Recent thoughts & My winter capsule

a capsule wardrobe in progress

recent thoughts

Welcome to my third capsule wardrobe - my winter 2018 capsule wardrobe! This capsule has been and is still a bit of a work in progress. As you may know from my Instagram, I’ve been experimenting with capsule wardrobes since this past summer and have found some things that work for me and some aspects that don’t work as well because of various factors. Honestly during the fall I struggled to stay within my capsule and really found it to be a challenge mainly because of weather, transition into a corporate lifestyle, as well as just adjusting to Canadian winters again after living in Sydney for a while. I can’t handle these winters as well as I used to be able to, but not to worry, I’m slowly getting more adjusted! I started a hashtag #capsuleconversations to hear more of your thoughts and see where others may be at with their capsule wardrobes. Some other challenge areas with capsule wardrobes that others have mentioned were about feeling limited by rules and numbers, not being able to define and express their style through a capsule, and capsules not fitting in with different areas of life. I completely hear you all on these challenges and am trying to find a way to balance these problem areas and tweak the capsule method to make it work for me and my lifestyle.

the core capsule concept

A new method I will be testing out this season is more of a fluid capsule built around a core capsule. This is not some new ground breaking method, but I hope to share my thoughts with you as I experiment. I thought of creating a core capsule that is solely comprised of the basics. It’s like the skeleton of my wardrobe. I took a look back at the past seasons and pinpointed the pieces I gravitated to a lot or just simply got a ton of wear out of. I decided that those pieces were probably my most well-loved garments and made the most sense to be the “skeleton” if I’m finding use for them all year round, while living in a country that has four distinct seasons.

You may be wondering, “why the core capsule?”. What sets it apart from the regular capsule wardrobe? There are multiple reasons that led me to this method, but I realized that the main reason why I gravitated to this method of curating my capsule wardrobe was to tackle the challenge of adapting it to my lifestyle. I’m so thankful for all the wonderful conversations that were shared on #capsuleconversations over on Instagram and I realized that many of us struggle with capsule wardrobes because it simply did not fit certain areas of our life. Specifically for me, I found it hard to incorporate trend pieces, style around the weather, and style around my corporate and weekend life. I’m hoping that the core capsule will help me curate seasonal capsules that allow me to work around some of those challenges. Now, enough about the what, let’s get into the how!

what’s in my core capsule

As of now, I have a total of 17 pieces in my core capsule. Since I’m still experimenting, I may change swap items in and out as I live through this capsule. I gave myself a flexible range of about 15-20 pieces for the core capsule. Remember, numbers and boundaries don’t have to stop you from curating your own capsule! For me, it just helps to have a bit of a guideline.

Bottoms:

• Navy Skinny Jeans

• Black Skinny Jeans

• Black Trousers

• Cheap Monday Donna Jeans

• Olive Trousers

Tops:

• White Camisole

• Black Tank Top

• White T-shirt

• Black T-shirt

• Navy Shirt Dress

• White Linen Shirt

• Denim Shirt

• Oversized Grey Cardigan

• Long Navy Blazer

• Black Turtleneck

• Grey Turtleneck

• Cream Turtleneck

core pieces explained

I tried to choose the most versatile and well-loved pieces to put into my core capsule. The selected pieces are great for layering under, layering on top of other garments, and can be styled up or down. Most of the pieces can also be worn in various seasons and make excellent transitional items. These are basically the essentials of your wardrobe and you could pack this wardrobe with you anywhere and feel comfortable and ready for different seasons and events.

Seasonal capsule wardrobe

Now to the seasonal capsules! The seasonal capsules are great for having fun with your wardrobe by including trend pieces, lifestyle pieces, and of course, incorporating seasonal items. For my seasonal winter capsule, I took a look through my stored items and pulled out my cozy, chunky knits, cardigans, and my pair of wool pants. I always recommend curating from your own closet to #createtorenew first. Doing so allows you to use what you have and also see the gaps that are in your wardrobe, allowing you to bring new pieces into your wardrobe!

curate from your closet

make space for new items

Being a fashion lover while also trying to be more sustainable can be a bit of a balance sometimes. Fashion in itself is a wasteful industry, but at the same time, I believe I am free to enjoy this beautiful art form and have fun doing so. I think capsule wardrobes are great for helping us to enjoy fashion, while being intentional with the whole process of shopping or thrifting. With that being said, since I’ve started sharing my journey online, I am privileged to get the opportunity to collaborate with brands and try sustainable and ethical garments to share with you all. I honestly only choose to work with brands I believe in and have looked into. Since I have this wonderful opportunity, I decided to fill the gaps in my seasonal capsule or try trendy pieces from new ethical and sustainable brands.

