r (attempts to) build a capsule wardrobe

How’s the project coming along? I’d love to hear/see what you’ve come up with so far!

A recent-ish fashion trend that might give you some inspiration is lagenlook.

It’s long lines and plenty of layers (hello mid-14thc and Edo period looks!) with 21st century styling and often an emphasis on textures/quality/natural materials. I feel like it really helped me incorporate my love of historical/fantasy/boho designs without looking too “costumey”.

Jennie Little wrote:
That instagram is almost exactly what I aspire to, but I don't have the $ or justification for doing so. I work at home, I'm old, and who will I impress? No one. Nor do I care. But I love those clothes and the leaf piece is spectacular!

J

Yes. This. I have slowly accepted the truth of my life. I am no longer a 20-something young woman who can fit into "fashion forward" styles (if I ever was such a person).
To be honest, I can't see myself ever wearing any of the belly-dance-centric fabric I have stashed, though I am still trying to use it as a Long-Term Goal so I will continue doing my PT and workout stuff. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a double shot black/ultramarine silk or a stack of fabric of different weights and purposes that makes me think of fall leaves and pretending to be a dryad. I'm not ready to give up on *all* my fashion dreams!

I have already impressed the one person I care to and, as long as he's around, I'm cool with that.
As long as I am comfortable with the person I am and am becoming (change is the only true constant in the multiverse), and the medical professionals who help keep me up and doing are cool with things, I'm fine.

I appreciate the hard fought knowledge I currently possess.
I know I revel in the warm Springs and Summers we get where I live, and I am prepared for the Falls and Winters. (More or less. That last freeze ....)

Plant fibers are perfect for the warmer times, and I tolerate small amounts of poly in t-shirts and Fast Fashion bits, while doing my best to stay away from all of that.
Animal fibers are fantastic for the colder months, and layer beautifully with the core cotton and linens I have. I'm to a point where I can replace those basic things that are wearing out as necessary, or just accept the change to my wardrobe.
Not everything needs replaced. Not everything needs copied or duplicated.
And *That's Okay*.

I have an idea, so I spent this summer's clothing allowance on linen.

r ranson wrote:I have an idea, so I spent this summer's clothing allowance on linen.

Those colours look lovely together - at least on my computer. Have you got plans as to what you'll do first?

They look lovely enough together,  that you could likely combine the scraps left over into useful things on top of the main plan!

If I have done my math right, I should be able to get one skirt and one tank top out of each colour.  

Combined with what I already have and my newest creation...



... this should get me through summer.  

Then I'll have to add some button tops for fall.  Not sure what I'm doing for winter yet.  

The only problem is that there are defects in the olive green linen so I got it at a discount.  I wish I could remember what the defects were but I'll see it once I wash and iron the cloth.

It's very shiny which is interesting.  One side is smoother than the other - which side goes on the inside?

Usually, I buy two bottoms and two tops for spring/summer/fall, but this should get me three of each for the same price.  In theory.

These fabrics set the colour and feel for the capsule wardrobe.  The thing I'm going to need the most help with is keeping with colours that go with all of these.  I'm really bad at this.

Something I would love to do this summer is to hire a knitter to knit me a cardigan, then I pay them in handspun yarn.  

I'm really digging what they call the Natural colours of this yarn: https://www.ashford.co.nz/yarns-sidemenu/product/ashford-dk
  But I'm not sure if it would go well with my colour pallet or not.

In my opinion natural colors are like black, they go with everything.   I think they would be especially nice with your new fabric  :)

Time to get the fabric ready.



First I decided which side would be the outside (I choose to put the smoother side inside) and then I hem the yardage.  This is a great opportunity to practice with my narrow hemmer foot.  It's a really tricky foot and I need a lot of practice.

Wash it.  Iron it.  Dry it.  

And while I wait for it to dry, I am getting my patterns ready.  



Some of the patterns I've made often enough to feel that they are done 'adjusting' for now, so I am tracing them on the expensive pattern paper.  Sweedish or something like that.  That way I can use and reuse them without them ripping like my regular tracing paper.

I'm also stashing the patterns I am using for the foundation of the Capsule Wardrobe in my folder.  That way they are all together.



