Habbakuk 1:5b

"For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe even if you were told." Habbakuk 1:5b

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Lessons learned and outfits worn week 1 of capsuling

So I'm about 10 days into this capsuling experiment. I have learned that I don't like my white button down shirt and will need to hunt for another one. I had to go off capsule one time for a good cause. I have learned that I did a good job picking my capsule as I have loved every outfit I've worn. I forgot that with the beauty of October comes unseasonal warm days and I have been a bit limited in what I picked for my capsule and have been a bit hot at times. This morning, for example, it was 32 and tomorrow it will be 77. I have learned I'm terrible at taking selfies in mirrors which may be more about the lighting than my actual selfie skill. I have learned my family is quickly exasperated by making them take pictures of me.

Hawkeye capsule to watch the Hawks beat the Illini and go 6-0!

Sunday morning breakfast with old friends and then church. Capsule outfit-- boyfriend jeans, graphic t and cardigan.

Monday morning quick noon time work meeting after a night shift, a quick nap and no shower. Skinny cords, new 3/4 length flannel and booties. It was hotter than I thought; should have worn sandals.
Not pictured Tuesday to work I wore a sweater dress and tights with black rider boots. Comfy and adorable.
Tuesday night I MC'd Trivia Night for my med school community so the event called for my senior prom dress and dyed to match heels. Off capsule for a good cause.


Wednesday to work I repeated the pants from Monday, added a white top and a scarf. My fashion sense is comfy and basic- some would say plain (Plain? I ask -- did you see me just bust out my fuchsia hoop skirt senior prom dress from 1992)- and I'm ok with that. 

Thursday to work I wore a polka dot button down and a pair of my beloved Athelta jeggings. The heat returned some so I paired it with my pink sandals for a splash of color.

Friday and Saturday we had admission interviews for the PA program. Friday I wore a black skirt, a gray sweater that Fran said I needed to 'layer the hell out of' with the white button down in my capsule that I soon realized is stiff and un-fun to wear. I paired it with a pair of purple/gray/white striped tights and black riding boots. The purple in the tights brought out the purple in my hair. On Friday it was the more social part of our interview process where I give a walking tour and we have a Q&A dinner. Saturday, I was going to be seated for hours on end so I went with my standby work professional but ultra comfortable outfit- not pictured- black ankle dress pants and a silky colorful top with eiffel towers on it.

Today is Sunday and we are back to my outfit of choice... boyfriend jeans rolled up, graphic T - HAWKEYES ARE 7-0!!!- cardigan and booties.
There is nothing super exciting about what I wear or the outfits I choose. I will not be offended if you stop reading my blog out of sheer boredom. This week of outfits is pretty representative of my style and what I wear. If I had had all my clothes to choose from, the outfits would have looked pretty darn similar. I like capsule living. I feel freer and not so encumbered by stuff. 
I even got my husband to go through his stuff which added to our donation pile and I went through Lucas's summer things are pared that down as well.
This week my goal is to tackle my sock/bra/underwear drawers and to get the donations out of the house.

Friday, October 9, 2015

Minimizing photo evidence

Here are before closet shots...






And here are all my clothes on the bed ready for sorting into love, don't love, not this season

The don't love pile grows




The don't love pile got folded


Drum roll.... here is my capsule.
Shirts #1-12
various button downs and knit long sleeve shirts along with 2 'silky' work blouses


 Sweaters #13-17
black and gray turtleneck, two patterned sweaters and a gray drape-y sweater as Fran calls it


Pants #18-26
2 pair boyfriend jean, one pair dark skinny. 3 pairs of athleta leggings-- black, gray and hunter green
Not pictured- two pairs of black dress pants- one capri, one full length and one pair of brown skinny cords

Pieces #27-29
Gray and Oatmeal sweatshirt material sweater dresses and one tunic top

Skirts #30-32
Black, gray and black/gray stripes



Tees
#33-36
Not pictured- the one I wore today and another star wars one in the wash

Cardigans #37-39
Not pictured- the camel coat sweater I am madly in love with which I wore today
One gray/brown chunky cardigan and one plum cardigan with hood

Capsule outfit day #1

Piece #40
A colorful flannel 40% off at the Gap


Here is the combined pile of clothes to donate or sell and the ones to store to reassess later


Now let's see if I miss any one of these clothes even a little bit.
I have my strong doubts
#iversonsownless
#capsulewardrobe

And thus it begins...I am minimizing starting with my closet. #iversonsownless

I feel heavy. I know have I have 10 lbs on me which is new over the last year or so. I have worked hard to shed it but it seems perhaps here to stay. So this may be my 41 year old body now... I'm getting to be ok with it. My work is great. I have run every day for almost 2 years. I'm healthy. My kid is literally the funniest human ever. Life is good. But I feel blah and weighted down nonetheless. I feel in a funk. I feel heavy.