whats in my seasonal winter capsule

For the seasonal capsule, I set the same boundary of about 15-20 additional pieces, meaning my complete winter capsule including my core capsule would be about 30-40 pieces. I want to stress again, that if you aren’t about numbers and boundaries, feel free to ignore these guidelines. Setting a boundary for pieces I bring into my wardrobe helps me to intentionally consider products and brands, as well as make sure I really love a piece before including it in my seasonal capsule. Below I have listed the items included from things I currently own and a list of new ethical and sustainable pieces. I’ve linked all the ethical and sustainable pieces in case you were looking to add some new items to your capsule this season!

Curated from my closet

• Black Wool Pants

• Grey Light-weight Knit

• Heather Grey Knit

• Grey Chunk Turtleneck Knit

• Olive Knit

• Grey Chunky Knit

• Navy Turtleneck Knit

• Black Cardigan

• Oatmeal Turtleneck

• Kotn Fitted Turtleneck in Camel

• Tradlands Grey Reyes Flannel

Newly curated

• Everlane Cashmere Waffle Square Crew

• Everlane Cashmere Crew

• Everlane Cashmere Square V-neck Cardigan

• SKYE Wide-leg Wool Pants

Everlane Cashmere Crew

I love the Oatmeal colour in this cashmere crewneck sweater. This piece is super light-weight and great as a layering garment for the winter. It’s another one of those timeless pieces that will last many years. I also specifically chose a lighter colour to brighten up my winter capsule.

Everlane Cashmere Waffle Square Crew

I am absolutely stoked about the Everlane Cashmere collection! All the pieces are actually as soft as they look. I chose this classic, over-sized black cashmere crew knit to add to my winter capsule this season because I know that this is a style for me that will last years. I love the boxy fit of it that can worn comfortably with jeans or styled up for work.

SKYE Wide-leg Wool Pants

I have been on the lookout for a pair of wool wide-leg pants for a while now and these are just the perfect piece to bring into my seasonal capsule. These can definitely be dressed up or down. SKYE makes beautifully unique garments and these pants are one of my favourites from their collection.

Everlane Cashmere Square V-neck Cardigan

This cozy cashmere cardigan is seriously like wearing a warm hug. Again, I really love a boxy fit and this cardigan is definitely that. It’s great to wear with all the buttons down up like a pullover “sweater” or undone as a cardigan.

I hope this post insightful and helpful for you as you work on your own capsule wardrobes. Please join in the #capsuleconversations over on my instagram @candicemtay. I’d love to hear your thoughts and read all about how you are tackling this capsule wardrobe concept. Have a great Christmas and enjoy your holiday season! P.S. stay tuned for another conversation about capsule storage.

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This post is not sponsored but contains some gifted items and affiliate links. If you decide to shop through the links above, I make a small commission that helps support this blog. I only share products and brands I love and support. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!

How-to:

get the most out of your capsule wardrobe

Fall is in full swing here in Canada, with the picturesque landscapes flooded with colour, the brisk wind, and cool temperatures. All the plaid, wool hats, turtlenecks, and boots are officially out. I think fall is the perfect season for a capsule wardrobe enthusiast as you can really push your creativity and discover new outfit combinations through the simple styling trick of layering. There are so many ways to layer and so many pieces that are layering-friendly. The most obvious and typical layering piece I have is big cozy cardigan. As many of you know, I’m a huge turtleneck lover! There are many reasons why I love turtlenecks. One being that they are such a comfortable thin layer that adds an exceptional amount of warmth. Since it’s so thin, it easily allows for more layering with other pieces. I also love the silhouette of the turtleneck and how simply it elevates an outfit.

I wanted to share a little styling post with you, sharing some fun ways to layer and transition summer-dedicated pieces into your fall wardrobe! Even if you don’t have the exact pieces that I have in my closet, I’m sure you can still adapt these tips for your own wardrobe.

layering with a turtleneck

In the summer, rompers and jumpsuits are so much fun to wear and so easy to throw on. However, once the weather starts to cool down, we don’t think much about them with our minds filled with cozy knits and sweaters. Here’s how I like to style my romper for fall. If you live in a warmer place (not for me anymore), this just might be the outfit for you! I took my beloved romper from the spring/summer season and layered a ribbed turtleneck underneath it for some warmth. If you have a jumpsuit, you can use the same layering trick here for extra warmth. You can also check out how I styled Encircled’s Jetset Jumpsuit for the fall months here!

