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Writer's picturesallyinstpaul

My Scarf 2022 Capsule Wardrobe: September Additions

September is the month I start seriously looking forward to fall, so I am excited to add some autumnal options to the capsule!

By this point, my capsule bears almost no resemblance whatsoever to the wardrobes Janice is building! Her September additions included a sweater, a warm shirt (or another sweater), a skirt or pants, two scarves, earrings, and a pair of shoes/boots. Meanwhile I am adding items to cover a range of early fall temperatures, enough to make four outfits if we repeat a couple of the pieces.


Outfit #1 is a simple neutral outfit with a mix of textures and prints to keep it interesting. This outfit will still look good without the knit blazer if it is warm enough indoors to take it off.

Plus size capsule wardrobe for women over 40 in navy, white, red, and pink
September Additions - Outfit #1

Cream lace front long-sleeved T - thrifted, CJ Banks - 2X - $6.99 - 12/2018

Denim ankle pants - CJ Banks - 24W - $15.30 - 2/2021

Navy knit blazer - St Johns Bay/JCP - 2X - $20.99 - 9/2017

Clear square earrings - ?

Navy/white/tan butterfly scarf - thrifted - $1.50 - 12/2019

Cheetah Oxfords - Corso Como/Nordstrom - $98.95 - 9/2019


Outfit #2 is a good choice for those cooling fall days when a lightweight cotton sweater that has just a hint more warmth than a t-shirt feels right. And a cotton utility vest is a nice layering option for transitional weather. I like the low-key print mix of double stripes and cheetah print.

Plus size capsule wardrobe for women over 40 in navy, white, red, and pink
September Additions - Outfit #2

Ivory boatneck pullover sweater - Loft - 2X - $8.00 - 5/2020

Navy/cream/maroon striped pants - thrifted, Lane Bryant - 22W - $16.99 - 3/2019

Navy utility vest - Sonoma/Kohls - XXL - $15.78 - 11/2018

Cream pearl earrings - gift from Mom

Navy/maroon striped twilly scarf - thrifted, Gap - $8.99 - 5/2020

DIY Navy/Faded Maroon/Silver bracelet set - made by me - summer 2022

Same as above: Cheetah Oxfords - Corso Como/Nordstrom - $98.95 - 9/2019


Some early fall days feel more like my ideal "summer" weather - cool enough to wear a scarf without sweating - which is where this skirt outfit comes in. I tend to wear very simple (i.e., boring) silhouettes in my garments, but I do like how the peplum top and asymmetric hem skirt are a bit more interesting without being fussy. The print scarf and DIY seed bead bracelet set bring together the colors in the base outfit.

Plus size capsule wardrobe for women over 40 in navy, white, red, and pink
September Additions - Outfit #3

Navy/white striped peplum top - Lands End - 2X - $15.93 - 5/2019

Poppy red knit skirt - Belle & Sky/JCP - 1X - $11.89 - 6/2017

Navy/red chain scarf - thrifted, Banana Republic - $2.99 - 3/2019

DIY navy/red/clear seed bead bracelet set - made by me - summer 2021

Pewter loafers - Madden Girl/Kohls - $4.75 [with Kohls Cash] - 12/2020


Outfit #4 is a variant on red, white, and blue, accessorized with a mix of metals. It's rather unlike me to show an outfit with no prints, but instead I have chosen a variety of textures in both the clothing and accessories. And one could argue that the beaded dots on the owl pendant has a bit of a "print" vibe to it.

Plus size capsule wardrobe for women over 40 in navy, white, red, and pink
September Additions - Outfit #4

White textured tunic - CJ Banks - 3X - $13.01 - 9/2020

Same as above: Poppy red knit skirt - Belle & Sky/JCP - 1X - $11.89 - 6/2017

Blue denim jacket - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 2X - $0 [with Kohls Cash] - 7/2018

Gold/silver ring chain necklace - Kohls - $16.32 - 11/2020

Silver/bright beads owl pendant - Kohls - $14.00 - 5/2016

Same as above: Pewter loafers - Madden Girl/Kohls - $4.75 [with Kohls Cash] - 12/2020


For today's garment focus, I have three WFH outfits of the day from late winter 2022 featuring the navy/cream/maroon striped pants. When I originally ordered these from ThredUp, I thought they were going to be a plain navy and white pinstripe, so the maroon stripe was a surprise. But I actually really enjoy working red/maroon into outfits with these pants, so it turned out just fine.

Plus size summer outfit idea for women over 40
Navy/cream/maroon striped pants

First up is an outfit that is just a variation on the theme of Outfit #2 above with the ivory boatneck sweater, navy utility vest, and cheetah Oxfords. Instead of the silky skinny scarf in Outfit #2, I chose a heavier navy/dark blue/red scarf (that entered this capsule in March). As an experiment, I wrapped the chain of a red/silver pendant necklace around the scarf to secure and decorate it as an alternative to a scarf ring. It stayed in place all day long.

Blue palm tank + denim skirt + navy cardigan - Plus size summer outfit idea for women over 40
March 2022 Outfit with Ivory Sweater + Navy Utility Vest + Navy/Cream/Maroon Striped Pants + Cheetah Oxfords

My bracelet stack was an atypical mix up of different sizes and materials: the large DIY plaid paper tube beads tipped in silver that I call the "beer can" bracelet, a thin silver spacer bracelet (from Amazon), DIY red 8mm bamboo beads, and DIY "starry sky" bicone bead bracelet. All of these but the "beer cans" were added to this capsule in previous months. So this would be an easy outfit to almost replicate using the capsule.

