)
Michelle at My Bijou Life (Fridays)
Erika at A Little Bit of Everything (Fridays)
Rena at Fine Whatever (Saturdays)