More and more, I feel I need to sew the foundation of my capsule wardrobe if I'm going to be comfortable in my clothes.  I like this because I can finish the edges instead of having scratchy surged finished and I imagine that enclosed seams are going to last longer.  I still don't have much confidence in my sewing skills - and more importantly, I'm not confident in my choice of colours and shapes for my body.

In other news, I found some beautiful cotton fabric at the thrift store.  It's a queen size top sheet and duvet cover.  I was feeling I wanted to add some red to the wardrobe, but when I got the fabric out in the daylight, it was too bright for me to wear.  It's a smooth cloth (high thread count and mercerized) so I'm going to use this for lining my winter skirts.  

The sewing of the summer clothes is going well.  But it takes time away from gardening.  But I cannot garden much because I only have winter clothes right now...ug!

So... I need to start sewing BEFORE the weather changes.
But I also need to make sure I don't sew too early because my size changes dramatically as the year progresses.  

It's too early to make the fall and winter clothing.  

I can probably get away with the current skirts for fall, but I should get two more winter skirts and three button shirts.  I'll also want one or two new sweater/cardigans as all my sweaters are over 15 years old and are starting to be more repair than sweater.  

I've got jackets and coats enough to last the winter.

Given how late in the year I am with summer sewing, I need to start thinking about fabric now.

I have some wool for an in-town skirt, but the fabric isn't easy to clean.  So I'm going to leave this to last to see if I have time to make it.  

My laundry is machine or hand wash and hang to dry.  So a medium cotton should be fine and if I flatline one, it would serve for colder days.  Where to find affordable fabric?  It would be good to buy from a Canadian shop so I don't have to pay duty.  

Anyway, these are my thoughts today.  Back to the sewing machine I go.  

It's starting to get cold when I do the chores in the morning and evening.  So I went to the 'discount' big-box fabric store (because it's closest and pretends to be the cheapest) to buy some more cotton twill (something like jean) fabric.  $24 a yard, sale price!  I need 2 to 3 yards per skirt.  um...

But I did find some lovely wool-cotton blend that was on sale for $14 a meter.  

If I match the pattern, I should be able to get 1 skirt and a handbag.  If I don't match the pattern, I can probably get two skirts.  But the colours matched the clothes I had on in the shop which more or less match all my other clothes.  Fingers crossed.  Not sure how I feel about orange.  

Not fond of the difficult washing instructions.  It says to dry clean only, but there is so much cotton in the cloth and it's already well fulled, that I stuffed it in the washing machine on gentle.  Hang to dry (as per normal). It didn't shrink as much as cotton does.

I'm a big saddened that there is kemp (those itchy hairs that give wool its bad name) in the cloth.  I might have to make a... what's the word?  Wear under your skirt skirt.  

I got some more of this fabric in a different colour that I will try flatlining (if I can find a half-decent tutorial - does perhaps this technique have a modern name or did it just stop being done in the mid-Victorian period?)

When I learned that technique it was called underlining.   Just put your fashion fabric with your lining fabric and sew them as if they were one piece of fabric.   The only drawback to this technique is the seams might still be itchy.

Cool.  Ill try that word.

Im going to flat fell the seams so the lining is on top.

r wrote:I'm a big saddened that there is kemp (those itchy hairs that give wool its bad name) in the cloth.  I might have to make a... what's the word?  Wear under your skirt skirt.  

I got some more of this fabric in a different colour that I will try flatlining (if I can find a half-decent tutorial - does perhaps this technique have a modern name or did it just stop being done in the mid-Victorian period?)

A slip is what is worn under the skirt.

I had no idea flatlining had a name for itself. Aren't vocabulary words great? It is sometimes used in commercial formal wear patterns. Also in the high dollar retail bridal shops. It really improves the look of the finished product.

Here is a picture and caption tutorial.
This one also has a video.

It looks like this fabric has a nice tight weave, so the following may not apply to this project. Sometimes fabric just has a mind of its own, and decides to stretch out of shape. In these cases, I have pin-basted the fabric in place. If there is a pleat, or dart, I will machine baste within this feature, the basting will be enclosed once the garment is sewn. Think pin basting for quilting, but I usually use straight pins on garments.


