A year of living in a campervan turned me into a master of small wardrobes and made me an even better wardrobe detoxer. This serie of Sustainable Shopping Letters covers the subject of building a capsule wardrobe. Expect tips & tricks to build your own capsule wardrobe and a lot of shopping links.

Ps. For those of you who’d like to become a master wardrobe detoxer too click this button

Scroll down to find info and links to these sustainable capsule wardrobe items.

Why invest in a capsule wardrobe?

Owning a capsule wardrobe brings you endless combination for any occasion.

A capsule collection is a mini wardrobe consisting of good quality staples you’ll swear by. For example, start with a basic like a t-shirt. Pair it with other essentials like a denim, wool knit or crewneck sweatshirt and boots - on casual days. Dress it up with a blazer. Or simply exchange the denim for tailored pants or a skirt for a smarter look.

Other capsule worthy items are a little black dress, trenchcoat, leather jacket, shopper tote, legging, the vest shirt, long sleeve, sneakers, heels and loafers. Often in neutrals, black, white and of course something shiny.

Ps. It’s not that there’s no space for crazy colors, style crushes or out of the ordinary or on-trend items. It’s just that they belong to an other compartment in your wardrobe. More about that here.

5 tips for building your capsule wardrobe

Track what you wear for a period of 30 days. And take notes of items that you
might be missing. Simple trick that will help your tracking: place all clothes you’ve been wearing back one side of your closet.
Declutter your wardrobe. More on how to do that here.
Avoid buying trendy items. Make sure your capsule wardrobe items stand the test of time and won’t go out of style.
Invest in high quality items, that are expected to be durable and worth the repair(costs).
Take time. Don’t expect to build a new capsule wardrobe over night. It takes patience to find the right items that fit your personality.

The Sustainable Shopping List - The Capsule Wardrobe - Fall Edition.

A straight legged denim, chunky Chelsea boots, heavy wool knit and an out of the ordinary overcoat make up the most important part of my capsule wardrobe.

I will take you step-by-step through the items you’ll need to build a capsule wardrobe. Following a buy now/wear now approach. Kicking off with the most essential items for late-fall, off course taking inspiration from my own wardrobe

Good to know: the titles & orange texts are clickable (shoppable) links. Some of which contain an affiliate link.

1 — Mud Jeans SimpleChic €129,95

The perfect straight leg denim

It took me a long time to find this fit from a sustainable brand. But it’s here. And it’s straight, high waist, made with organic and recycled cotton and a tiny bit of stretch. It’s the perfect combination of tight and straight and goes with everything; from oversized sweaters to wool blazers. The SimpleChic is also available in off white and black.

2 — MIISTA Thea Boots €123 (in sale)

The boots

It was love at first sight when these boots popped up in a newsletter. I had a crush on Chelseas’ since forever, just didn’t felt like buying such an ordinary shoe. Also didn’t want to hop on that ‘chunky sole train’ that was getting huge a couple of years ago. Then these popped up in a MIISTA newsletter. And we’ve been in love ever since. The way they make me feel when walking; like an amazone. So gracefully and full of power. They are still available; also in brown and off white.

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3 — RHEA Black Crew €99

The wear all year round wool knit

It’s not a heavy knit. Not a long sleeve. It’s something in between. I have this soft Merino-Tencel mix crew neck which is machine-washable. Mine is black, but it comes in a wide range of colours. It’s fitted and thin enough to wear under a blazer, a bit like thermals for that extra ‘cold weather’ layer or serves - here in Portugal - as an extra warm long sleeve.

4 — Signe Lupa Long Sleeve €58,75 (in sale)

The white shirt (a long sleeve in fall)

Signe is my go-to brand for basic tops. It’s a Danish brand that manufactures in Turkey using natural, organic materials. They often have a wide variety in (thick) organic qualities. In fall I wear long sleeves mostly. On sunny days I wear her tucked in a denim on cold days she’s that extra layer under my sweater.

It’s easy to go wild on long sleeves this season. I have multiple, but this is this my wardrobe staple one. Also nice and less ordinary are this semi sheer one with turtle neck at Eliza Faulkner or this striped classic.

5 — An midi or maxi skirt

The maxi skirt

This is your ticket to escape the denim / knitwear rut. Pair a maxi skirt with autumn boots and a belted coat for winter (or sandals with a tucked-in T-shirt or tank in summer). It can also be easily dressed up with a fancy top and strapped sandals for the festive season.

Mine is a black stretchy A-line Signe from a couple of seasons ago. If I was to buy a new one this season it would either be this Baserange wrap skirt or Linen Baserange maxi skirt or this organic cotton knitted one from Armed Angels or grey knitted midi skirt from Paloma Wool. Or maybe even, when I felt like going all out, one of these silk plisse Azur skirts I adore (click here for availability in the US)

6 — Obataimu duster coat in beige €298

The ‘something extra’ overcoat

Give your basic outfit something extra. My trick is my made-to-order Obataimu robe coat in a very double-layered lightweight cotton (that comes with a long story and precious memories).

But it might as well be a (vintage) wool beige wool boyfriend blazer or black blazer from Frankie Shop or opt for a short white kimono or a cardigan coat style Laura Manoogian

7 — Arches White Sweatshirt €96

A sportsy crew neck sweater

Another wear all year round sweater. Tomorrow to the office, on a breezy summer nights or any lazy day. I love colourful vintage ones like this one in electric blue or this in mint green. These new sustainable ones are pretty pretty, because well….Acid Green, not too baggy or perfectly shaped one (I often steal this one from my boyfriend)

8 — A sleek 90s leather jacket

The sleek leather jacket

It’s simple, timeless and can be your capsule wardrobe masterpiece. I’m talking about a sleek 90s leather jacket. My favourites this season are: this one from deadwood - made of recycled leather, this vintage Italian leather jacket or this black leather power coat.

Also really dig the Deadwood military style trenchcoat made with cactus leather. Not into leather coats? A wool coat is also super capsule worthy. In fact, I have one too. It’s vintage, but it looks a bit like this vegan wool coat.

9 — Frankie Shop Tailored pants €180

Tailered pants

A safe bet for formal occasions. But I mostly pair it down with a white t-shirt tucked in and sandals (for Portugese falls) or my wool knit tucked in with chunky boots. Mine are vintage linen ones I found in Porto. What about these classics from Bite Studio or from cult favourite Frankie Shop? Friendlier priced ones you can find at Hund Hund like these Khaki wool pants and or these slightly cropped and fitted ones. Ps. it’s so worth it to have a tailor adjust them to your liking. ‘Cause good quality ones can last decades.

10 — Adorn Golden Eclipse Bangle €155

Something shiny

Add something shiny to all these neutrals. It gives an instant ‘effort boost’ to any basic outfit. I opt for the Adorn gold plated eclipse bangle or moon ring.

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