layering with a shirtdress

Another item I love to wear during the spring/summer seasons is a simple shirtdress. It is so easy to just throw on and pull together a look with some casual sandals or runners. I’ve also been finding that it’s quite an interesting look styled over more smart trousers for a comfortable, yet appropriate office outfit. For an extra layer of warmth during the cold fall days, I’ve been layering a turtleneck underneath the shirt dress.

layering with simple camis

The final way I get the most use of my summer blouses and camis is to layer them underneath jackets, blazers, and cardigans. Sometimes camis styled over turtlenecks is another great way to layer up in the cooler months, and is also perfect if channeling that 90’s vibe. I’ve styled this mauve tank I wore tons in the summer, for a more corporate environment with a long line duster and some black trousers.

None of these tips are mind-blowing, but I find it just takes a little effort and some thought to get the most out of my wardrobe. I love that layering pieces adds dimension and texture to outfits and allows me to get more wears out of items that are typically more geared for spring/summer months.

What are your favourite ways to layer and get the most out of your wardrobe? Care to share your favourite layering piece or best layering tips?

My Journey to sustainable lifestyle

feat. Encircled

photography by Jonathan Tay

Ever since I started this blog and began posting more about striving to be low-waste and to be a more conscious consumer, I have been asked many times how I started this journey and what inspired me to pursue this lifestyle. I would say that my journey began in a two-fold way, after learning about people living the zero waste lifestyle but also being interested in minimalism. Being an avid fashion enthusiast, styling and clothing have always been an interest of mine and when I realized just how much my wardrobe affected people and our earth, that’s when I decided to pursue this seriously.

A few of the videos and people who inspired me from the start are Lauren Singer, Marie Kondo, and the documentary The True Cost. I first began to read and learn about the zero waste lifestyle after watching a video of Lauren Singer sharing about accumulating four years of trash in a single mason jar. I was floored and really inspired to continue to research, which also led me to examine the amount of trash I was producing in my own life. The other kickstarter to this journey was the documentary The True Cost, which was extremely eye-opening for me especially because of how much fast fashion filled my wardrobe. The documentary touched on questions I had never really given a second thought to before and revealed so much about the fashion industry that I had never known. Through researching and watching videos online, I went down a rabbit hole of capsule wardrobes, zero waste bloggers, and “how to be a minimalist” videos, finally coming to the realization that I have a different and unique journey. I’m sure it took a while for the people I watched to become almost fully zero waste or to curate the perfect capsule wardrobe. Being in a part of town and immersed in a culture where being “low-waste” is not the norm is a daily challenge and that’s why I wanted to share my imperfect journey along the way.

For me personally, I love this lifestyle and keep pursuing it because it helps keeps my heart in check in terms of material things and the constant want for more in this life (not only clothes). Realistically, I have have everything I need and more. This journey has really taught me to be content with what I have and at the same time, I’m still learning this lesson and trying to find that balance every day. A recent post on my instagram had some very insightful conversations going and I truly appreciate the community we are able to have online.

So that’s a little snippet of how and why I started my pursuit to a more sustainable lifestyle. On to the Encircled studio tour!

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to have an on-site visit with Encircled. If you don’t already know about Encircled, I’m excited to introduce you to an ethical and sustainable clothing brand that is 100% made in Canada! Founder Kristi Soomer, began with a dream to help women travel lighter, which flourished into what Encircled embodies now. It is a brand that focuses on intentionally designing versatile wardrobe essentials to help the everyday woman “be more with less”. I’m excited to share my visit at the Encircled HQ in Toronto, Ontario. Encircled is a brand on a mission to change the way we consume and see our clothes and it’s brands like this that continue to inspire me. I only collaborate with brands that I truly believe in and stand behind their values of ethics and sustainability. I hope that you you enjoy some of these posts and are able to discover new brands along the way if you are on the market for anything in particular!

I met the lovely Angela from Encircled who so graciously showed me around the studio, where some samples are sewn, the humble stock room, the instagram photo wall, and of course, the La Croix stash in the kitchen! I had the chance to try on and style the Jetset Jumpsuit, Dressy Sweatpants, and the Dressy Sweatshirt. These pieces are truly comfortable and versatile. I literally felt like I was in my pyjamas during the entire shoot and I styled each of these pieces in two ways - casual and dressy. I found that these pieces were also perfect for layering. If you’re interested in seeing these pieces in more detail as well as how I styled them for the fall season, hop on over to the Encircled Journal to see the style segment we shot.

Thanks again, Encircled, for the opportunity to partner with an ethical and sustainable brand made with intention.