From here.

My plan for finishing the seams

It seems to be working well so far.  But time-consuming.

Normally, I keep topstitching as a big part of the design so it's fast to finish.  For this skirt, I'm taking advantage of the lining and to keep the finishing invisible.  

I finished the unlined skirt.  Yeh, that's itchy.  I also got a sliver in my finger from the kemp in the fabric!  No wonder wool has a bad name, this is the worst wool fabric I've ever seen!
But only $37 CAD per skirt - it's worth lining.  (the commercial skirt I was going to buy instead was $130 after shipping, taxes, and stuff, but the materials are ethically sourced and sewn to order and their quality is amazing!  So worth it, but not if I can make my own for less)

A good excuse for a petticoat.  I was thinking of something like this for winter anyway.  

I need to find a petticoat pattern with an elastic waist.  I figure my old cotton bed sheet should be perfect for this.  I hope.  

Any ideas where to get a pattern?  Given how much my waistline expands when I am not feeling well, I will want to make a size or two bigger and add a tie for days when my waist is thin.  

Not sure what I'm going to do for tops for winter.  Maybe try to find if I can make a blouse from brodcloth?  Or maybe the big box fabric shop has lawn (whatever that is).

r ranson wrote:

I need to find a petticoat pattern with an elastic waist.  I figure my old cotton bed sheet should be perfect for this.  I hope.

First, any simple skirt pattern with an elastic waste can be made to be an undergarment - like this: https://blog.megannielsen.com/2009/11/elastic-waistband-skirt-tutorial/

Second, I generally want the undergarment to "slide" against the outer garment, rather than being sticky, so a fairly slippery cotton would work better - certainly not a place to use flannel! Silk would be wonderful, but I'm sure you've got a better use for any silk your silkworms produce!

Third, when I'm making an elastic waist, I buy what's called "woven non-roll elastic" or sometimes referred to as "underwear elastic" (originally on men's underwear I think) rather than the stuff pictured in the link above. It seems to last much better, and it really does have less tendency to roll and twist.  That said, at one point I made pants using "pregnancy elastic"  - elastic with evenly spaced button holes . This might be ideal for you, as you can simply pull the elastic tighter and fit it over the button for the tightness you need on any particular day, or even change it within the day with a quick break to a closet or bathroom.

Good to know.
I've never had a flannel bedsheet.  I have read about them, but I just can't get behind the idea.

My bedsheets are usually over 800 and quite slippery.  I like mercerized cotton as the dirt washes off easier - or at least doesn't get trapped in the fibres as much.  So I think this should be slippery enough.  Not as nice as silk, but silk near my skin makes me worry it would be hard to wash.  I imagine my petticoat would need washing more often than my outer skirt so I'm thinking of making 4. 2 for starts, and keep an eye out at the thrift store for some dark fabric for 2 more.  

I bought some organic sheets on sale for $14 a while back, beautiful, but WHITE! I don't like white sheets.  Some reason I cannot sleep on white sheets.  I'm weird.  


Neat about the different types of elastic.  I'll look that up.  My grandmother used to tack in the elastic at least 3 places along the back for even gathering look and to stop the elastic from moving about.  This seems to work.  But it's a lot of work, so I don't know if I like it.  

mockup of the petticoat pants are done.  These are like really loose bloomers with a 10" ruff.  Not sure if they have a normal name in English as I'm working from a Japanese pattern book.

Anyone know what this would be called?

Quite comfortable.  At first I thought I needed more room in the seat, but after wearing it a while, it's not bad.  

I can finish the seams on this mockup and use it.  But I think I'll wear it for a couple of hours first to make sure I'm happy with the fit.  It's hard to know how well the clothing works until you've chased some chickens in it.  

I'm going to make a shift/petticoat next then wear the two to find out which feels better.  

Are your mock-up ones above knee or the longer style which goes below the knee? A picture would be nice!

I would think that the bloomer style would be warmer than the skirt style. It will be interesting to read your user-test results.

