Since March is quickly coming to a close, it's definitely time to share the monthly additions to the capsule wardrobe based on this scarf, color palette, and rabbit mascot!
At the end of February, we had this wardrobe, heavy on the navy neutral and just starting to add the pink and red accent colors.
For March, Janice introduced items for spring to each capsule: a neutral short-sleeved T, an accent color short-sleeved T, a cardigan, a bracelet, and a scarf. Although March is quite early to be thinking about spring in Minnesota, I followed her lead...but decided to add some other items as well. Hewing so closely to her additions in January and February was already causing me a bit of consternation with the capsule, so I am putting my own twist on things for March.
For the short-sleeved Ts, I chose two lovely drapey knit tops with pretty crochet detailing on the yoke in navy and red. My cardigan selection in keeping with the navy + red theme was very easy: this relatively new classic button up cardigan in navy with a pretty red, pink, and grey birds and flowers print. My two extra pieces are (1) a navy quilted vest, which is an item that I really should have added in January because it's a necessity for my winter style and (2) a pair of red skinny jeans to add some variety to the three pairs of navy/dark denim pants in the capsule.
Navy/red/pink/grey bird cardigan - CJ Banks - 2X - $17.82 - 2/2021
Navy crochet knit top - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 1X - $24.99 - 9/2017
Navy quilted vest - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 2X - $16.74 - 12/2019
Red skinny jeans - thrifted, Target/Goodwill - 22 - $2.99 - 3/2019
Red crochet knit top - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 1X - $24.99 - 9/2017
For my taste, the ratio of accessories to garments in a capsule needs to be pretty high to satisfy my desire for variety. I picked a navy/red print scarf and a bracelet set consisting of gold, white, red, and plaid beads in alignment with Janice's selections. My extras include two DIY multi-strand seed bead necklaces in navy and red/gold, a DIY gold paperclip chain necklace with a (purchased) Zork lantern pendant, DIY red glass pearl and gold hoop earrings, and a pair of red flats with a gold buckle detail. I decided to supplement the mostly silver-based accessories in the capsule to date with some gold pieces; I know that many people like to choose a metal and stick with it, but I like variety and I like to mix things up. I also just think that red + gold is such a great combination!
Navy/light navy/maroon red painted stripe scarf - thrifted, Gap/ThredUp - $8.88 - 8/2020
Navy/dark blue multi-strand seed bead necklace - made by me - summer 2021
Red/gold multi-strand seed bead necklace - made by me - summer 2021
Dark red 8mm bamboo coral bead bracelet - made by me - winter 2022
White 8mm glass bead bracelet - made by me - winter 2022
Red pearl/gold hoops - made by me - summer 2021
Gold stretch bracelets - Amazon - ?
Navy/red/white/gold plaid tube paper bead bracelet - made by me - winter 2022
Gold paperclip chain with Zork lantern - made by me - summer 2021
Red buckle flats - Me Too/Nordstrom - $53.56 - 8/2013
As usual, we'll look at some outfits created from these new pieces. Outfit #1 is well-suited to the spring transition, consisting of a red inner column topped by the bird print cardigan. All three necklaces are worn together for a layered look.
Outfit #2 follows the simple solid + solid + bridge piece color formula, but is a little more interesting due to the colorful pants. With the short sleeves in March, this is definitely appropriate for a much warmer climate than Minnesota! (In St Paul, I don't start wearing short sleeves until the latter half of May at the earliest.) I'm visualizing the scarf worn like a shawl for cool morning/evening temperatures. Shorter sleeves give us a chance to show off fun bracelets.
Outfit #3 is much more appropriate for March in Minnesota! As Janice has pointed out, one nice thing about a classic button up cardigan is that you can wear it buttoned up like a pullover sweater. This can work as a stand-alone sweater, of course, but I also like the versatility to wear it with a winter vest layered over it for extra warmth. (And yes, a top can be worn under the cardigan for yet another layer.)
Here are a couple ways I've worn these red skinny jeans in OOTD incorporating other pieces from this capsule. This December outfit uses the red jeans and navy pullover sweater for a simple two-piece outfit jazzed up with the bridge pieces of a rabbit scarf and floral Keds, both of which contain navy and red. (I can't imagine that we will reach the end of 2022 without both of these items being added to this capsule!) I added a beige scarf ring to the rabbit scarf to coordinate with the beige/yellow straw basket that the rabbits are carrying and my hair color. A dark blue DIY braided headband, a DIY bracelet stack, and large red leather earrings finish the look.
This February outfit uses the colorblock color formula with solid pieces in white, dark grey, and red. Although silver is the obvious metal to wear with grey, I love red + gold so I decided to try that instead. I really like the result! The red/gold and gold paperclip chain DIY necklaces added to the capsule this month are worn long with a shorter crystal/gold necklace and a ruby pendant. These black loafers have gold and red strands in the tweed, as well as other jewel tones, which make them more versatile than I would have expected. (Since grey is, theoretically, black with white added to it, grey and black go together very easily in outfits.)
For this month's rabbit, I wanted a bold red bunny, and this gorgeous New Zealand is a perfect fit! This pose shows off a combination of soft roundness and delicacy that gives her a sophisticated feminine look. In my opinion, she's the rabbit version of one of the Hollywood sirens of the 1940s.
So far all the bunnies in this capsule are on the alert! Perhaps some chill rabbits will join us in the coming months.
Does red, white, and navy have too much of a Fourth of July (or other holiday) connotation for you to image wearing it year-round? Personally I like it in every season!
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