Winter Capsule Wardrobe – Stay-At-Home-Mom 2017 Winter Capsule Wardrobe

Continuing with my series on decluttering your clothes and creating a wardrobe you love, here’s a detailed look at my winter capsule wardrobe! On February 1^st I put together my first capsule wardrobe. I shared my process to create it here. Initially, I planned to try living with a capsule wardrobe for a month. For a variety of reasons, I’ll explain further in an upcoming post, I felt nervous about committing to a capsule wardrobe. I worried I wouldn’t like it or feel too restricted by having fewer clothes. However, once again I have learned intentionally living with less is awesome.

I absolutely LOVE having a capsule wardrobe. Deciding what to wear is a breeze, my closet is so open and spacious. I haven’t felt like I don’t have enough to wear, in fact, I think I still have too many clothes! I decided to give myself a flexible limit of 40 pieces for my first capsule and I’m currently at 36 pieces. Even with fewer pieces, there are still some items I’ve rarely worn since making my capsule.

Today I’m sharing exactly what is in my winter capsule wardrobe. I always find it inspiring to see what other people have in their capsules. Getting a peek inside someone’s closet is so interesting! I hope sharing mine will inspire you too!

Related Posts: The Best Trick to Purge Your Closet + 6 Questions to Help You Purge, 12 Reasons We Keep Clothes We Don’t Wear and How to Move Past Them, How to Make a Capsule Wardrobe: A Simple Guide to Dressing Better with Less

Why My Winter Capsule Wardrobe?

I realize my timing is a little off. Why am I sharing my winter capsule wardrobe now that it’s officially spring? The reason I didn’t share it earlier is because I wanted to make sure I even liked living with a capsule wardrobe before I shared it on the blog. So even though the timing is off, I figure it’s better late than never! I will be sharing my spring capsule wardrobe next week. From that point forward, I will share my capsule wardrobes at the beginning of each season, which will make more sense!

Before I share my winter capsule wardrobe in detail, here is some background information about me and my life to give more context to my winter capsule wardrobe.

What’s included

For my winter capsule wardrobe, I decided to only include the tops and bottoms I wear on an everyday basis, the majority of my days. I’m storing all other clothes I kept (including items I didn’t choose for my winter capsule wardrobe and seasonal items) in our spare bedroom closet or my dresser. I keep my current capsule wardrobe in my closet.

What’s not included

When I made my winter capsule wardrobe, I decided not to include:

• Shoes
• Outerwear
• Jewelry and accessories
• Workout clothes
• Undergarments
• Swimwear
• Formal attire

Although these categories aren’t part of my winter capsule wardrobe, I have still worked to reduce the amount I have of each. I decided to share the shoes, outerwear, jewelry and accessories, and workout clothes I am currently using during this season and capsule to give you a complete picture of my wardrobe. I did not count these categories towards my 40-item limit, however.

Lifestyle

I am a full-time stay-at-home-mom with 2 young kids. We spend most of our time at home, but try to get out at least once a day for various activities, such as local kid’s programs, going to the drop-in play center, play dates with friends and a few extracurricular activities. I practice yoga every day, primarily at home, and aim for one class a week at our local yoga studio.

We have a few parties or events a year that require formal or dressy clothes. But I spend the vast majority of my time in casual clothes. Comfort and function are most important to me. I want to be comfortable, and be able to play with the kids, do housework, meet up with friends, or run errands and still look presentable and put together. My wardrobe is fairly basic, and certainly not very trendy. But it’s functional and meets my needs.

Climate

We live in central Alberta, Canada. Our winters are long, cold and snowy and our summers are short and warm. Spring and fall can be all over the place in terms of temperature and weather. This capsule is primarily winter clothes, as we still have cold temperatures and snow during this time.

I planned to dress from my winter capsule wardrobe until early to mid-April when the weather will *hopefully* start to warm up. From there I will put together a new spring capsule for mid-April until June (I’ll share my spring capsule wardrobe next week!).

Shop my Winter Capsule Wardrobe

In case you’re interested in any of the items in my winter capsule wardrobe, I’ve included links under the images below. Most of my items were purchased a few seasons ago and are no longer available. If that’s the case I’ve linked to a similar product that’s still available. I hope this will make it easier to find the items if you’re looking for something similar.

**This post contains affiliate links. That means if you see something you like and purchase it through my link, I will receive a small commision, at no extra cost to you. This helps cover the costs of running Simple Lionheart Life. Thank you for supporting Simple Lionheart Life! Click here to read our full disclosure policy.**

Now on to the pictures! Here is my 2017 winter capsule wardrobe:

Tops

Because we live in a place with extreme cold in the winters (-40C wind chills!) I prefer to dress in layers to stay toasty warm. I cannot stand being cold! It may seem like I’ve included a lot of tops in my winter capsule wardrobe. This is because I knew I’d usually be wearing at least 2 layers on top every day at this time of year.

My go-to “uniform” is a longer, loose-fitting tank or t-shirt under a cardigan or wrap sweater. This is what I wear the majority of the time. It is comfortable, warm and practical for life as a stay-at-home-mom to 2 young children.

Although I didn’t set out with a specific color palette in mind for the capsule wardrobe, my preference towards certain colors is obvious. I prefer darker colors, especially grey, black, purples and blues.