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow.  IF I can get my computer to talk to the SD card reader (grumble grumble)

The body of the pants goes to knee length, and the ruff goes 10" longer.

After a trial run chacing not only chickens but also a wayward duck that needed to explore every inch of 2 acres, I have ripped the seat seam.  Centre back, just behind the inseam.  Somehow I need to find out how to add more volume there without adding more volume anywhere else (it's very generous).

Also - white is not a good colour for the farm.

I need to make the thing at least one inch shorter because it sometimes shows beneath the outer skirt.  

r ranson wrote:

After a trial run chasing not only chickens but also a wayward duck that needed to explore every inch of 2 acres, I have ripped the seat seam.  Centre back, just behind the inseam.  Somehow I need to find out how to add more volume there without adding more volume anywhere else (it's very generous).

Hard to judge without a picture, but I'm thinking some sort of gusset. I've been contemplating the same issue with a pants pattern I want to try, but I can tell by the pattern that there's too much fabric in the front compared to what the front needs, because they've essentially made the front and back identical. Bums need a *lot* more material than tummies do with rare exceptions.

and wrote:

Also - white is not a good colour for the farm.

Duh! I avoid it like the plague. Our deep well water tends to turn white to a yucky grey even with trying to use a bunch of rainwater or dehumidifier water in the machine at the beginning if the cycle.

and wrote:

I need to make the thing at least one inch shorter because it sometimes shows beneath the outer skirt.  

Isn't that the latest style - or is it just bra straps that are allowed to show?

r ranson wrote:mockup of the petticoat pants are done.  These are like really loose bloomers with a 10" ruff.  Not sure if they have a normal name in English as I'm working from a Japanese pattern book.

Anyone know what this would be called?

Quite comfortable.  At first I thought I needed more room in the seat, but after wearing it a while, it's not bad.  

I can finish the seams on this mockup and use it.  But I think I'll wear it for a couple of hours first to make sure I'm happy with the fit.  It's hard to know how well the clothing works until you've chased some chickens in it.  

I'm going to make a shift/petticoat next then wear the two to find out which feels better.  

This sounds very much like an idea I've been chewing on, to transform a pair of short-alls into long, tiered pants.

The problem is I had a pattern that was 11" too small (Japanese medium) and for a differently shaped body.  Then I sort of guessed how to make it my size.

I'm amazed it turned out as well as it did.

Trying to figure out if there is a "full butt adjustment" I can do on the pattern for next time.  But for this time, I was going to do a diamond where it ripped on the mockup so it can become functional.    

I am sure there is something like full butt adjustment, maybe not under that name ;-)
I have saved some links on pants pattern alterations, have a look if any of these would fix your problem: Pants alterations

Two days ago I went downtown rather spontaneously and looked into the bin for fabric sales. I took one simple cotton in a colour I love (a muted turquoise/robin's egg) - especially together with navy.
At home I discovered I had a blouse pattern I had not used before and started cutting The remainders were made into some boxers for husband today.

Not necessary capsule wardrobe, but on my way to only have garments in colours I like and that do well together.
In the summer I had added two more short-sleeved blouse patterns which came out lovely (Matcha top by Sew liberated and Vienna top by Itch to Stitch). But not really something to do work in! I admire your mission to add functionable working clothes to your wardrobe! For gardening and similar I just use normal clothes that are past their prime.

You'll might want to check  out tinagivens.com.  She has a free bloomers pattern (the Plinka Pant) that you might like...and you won't have to size it up from Japanese normal!

I didn't see this thread for quite a while. But now it suddenly popped up. So I read some of it. And now write my comment.

Just some answers / reactions ... I have no problem with white bedsheets. My whites do never stay white when I wash them (I do not separate white and coloured laundry and use only one kind of detergent foor all of it). Also that is no problem to me.

The idea of making bloomers as underwear is ... funny No, nothing for me. A slip-dress, okay. But I don't think I need to look more 'full at the hips' then I do already ...

So I bumped this thread up. If there's more to say it will come next time

I tripped over this video and it reminded me of this thread. At about 22 min. in, she uses paper "patterns" over a paper doll to see how her ideas will actually work together. As the author points out - this is not a modern, or even a 1990's concept. It's been around a very long time. This lady is more realistic than many versions of this concept. Many "capsule wardrobes" I've had promoted to me, would have bored me to death in a month!