DIY blue seed bead bracelet stack

This second OOTD shows how the striped pants and dark denim jacket work together. I layered a thicker ivory sweater underneath, but the one added above would work equally well. It is rather stunning for me to see myself in a February outfit with no (visible) socks and ballet flats, but that's one of the advantages of a work commute that occurs entirely within my apartment! (Foreshadowing: both the floral scarf and gold necklace are likely to show up in this capsule in the coming months.)

Blue palm tank + beige pants + sky blue cardigan - Plus size summer outfit idea for women over 40
February 2022 Outfit with Denim Jacket + Navy/Cream/Maroon Striped Pants

Here is a closer look at the navy/faded maroon/silver bracelet set that joined the wardrobe in Outfit #2 above. I designed this set specifically to coordinate with the striped pants. The rust agate/silver rabbit charm bracelet was a gift from Robot, and the navy/silver bracelet you have seen 100 times is from a CJ Banks set. The other two are DIY paper bead bracelets: tube beads made from a floral hoodie catalog image and bicone beads made from a Mars + starry sky advertisement in The Economist.

Finally, this OOTD also draws on several pieces from this capsule, including the navy suede loafers (January), navy check shirt (February), red sweater + red leather leaf earrings (April) and White Rabbit pocketwatch pendant (June). I am more a fan of layering a pullover sweater over a button up shirt in theory than in practice because it can be fiddly to get the layers sorted out comfortably, but I really liked this combination! It helps that this check shirt has a very soft cotton fabric rather than a stiff one.

Blue palm tank + skinny jeans + cobalt blue cardigan - Summer plus size outfit idea for women over 40
February 2022 Outfit with Navy/Cream/Maroon Striped Pants

Yes, the scarf (a gift from Robot) also has a rabbit print...white rabbits to accompany the White Rabbit on the pendant...and indeed, I loved the double rabbit action in this outfit. The bracelet stack has a DIY red pearl/gold bracelet, DIY plaid/gold tube beads (the gold version of the "beer cans"...this joined the capsule in March), gold spacer bracelet from Amazon (also added in March), and the same starry sky bracelet in the first OOTD (added in July/Aug).

As you can see, when I wear these striped pants, I draw heavily on items from my close that have been chosen for this capsule wardrobe. These pants are probably the true inspiration for this navy and white capsule...I did use the floral scarf that includes pink as the official scarf inspiration, but it was the omission of these pants from my 2021 scarf-based capsules that got me thinking that a navy/white/red capsule was a must for 2022.


Our new mascot for September is a white rabbit with a twist - a dark-nosed, dark-earred, and dark-footed Californian rabbit called Callista! I thought she was an appropriate bunny for the transition from summer to fall because the dark points on her extremities are temperature controlled: they tend to lighten up in warm weather and darken in cold weather. This photo was taken at the Minnesota State Fair in late August, so she is in her summer "smudgy" point colors. But as fall turns to winter, those points will turn black.

September Rabbit: Californian

The Californian is a large breed of rabbit with a breeding standard of 9.5 pounds, making Callista the second-largest rabbit in our menagerie (after Zinnia the red New Zealand at 10-12 pounds). Luckily this is a very friendly and accommodating set of bunnies so they readily made room for her right in the middle of the bunch where she can feel welcome and shine as the focal rabbit for September!

Rabbit Mascots

Do you get excited at the onset of sweater season? Do your color choices in cold weather get darker (as Callista's points get darker)?


Blogs I link up with are listed here.

12 Comments


awayfromblue
Oct 08, 2022

Oh I love the necklace to tie the scarf together, what a fun and different way to wear it! :) You wear those pinstripe pants so well - I think stripes always look good, although horizontal striped pieces can be hard to find. I have a horizontal striped skirt and everything else is vertical stripes!


Thank you for joining the Weekday Wear Link Up! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend :)


https://awayfromtheblue.blogspot.com.au

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Oct 08, 2022
Replying to

I am happy to join you on Team Stripes! Such a classic and fun print, esp. good for mixing with other prints. Thanks, Mica!

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bijoubeadboutique
bijoubeadboutique
Sep 30, 2022

I am really loving those pinstripe pants! As always, your outfits are so well put together. And you look amazing in red! How cool that Callista’s tips change with the temperature. I had no idea.

Michelle

https://mybijoulifeonline.com

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Sep 30, 2022
Replying to

Thanks, Michelle. It's funny how I don't think of red as a good color but it really depends on the shade of red. Other animals like Siamese cats that have the dark "points" also can change based on temperature. It's very interesting!

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Joanne
Joanne
Sep 29, 2022

Oh yes! I just LOVE sweater season!!

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Sep 30, 2022
Replying to

Haha, bring it on, right?! One of the best things about Minnesota is the excuse to have a lot of sweaters (which was not my reality in Austin, TX!).

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expatg
expatg
Sep 29, 2022

Fall is a fun time in terms of clothes! I'm crazy about your cheetah loafers. Thanks for linking!

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Sep 29, 2022
Replying to

Thanks, Gail - your shoe/boot game is so strong that it's a big compliment!

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mlrbanks57
Sep 29, 2022

I am with you on layering a crew neck sweater over a top. It seems the blouse always wants to bunch up, and I'm forever pulling it down. I am definitely excited about sweater weather! It is my hidden passion...well, not so hidden! But, I am definitely a sweater type person! I love the outfit with the red sweater and the bunny scarf...those pants are hard workers in your closet!


https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Sep 29, 2022
Replying to

Haha, yes, the forever pulling down! Some days it's worth it, other days it's not!

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