1. Fuchsia wrap sweater
2. Purple cocoon wrap – similar
3. Charcoal cocoon wrap – similar
4. Blue sweater jacket
5. Black chunky knit sweater – similar
6. Black hoodie – similar
7. Light grey knit sweater – similar
8. Light pink knit tunic sweater – similar
9. Burgundy flowy tunic blouse – similar
10. Blue plaid button-up shirt – similar
11. Light grey half-zip top – similar
12. Charcoal brushed sweater – similar
13. Charcoal 3/4 sleeve linen blend top – similar
14. Grey 3/4 sleeve tunic – similar
15. Brown boyfriend cardigan – similar
16. Burgundy boyfriend cardigan – similar
17. Grey boyfriend cardigan – similar
18. Charcoal boyfriend cardigan – similar
19. Black tunic tank – similar
20. Black v-neck tank – similar
21. Navy tank – similar
22. Blue tunic tank – similar
23. Heather blue tank – similar
24. Heather green tank – similar
25. Burgundy tunic tank – similar
26. White feather tank – similar
27. Black t-shirt – similar 
28. Grey long t-shirt – similar
29. Pink long t-shirt – similar
30. Fuchsia t-shirt – similar
31. Burgundy long t-shirt – similar

Bottoms

I’m a born and raised Alberta girl, and I live in jeans. I prefer skinny jeans, with lots of stretch for ease of movement, in a darker rinse. When I’m not in jeans, I prefer black leggings. I buy thick compression leggings to make sure they aren’t see-through, while still being comfortable.

1. Medium wash faded skinny jeans
2. Dark wash skinny jeans
3. Dark wash skinny jeans
4. Black leggings
5. Ankle length black leggings

Capsule Extras

I decided to only include my everyday tops and bottoms in my winter capsule wardrobe. Because this was my first capsule, I wanted to keep the process easy and simple. Although I didn’t technically include shoes, accessories, workout clothes and outerwear in my capsule, I still pared down and reduced each of these categories once I realized how simple and fun a capsule wardrobe could be. I’m sharing these categories for interest’s sake and to give a more complete picture of my wardrobe.

We didn’t have any formal event planned while I’d be dressing from my winter capsule wardrobe, so all formal clothes are in storage in the spare bedroom closet. For swimwear, I have three bathing suits and a swim cover. I will share those in my summer capsule. And as for undergarments, I think it’s safe to say that’s not something that needs to be shared! 😉

Accessories

During the winter months, I wear a scarf just about every day. Not only does a scarf keep me warm, but it also finishes an outfit off nicely and is an easy way to complete an otherwise plain outfit.

I’m also a big fan of jewelry. Currently, I prefer longer necklaces, and I’m loving the wood and gemstone mala necklace I made. The pendant is a locket I use to hold a tiny piece of paper with the current intention for my life I’m focusing on written on it.

The other necklaces pictured were all gifts and hold a lot of sentimental value.

The earrings are simple but pretty and I wear one pair or the other every day. The bracelets add a fun pop of color to an outfit and can be mixed and matched in many different combinations.

Purses and Bags

I’ve been using the brown leather purse for a few years, and it’s very functional at this stage of my life. Having a crossbody bag lets me keep my hands free, which is helpful with little kids around!

I hesitated to include the diaper bag, because I don’t really consider it an accessory, more a necessity. It is not an attractive bag, but very functional and necessary at this stage in our lives and I use it regularly. It holds diapers, wipes, spare clothes, snacks, water bottles, etc. Everything we need when out and about with little kids. In all honestly, I will be very happy to say goodbye to this bag when our kids are older and won’t need us to bring along so much stuff anymore. But it has been a very practical bag and served us well over the last 6+ years!

1. Teal crocheted scarf (made by me!) – similar, pattern to make your own
2. Black and white crocheted scarf (made by me!) – similar, pattern to make your own
3. Multi-colored scarf – similar
4. Color by Amber bracelets
5. Wood and gemstone mala necklace (made by me!) – similar
6. Pyrrha lion silver necklace
7. Bird silver necklace – similar
8. Feather long necklace – similar
9. Purple and gold earrings – similar
10. Silver and crystal earrings – similar
11. Brown leather cross body bag
12. Black canvas diaper bag – similar

Shoes

I’m not much of a “shoe person”. As long as I have something to wear that looks decent, I’m happy. During the winter we get a lot of snow, so boots are a necessity.

The black boots are my everyday shoe. I was hoping to replace them this year, but I have very narrow calves and haven’t found a pair of flat boots to fit my calves yet.

The brown boots are my insulated snow boots I wear when we are outside for any period of time. They are warm and waterproof, perfect for our cold and snowy winters.

I don’t wear the black sneakers much during the winter, but I have been wearing them more as we get closer to spring and the snow is melting.

1. Black slouchy boots – similar
2. Insulated winter boots – similar
3. Black sneakers – similar

Outerwear

Again our climate has a significant impact on the outerwear I choose. I wear the black jacket 95% of the time, more out of necessity than anything else. It is a practical, warm coat for our cold winters. I like the length because it covers my bum to keep me warmer.

The grey wool coat is not as warm, but I like to have a dressier option if I need it.

The black vest is useful as an extra layer for warmth or over top of a hoodie during the few warmer days we’ve had.

1. 3/4 length winter jacket – similar
2. Belted wool peacoat – similar
3. Puffy vest – similar

Workout Clothes

I practice yoga on a daily basis, usually at home, but I try to go to the yoga studio once a week as well. I’m a creature of habit and when I find something I like, I stick with it. That’s why I have 4 workout tanks that are all exactly the same! I like the fit and material, so I bought 4 in different colors! They are a looser fitting racerback style and perfect for my yoga practice. If I’m doing any inversion poses I tuck the front of the shirt in my yoga pants to keep it in place.

I often wear my black leggings from my capsule for yoga. But I also have one pair of purple compression leggings that I wear for yoga.

1. Racerback tanks – similar
2. Space dye leggings – similar
3. Compression leggings

And that’s it! My first capsule wardrobe to get me through the end of winter until the beginning of spring. I hope you enjoyed this peek into my closet! Be sure to come back next week when I share my spring capsule wardrobe!

What do you think? Do you think you’d like to try a capsule wardrobe? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!