Thank you! That was very useful. That video gave me more insight in what clothes I need to make (sew/knit) to make better use of the clothes I already have.

Nice video, R! I think a lot of her points are valid - particularly those about identifying one's own style, rather than getting sucked in by fashions others are wearing. The things I wear the most with my current lifestyle are totally things that are warm and comfortable. I've got too many items that aren't worn out yet to shift to all natural, but I'm paying much more attention to what things are made out of and am shifting that direction. The way she identifies groups of goals and their interactions made sense to me. I tend to be guilty of totally utilitarian clothing these days. Part of that is feeling too busy to sew bigger projects and being totally disgusted by what I see in shops, If I can get over that, it would be nice to sew some utilitarian pieces that have something special and "pretty" about them, even if I'm just going to wear it to go and look after the ducks!

I loved her points about figuring out the elements that draw you to specific styles, to help define your own style. I'm one of those with the cluttered walk-in closet. I only get half of it, so the clutter is a shared mess - but, with as many different things as I do, the activity-specific wardrobes are necessary, but I really need to pare some of them down, quite a bit. She gave me some great ideas for doing just that - as well as some great ideas for focusing in on where I need to make changes - and where I really don't - at least to get started. I subscribed, because of this video.

https://itissunnyatebertshome.blogspot.com/2022/07/redefining-or-finding-my-style.html#more

I do a deep dive into where I am going with the capsule wardrobe and discovered that I want three smaller ones.   At least to figure out what my style really is.

I imagine there is some interchangeableness between them.  

1. Farmwear
Heavily inspired by the Woman's Land Army, but with a lot of changes.  Here's the original uniform and more details can be found on this awesome website: https://www.womenslandarmy.co.uk/world-war-two/recruitment-and-enrolment/uniform/



1 long sleeve blouse with a pointy collar - cream, white, or slightly patterned
1 short sleeve blouse with a pointy collar - cream, white, or slightly patterned
1 rich green pullover with a v-neck and lots and lots of ribbing - gloriously green
1 sweater vest with a v-neck and maybe cables - gloriously green
2 pair kneehigh socks - thick wool - browns, blacks, greys
1 tan skirt, corduroy?, DEEP pockets - tan, brown, beige (details to hark back to jodhpurs)
1 dress??? maybe.  Something to replace the dungarees - tan, brown, beige
1 coat - not sure what type yet, but probably go more towards regular farmer 1940s coat.  - heathers, browns, something

Colours: Forest Green, Cream, Tan, Browns, splashes of yellow and black.


2. Scholarly functional
Dark academia meets modern Victorian, meets sexy librarian

Don't have a good example of what this would look like, but I'll know it when I see it.

1 long sleeve blouse - not sure the style, but I imagine sleeves a bit poofier at top - cream, white
1 short sleeve blouse - same - cream or white
2 long skirts, dark texture pattern, a-line or walking skirt, browns, blacks, grey, tartan, heathered
1 black dress that goes over a blouse, black
1 cardigan, grey of course.  (another one in red later?), grey
1 vest or sweater vest, green, brown, grey, dark
1 knee-length coat, beautifully swooshy and tailored.  
2 pair of wool socks - blacks, browns, grey

Colours: Creams, Browns, Blacks, Greys, Dark-Dark Green, splashes of ruby red and garnet


3. Boro - but not boro

This is heavily inspired by my time in Japan, the simple style of the modern Japanese housewife and the Edo period.  Especially the values of buying quality and making it last.  I love the visible mending of the Edo peasant class.