This week while chatting with my dearest friend, Fran, she mentioned minimizing her closet. She mentioned capsule wardrobes. I started to do some googling. I saw this quote "It hit me pretty hard when I realized I wasn't shopping for clothes- I was shopping for happiness. No wonder my closet didn't make sense" (from theeverygirl.com blog post about capsule wardrobes which came from un-fancy.com and Caroline who i think invented this concept). I read it again and again and texted it to Fran with the comment "Holy hell this is me. I need help".  This was Wednesday.

That night I went to my prayer group and mentioned this idea which was bouncing around my head. A gal in my prayer group mentioned this Japanese decluttering book she had just read, the Life-changing magic of tidying up by Kondo, and she purged almost her entire closet and she said, "I feel free and I feel light". And in my heart I knew I had to do this. So I ordered said Japanese decluttering book and told my husband my idea about a capsule wardrobe to which he responded "Sounds good Frances but just don't involve Lucas and I in the decluttering" (using Fran's full name is how what he calls me when I have a crazy scheme which he knows I got from her or I put together an awesome outfit which he, being fashion challenged, thinks is a hot mess or when I bought essential oils -- the Frances in me got the last laugh on that one because now he loves those 'cooky oils')

I did more research and thought more about how a capsule wardrobe would fit into my life and how I would have to make some adjustments. Here is what I decided I was going to do for me and how I live...

Step 1. I took everything out of my closet and put in a pile all the clothes I did not love or did not fit or I hadn't worn in their appropriate season. Take pictures. Check.
Step 2. Put all warm weather clothes in attic to capsule this spring. Check.
Step 3. Have my husband say "Your closet looks so empty" to which I responded "wait until I capsule it" to which he responded with a grin "yes Frances". Check.
Step 4. Lay out my personal capsule strategy... now this is how I did it...again for me and how I live.... with no clear guidance about the number 37 being the it target, I chose 40. As my 40s are going to be my best decade yet. I'll pare down to 40 pieces...here goes...

a. I will capsule my wardrobe, I think, right now for two seasons not four--- hot and cold. Though I love fall and spring in Iowa,  I don't have a ton of in-between clothes and with the way buildings are heated here in winter and air-conditioned here in summer, there isn't much difference at times. I will reassess in January and perhaps swap out some sweaters.

b. I will not include jackets or shoes. I don't wear jackets for fashion; that is I don't have a cute denim jacket or some fun fitted jackets which make my outfits pop. I have jackets for rain, jackets for chilly, jackets for cold, jackets for effing freezing. I have flat terrible flipper feet (so says my husband) so I don't have tons of shoes as they need to all have good support... I have 5 pairs of boots I wear all winter which have good arch supports in them --- black and brown high boots, black and brown low boots and a pair of gray mid calf boots. I wear running shoes a lot. I have two pairs of adorable flats that I wear to work with dress pants. I spend most of the winter wearing snow boots into work and then changing. Cutting down on my shoes didn't make sense to me so I'm not doing it.

c. I will have five mini capsules. 1. Hawkeye capsule- 2 sweatshirts and 2 t shirts; one black set and one gold set. Almost every home game has a 'theme' color so it is not realistic for me to get rid of them or to count them towards my clothing total as I only wear them 8 home games a fall. Not counted. 2. Mexico capsule- we take 2 2-week trips to Mexico to run medical clinics and I have a pretty established capsule of clothing that goes with me. this is not being modified or adjusted. it is just what it is- so it remains on the shelf in my closet where i left it after we got home the last time.  Not counted. 3. Comfy capsule- at home on weekends and at night and after long runs or races, I lounge in sweats and worn-in sweatshirts. I have parred down this stash to include 2 sweatpants, 2 sweatshirts. Not counted. 4. Running capsule- these clothes are not even on my radar for minimizing as I run outside every day in every season and thus produce a ton of laundry that we can barely keep up with as it is so I'm not decreasing my supply. Not counted. 5. ER capsule- need to have scrubs for work, 2 sets of black. Not counted.

Some may see these caveats as 'cheating' against 'made up rules' for some 'invented way' to live. Maybe I don't want to be constrained by rules. Maybe I like breaking them. For me and how I live, this is what makes sense.

d. As I thought about my capsule, I assessed what I needed each week... 3 days of office clothes and the rest casual. I assessed how often we do laundry so I wouldn't short myself or drive my laundry husband crazy. I spent hours texting with Fran and sending her pictures and I think I've done it. I've made a fall/winter capsule of 39 items. Most of them are black and white and gray. I needed a bit of color. I picked up #40 today at the Gap, a delicious 40% off plaid flannel with some color. Today I walked into my closet. I picked out an outfit I love. I feel lighter than I have in years.

Pictures forth coming...