Transitional Wardrobe Capsule

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Video to accompany the blog post here
I've been planning my Autumn capsule wardrobe for the past couple of weeks. I've had a rail up in my room and there has been plenty of faffing with it. It's been great to see the pieces hung up as it's made me realise that all the items are the core pieces of my wardrobe that spend about 75% of the year being my staples! They mainly get worn during spring and autumn but there are a few things that I draw on all year around. 
This is my phase one - I'm pretty confident we will enjoy an extended summer and have some lovely warm temps throughout September. So this is my plan for the next six weeks or so. I expect to be be swapping in a few warmer jackets and knits by mid October (I definitely recall  the weather being pretty good for the last few October half term weeks!). There are still a few things left hung in my wardrobe in case I don't reach for some of the things on my rail.....there may be an item or two that is a little ambitious for the coming weeks - who knows?

Without further ado I'll start with t-shirts. A plain black tee from Weekday and that transitional must have......a Breton! The Weekday t-shirt is a firm favourite I prefer a cap sleeve to an elbow length sleeve (which I always roll up shorter anyway!). I bought this tee this time last year (when I was in Copenhagen for my birthday). It's one of their core basics so they still do it in a variety of colours. I've worn it a lot! The neck is slightly higher than a normal crew and along with the cap sleeve which I think makes it an elevated little basic.

Weekday t-shirt

The Breton is an old favourite - years old from H&M but still going strong. Love the boxy boat neck shape of this one......it's perfect for doing the half tuck.

H&M Breton, past season - alternative here
I've swapped my lockdown uniform of linen shirts, jeans and Birkenstocks to silk (or tencel) shirts, jeans and slip on Vans......perfect for the mum taxi uniform! 

Joseph shirt, past season - alternative here

Zara shirt, past season - alternative here

H&M silk shirt, similar here

Sweatshirts are a must-have for the chiller autumn mornings and evenings. Both of mine have a little puff sleeve - nice little detail to lift any outfit. These are particularly great to style with the couple of skirts I've included in my capsule. I've gone for a classic off-white and grey.

H&M sweatshirt - alternative here (I also have this and in grey - it has a longer sleeve)

Rebecca Minkoff sweatshirt - I have a size mediumlow in stock so alternative here

To complete the tops I've added a couple of sweaters. A stripe sweater from Zara that I purchased at the beginning of lockdown it's waist length and sits perfectly on skirts, trousers and jeans.....it's been an absolute wardrobe winner! 

Zara sweater, past season - alternative here
And the capsule wouldn't be complete without a black fine merino wool knit.......they are the perfect layering piece. Also great for draping around around ones shoulders in lieu of a scarf!

Joseph merino wool sweater, past season - alternative here
Just two skirts......I don't find them the easiest things to style to be honest. I definitely favour a one piece dress or jumpsuit. This cream pleated skirt is a couple of years old from New Look. This is possibly the most versatile skirt I own......it goes with all of the above tops. I would tie the shirts at the waist rather than tuck as I don't want the bulk (and you can see where you have tucked darker colours of course!).  

New Look skirt, past season - alternative here
A bit of leopard print gives an outfit a little boost so I've added a bias cut midi from Mint Velvet.......I tend to really dress this down with a sweatshirt and trainers but I am going to experiment with a black tee and blazer! 

Mint Velvet skirt - pleated alternative here
One skirt/trouser hybrid! It looks like a skirt but they are actually trousers. These are a few years old from Gap but they come out season after season. I just love them......the colour is gorgeous and they will be lovely for wafting about in for the warmer September days!

Gap trousers, past season - alternative here
The next item may be a tad ambitious purely because of the colour - I'm not one for wearing white  trousers much during the cooler months - maybe this is the year to change that! I really love the silhouette of a 'mensy' style trouser with the pleats and cinched in waist worn with a bolder shoulder! Chic proportions!

Zara trousers, past season - alternative here

I find a khaki trouser a useful alternative to jeans so these Topshop mensy trousers also made the capsule edit.

Topshop trousers, past season - similar here

No capsule would be complete without an array of jeans - 5 pairs all straight-ish and covering all colour ways! 

Arket ecru

H&M light wash - here

Gap mid blue (more boyfriend style) - alternative here

Rag & Bone dark blue wash - alternative here

Weekday black

And so on to dresses! I'm hoping to get a couple more wears out of this linen Zara dress - I've worn it lots since I purchased it back in June. It's just a great everyday dress that goes with a multitude of my accessories.

Zara dress (I have the size small - I'm 5ft 6"and a UK size 10)

This dress is a couple of years old.....I loved it so much I bought it in black too! Both are in this capsule as they are perfect for chucking on now!

Zara dress past season - alternative here & here

Zara dress, past season - alternative here & here

This dress is in the wardrobe all year around! Dare I mention the Christmas word?! I have some lovely gold Mary Jane shoes to dress it up with.......but for now it looks great with trainers and boots. Prepare to see it many times! And did I mention it has pockets!

Zara dress, past season - alternative here (well reduced!)

Another very useful dress....the quirky hem means it's another dress that can take me from day to evening. It's jersey so it's really comfy too!

New Look dress, past season - alternative here (also in the sale)

Just the one jumpsuit - as I said up post a one piece makes it so easy to get dressed. Especially on those days when you are time-short!

Mango black jumpsuit, past season - alternative here

A jacket of some sort is definitely needed now for the chilly mornings and evenings. Due to lockdown there hasn't been much need for jackets this year so I'm looking forward to utilising them again! There are more casual ones here as that suits my style but it's good to have a smarter option too!

Joseph blazer, past season - alternative here

This is the most useful jacket in my wardrobe - it's such a work horse! The khaki shackett just goes with everything! Enough said!

Topshop shackett, past season - alternative here

I'm not brave enough to dabble in the double denim look but I'm happy to mix blue and black denim so this black denim jacket works well for me!

Joseph denim jacket, past season - alternative here

The perennial biker jacket will be making an appearance again. I have this crop sleeved one for now and a long sleeve version for later on.

DKNY biker jacket - alternative here

Now for the trench. It's been a labour of love finding the perfect one of these. I've kissed a few frogs.....I've had 3 different ones in the past but like Goldilocks I couldn't find quite the right thing. Then came along this very lucky purchase at a Joseph clearance at Kilver Court. As soon as I put it on I knew it was the one......definitely a fairytale ending!

Joseph trench - alternative here

And last but not least - ending with an eBay bargain! I found this great (almost vintage) M&S Mac which is circa 2003 last year. It's a great weight for this this time of year - it's very fluid. Quite Scandi looking I think.....and I can't wait to wear it again!

M&S preloved Mac - alternative here

It's all pretty neutral in colour with an injection of leopard print and a some stripes! So far there are 30 pieces - I've been pulling my outfits from what's here for the past couple of weeks. As it's a pretty mammoth post I haven't included accessories (shoes, bags etc) but I will do a post on those too.

N.B As well as the rail I also find it useful to have a Pinterest board where I can view all of the items - great for outfit planning! You can see mine here.

To breathe a bit of life into my old favourites there are a few newbies to add my rail. I've bought some things to bolster my current items.........I'll share those with you next time!

Back again soon, Michelle x