But this is also the least fleshed-out idea in my head, and I suspect it will meld into medieval-inspired peasant wear from various parts of the world.  But for now, it looks like:

1 short sleeve blouse, with probably a standing/mandarin collar because I have a nice pattern for this - cream/white
1 skirt - I have some skirts with Japanese fabrics that need remaking.  These are going to be different than my usual a-line shape to hark back to Edo Samurai clothes. - black, indigo, or possibly with a pattern
1 comfy pants or possibly a hakama for doing yoga in (if it's good enough for martial arts, it's good enough for yoga and tai chi) - black or indigo blue
1 Happi shaped coat (already have this, see picture above)
1 pair of socks with split toes because I love wearing these and they are so comfy.  Also, a neat talking point when going to someone's house and you have to take your shoes off.  White or black
1 boro boro patchwork farm coat with heavy but simple sashiko patching and halfway between a Happi coat and a Western coat.  Make it easy to add more mending to it because it begins with mending.  Probably tan and green because I would reuse worn-out linen clothing

Colours: Black, Indigo blues, browns, whites/creams with a splash of bright red, yellow, or green.


Add to this, of course, there will be tank tops, petticoats, a hat, arm warmers, stuff like that.  


Anyway, if I can acquire or make the items on the list, and get good enough quality, it should last me a few years and I can get a better feel of what my style is and where I'm going next.
Some of the items I have in my wardrobe I can make work, but I've been negligent in getting new clothing these last three years until I can figure out what my desired aesthetic is, so there really aren't many clothes left hanging in my closet these days.  

Now I have a goal, I need to think about how to get there while matching my values.

The environmental impact of my clothing is a big thing in my life.  But growing all this by hand is unlikely.  However, maybe I can do one or two items 100% homegrown.  

Buying all these clothes from companies that match my values about respecting the people who make the clothing and the environment would break the bank.  No way I can afford this, but if I'm careful, I may be able to add a few items this way.

Each step away from fast fashion makes a huge difference on our impact in this world.  A step might be choosing one high-quality top instead of 3 good enough tops.  Or mending something before it breaks or ...

So what I want are garments that are high quality and easy to mend.

I can see sewing much of this wardrobe as I can choose different techniques to help the cloth last longer.  That and I can avoid the surged edge rubbing on my skin as this is a huge discomfort in my life.  

I discovered "dressing your truth" energy system several years ago and it was such a game-changer for me.  

It's loosely interpreted a system of choosing your color palette to match your energy type so that OTHER people receive and respond to you correctly.  I struggled with the frustration of not being taken seriously,  like EVER,  most of my young adult life.  No more.   This has corrected that 99,9% of the time.  

As a bonus,  if you have YOUR energy colors, you can wear them in pretty much any combination you like.   So as long as I'm buying colors in my energy group, I can mix and match them at will,  in combinations that people wouldn't have done otherwise, and it works for me.

I mostly LIVE in  capris,  Tshirts, and sturdy sandals most of the summer.   In the winter that changes to dark jeans and sweatshirts for the most part.   Pretty easy for me.  I have "extra" clothes for dressing up or down etc. but rarely pull them out.   I probably have 5 bottoms and about 7 tops that I mix and match and layer and rotate for either season.  

Black and navy are staples for me.   With a variety of other colors I mix in.    

r ranson wrote:So what I want are garments that are high quality and easy to mend.

I can see sewing much of this wardrobe as I can choose different techniques to help the cloth last longer.  That and I can avoid the surged edge rubbing on my skin as this is a huge discomfort in my life.  

My experience supports the "sew it yourself" concept. It won't be cheaper than purchasing clothing, because fabric is so expensive nowadays, although if you go to the end of the season fabric sales, you might find something you both like and that is made out of something you're willing to buy at less price than at the start of the season. However, for me, the biggest difference is that I can sew it to be quality - decent width seams, reinforcing where needed, quality material *and* I get to keep the cabbage which means if I get a hole/rip/stain, I've got matching material and might be able to fix the problem inconspicuously.

I know there will still be a lot of waste and chemicals involved in buying fabric, so if you can do some home-grown that's a great goal, but our culture generally insists you need to wear clothing, so if you have to compromise, try not to bend yourself out of shape for doing so!

Already having these three themes has helped me out.

I need a quick and portable project to take with me, so I decided to make a pocket.  Cut out the fabric last night and when I woke up this morning, I asked "which wardrobe theme would this match?"  The answer, none of them.

So I decided that detached pockets fit with my historical librarian theme and cut out a new one out of different cabbage.  I'm much happier with the new version.