How many colours and what colours do you have in your capsule wardrobe?

[AudreyAubergine]

My project this year is to refine my wardrobe. I've been putting things away, that I don't wear for one reason or another; doesn't fit, doesn't suit my lifestyle, wrong colour.

I have a lot of blues and greens and the odd red thing. My most worn neutral is navy. Wondering if I can also introduce browns, creams and coral or if that won't all go together. Arguably, I suit browns, creams and coral suit me better than blues and greens.

I'm very new to a capsule wardrobing, so apologies if it's a basic question!

My neutrals are beige and French navy.
I have off white, cream, mustard, olive green, brown, and the odd flash of dark orange.

I’d suggest that you phase in the corals, creams and browns and slowly phase out the blues and greens if that feels right. I think you have to play around with it for a while until you hit the sweet spot. It’s definitely a lot easier to do if you can wear black and grey.

You might find that you add some colours in for spring/summer or prefer some for autumn/winter

Thanks for this! I was thinking that. I might start moving away from the blues and greens and towards browns, creams, corals.

You're right; I think if you suit black and grey, it must be a lot easier, but I really don't. Navy, cream, olive, brown and even mustard yellow suit me fine though.

Navy/Ivory/Charcoal grey/Dark Green are my basis clothes colours.

Have a few accessories in tan/burgundy.

It’s taken me 40 years to realize that the colours above really suit me and pretty much every other colour is either meh or really unsuitable.

Makes clothes shopping a lot simpler :)

What colour season are you OP?

I think I'm a warm spring, but I can get away with autumn colours too. Just not black or anything cool toned.

I'm supposed to be studying and ended up doing an inventory of my wardrobe instead . Oh procrastination!

Anyway, the upside is, that I now know my wardrobe is definitely, mainly navy, with some olive green, beige / natural / cream, aqua / teal and burgundy. The only brown is a pair of knee boots. It is quite capsule-y now though. Around 30 items, which is a vast improvement.

Wowee, this is all very inspiring! Those of you who have done a really big clear out, please tell us how you went about it? Has anyone missed things that they got rid of?

I've done a wuss version tbh Madame! I have a lot of items in storage, which I'm not sure I can bring myself to part with!

I have been quite mindful of what colours I buy though and have been for a few years. I used to have a lot more colours, but not all of them really suited me. I just wore them because the clothes were pretty!

@AudreyAubergine, I can absolutely identify with wearing things just because they’re pretty! I’m going to do the ‘wuss’ version too...

I don’t get rid of things unless they are worn out but I still really miss them. Because I keep things for ever I do end up with mostly matching clothes ... in winter mostly navy, cream, burgundy with the odd bright top, in summer blue, beige, bottle green with a bit of pale pink or yellow to liven things up.

www.theviviennefiles.com/ is good for giving examples on colours in capsule wardrobes. I don't like the items she chooses to illustrate the combinations - you have to imagine slightly more modern examples - but she has some really good articles and ideas

I am a cool winter, and have always tended to favour black.

But I am working on expanding that.

So while most of my work trousers are black, I now have a navy pair and a grey pair. And I have a red suit but that is currently, um, rather too snug.

My winter "uniform" tends to be M&S ribbed woollen polo neck jumpers over plain trousers - but I have maybe 3 black, 2 navy, and then grey, bitter chocolate brown and red versions of the same jumper.

In warmer weather, I have a similar "uniform" of a Land's End long sleeved, round necked top (I have a few others from other companies, or with other necklines, but majority is this) - in black (about 4), navy (3), dark pine green (2), emerald green (2), burgundy, postbox red, grey, white (3).

I have a couple of bolero style cardigans that can go over those - black, navy, pine green, burgundy, white. And a couple of different jackets (black, pine green, white, white/black patterned, boucle navy/brown, tweed green/grey) and scarves/necklaces to ring the changes.

I also have a handful of dresses, mostly patterned but around those base colours (black, navy, reds, blue, some green).

Although I need to get a few more trousers and a suit (or lose a couple of stones).

I've put away my lovely suit for work, (also navy), having admitted to myself that jobhunting at the moment is probably a bit pointless!

I also put away most of my dresses which would be for nights out / going to weddings etc. I've left one out which might be ok at a wedding, and definitely for a night out, but also works for casual wear. It's an aqua green, shirt dress from Cos and quite plain, except for the skirt, so can be dressed up or down I think.

I keep reading on this board; "shop for your ACTUAL lifestyle", and that has really resonated with me, as I think I have been hanging on to things or getting tempted in the sales if I see a cute dress, which I do NOT need.

My current uniform is jeans, long sleeved tops or a longline shirt with lambswool v necks. Usually with trainers or walking boots.

I think the longline shirt and long sleeved tops will do in the summer with jeans or a skirt.

I have a list of things I'm 'allowed' to buy this year now and am sticking to it. Namely a summer dress, a pair of shorts, (both of which I'll buy in summer), a pair of brown leather brogues, a brown leather bag and a very specific pair of boots for wet weather, (which I'm not allowed to buy until next winter, as they are £££). That is it this year and I'm being strict about it!

I don't really have a capsule wardrobe, but I could probably put one together with some of my more neutral items if I wanted to. My colours would be black, cream, taupe, muted pink, burgundy and possibly mustard yellow. I would miss other colours but I think I could cope with just that palette.

@Mrstwiddle

What colour season are you OP?

How do you know?

Would also like to revamp my wardrobe - I have too many things that don’t go with anything else and buy things because I like the pattern/colour rather than it suits me.

@VanillaAndOrange

I don't really have a capsule wardrobe, but I could probably put one together with some of my more neutral items if I wanted to. My colours would be black, cream, taupe, muted pink, burgundy and possibly mustard yellow. I would miss other colours but I think I could cope with just that palette.

I love this palette! Don't think it would suit me or my lifestyle (SAHM to young dcs), but it would be my dream palette. A bit like Helen Hunt in What Women Want. It's the taupe and cream I love on her.

glas, you can pay to get your colours done, but i didn't do that. I just tried to work it out on my own! I think it's a good enough guess. Might get it done one day, but no time soon, as I've set myself a strict limit on clothes buying this year, so don't want them to turn round and say I'm wearing all the wrong colours!

I am soft autumn and these are my best colours apparently

Sorry not a great pic.

I'm playing with navy, rich red, sand and pebble grey/stone. Teals lend a more relaxed, vintage feel which I love. For freshness cream, white, I can do taupe for tonal, warm pink as another neutral, clashy pink with red, purple in small amounts.

I am going to start and introduce brown later. Brown is made up of three colours, I think if you represent these colours in the outfit it makes it look less...70s/80s which is always the problem with too much brown. I majorly need a wardrobe that works for both work and home so planning with that in mind and have been using Threads website which is brilliant.

Oh, I wondered if I could be a soft autumn, but I definitely don't suit aubergine or that rose colour

I would recommend getting your colours done. Not possible at the moment due to lock down but I had mine done in August and she operates just like a hairdresser with the same precautions. I thought I knew what I was but I was very tricky to place. I have found the whole experience really helpful because although they give you a spectrum of colours that do work they also highlighted a selection that were really good on me. So I suppose I'd say invest in the colour session first if only to confirm what you believe to be true. It may surprise you or validate what you already knew but at least you won't waste money on clothes that aren't right.

I will, one day!

I'm sure they could do it online.

I think I'll wait till summer, due to me not buying any more clothes till then though, or maybe even next year. I can see by looking in a mirror what colours definitely don't suit me, but I'd definitely like to know magical colours to make me boooootifull!

I second the recommendation of having your colours done.
While some may say that you can have them done online, in person is definitely better.