Simple Winter to Spring Capsule Wardrobe – a real-life example of dressing with less!

Today I’m sharing a detailed look inside my winter to spring capsule wardrobe.

My goal is to give you a real-life example of what dressing with less looks like. Along with how I use my capsule wardrobe in real life as a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom.

When I shared my capsule wardrobe update, I asked readers on my email list (sign up here if you’re not on the list!) and in my Facebook group, if it would be helpful to see what my own capsule currently looks like.

The answer was a resounding yes, so today I’m sharing a look at my winter to spring capsule wardrobe.

A real-life example of a capsule wardrobe

One of the biggest challenges many people face when considering a capsule wardrobe is feeling uncertain about how it will work in real life.

Maybe you worry you won’t have enough clothes to wear with a smaller wardrobe. Or maybe you just don’t know what you’d need in a capsule and don’t know where to start.

I want to show you exactly what my capsule wardrobe looks like so you can see what’s included, how it works and how it simplifies my life!

How my capsule wardrobe has changed over time

I recently shared a capsule wardrobe update, all about the ways my capsule wardrobe has changed since I first began dressing with less. It was interesting to look back and notice the ways my wardrobe has shifted and evolved the longer I use a capsule wardrobe.

One of the biggest changes I noticed was that I have gotten a lot clearer on my personal style and what I prefer wearing. And the clearer I am about my personal style preferences, the more selective I have become with my clothes.

I no longer keep clothes that are ok or not bad. Instead, I only keep clothes I love wearing and feel great when I’m in them.

My wardrobe is bigger AND smaller

This has led to some big changes in my wardrobe. First, my wardrobe has gotten bigger and smaller.

It’s bigger because I include a few more pieces in my wardrobe than when I first started using a capsule wardrobe.

But it’s smaller because I no longer keep extra items “just in case”.

Almost everything I own for the current season is in my capsule wardrobe. I no longer store extra in-season clothing I decided not to include in my current capsule.

The size of my capsule has gotten slightly bigger, but it is more curated. And the best part is I love every item in my wardrobe!

What is a winter to spring capsule wardrobe?

As I explained in my capsule wardrobe update, I no longer make a new capsule for all four seasons. Because our springs and falls tend to be relatively short and quite unpredictable, I found it wasn’t worth the time or effort to make a dedicated spring and fall wardrobe.

Instead, I make winter and summer capsule wardrobes and let them naturally transition through spring and fall by adding and taking out a few items here and there to fit the weather.

In this post, I’m sharing what I call my ‘winter to spring capsule wardrobe’. I usually bring out my winter clothes sometime in October and switch to my summer capsule wardrobe sometime in May.

I’ll start by showing you my true winter capsule wardrobe, meaning the clothes I wear during the cold winter months.

At the end of the post I’ll share some examples of how I transition it to spring.

Transitioning a seasonal capsule wardrobe

As spring approaches, I’ll take out some of the heavy winter sweaters and possibly add in a few lighter weight tops and maybe some spring pants as well.

When the weather is consistently warm enough, I’ll switch the clothes in my closet to my summer capsule wardrobe and put my winter capsule clothes away.

I prefer only keeping in-season clothes in my closet. I find it reduces the visual clutter and makes getting dressed easier when I only see the clothes I’m currently wearing.

As summer comes to an end and the weather starts getting cooler, I’ll replace some of the tanks and shorts with more fall appropriate items. And usually around mid-October, I switch to my winter wardrobe.

In the coming weeks, I’ll share another post with my updated summer capsule wardrobe too. Including how I transition it from spring, through summer and in to fall.

Before we begin, here’s a little background to give you some context about me and my wardrobe.

Climate

I live in central Alberta, Canada. Our winters are long, cold and snowy. We often have temperatures and wind chills in the -30s°C and even into the -40s°C. Our average temperature is a high of -9°C and a low of -19°C.

I get cold easily and really don’t like being cold, so I prefer warm clothes.

Lifestyle

I am a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom to two young kids. I prefer a wardrobe that is casual, comfortable, functional and still lets me feel put together.

My capsule wardrobe “rules”

I try to stay away from imposing any rules on my capsule wardrobes. Instead, I aim to only keep clothes I look and feel my best in while keeping the number of clothes in my wardrobe at a number that feels comfortable to me.

Instead of counting how many items I have or only keeping a certain number in my wardrobe, I decide what feels like “enough” by how my closet feels.

If getting dressed is quick and easy, that tells me what I have is enough.

If I start to feel overwhelmed or am having a hard time deciding what to wear, that’s a sign that I have too much and it’s time to simplify.

What’s included

For the sake of this winter to spring capsule wardrobe tour, I’ve included tops, bottoms, shoes, accessories and outer wear. Basically, the items that make up my every day wardrobe.

I haven’t included pajamas or lounge wear (that I only wear at home), undergarments, workout clothes, or dressy/formal clothes.

Links to items

**This post contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.**

While I definitely don’t encourage buying more than you need, I have included links in this post to items in my wardrobe in case you’re looking for similar items.

However, the vast majority of my clothes are not new. In those cases, I’ll link something similar if I can find it.

Winter to spring capsule wardrobe – tops

1/ black cowl neck sweater 2/ black cowl neck sweater 3/ grey cowl neck sweater 4/ grey cowl neck sweatshirt 5/ black cowl neck sweatshirt 6/ grey plush knit sweater 7/ cream knit sweater 8/ black knit sweater 9/ grey knit sweater 10/ grey hooded sweatshirt 11/ black sweatshirt 12/ black tunic sweatshirt 13/black keyhole back sweatshirt 14/ grey sweatshirt 15/ fleece zip-up sweater 16/ black v-neck t-shirt 17/ black crew neck t-shirt 18/ black scoop neck t-shirt 19/ black tunic t-shirt 20/ denim jacket 21/ cream wool cardigan 22/ plum knit sweater wrap 23/ burgundy cardigan

Most of the tops in my winter to spring capsule wardrobe are simple, neutral and versatile. Keeping the items in my capsule neutral makes it easy to match most of the tops with most of the bottoms. Which makes deciding what to wear very easy!

As I previously said, I like clothes that are warm and comfortable, but still let me feel put together. I have narrowed down my wardrobe to the colors I prefer wearing. And the clothes in my capsule are items I love and feel great in.

Winter to spring capsule wardrobe – bottoms

1/ denim jeggings 2/ dark denim jeans 3/ medium wash demin jeans 4/ black jeans 5/ grey jeans 6/ black leggings

Again, I choose mostly neutral, simple bottoms that are easy to pair with the tops in my wardrobe. As a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom, I wear casual clothes pretty much every day. And my preferred style is skinny jeans or leggings.

Winter to spring capsule wardrobe – accessories

1/ woven scarf 2/ wood and crystal mala (made by me) 3/ wood and crystal mala (made by me) 4/ long silver necklace 5/ long necklace with interchangeable crystal pendants 6/ silver necklace 7/ silver necklace 8/ long silver feather necklace 9/ silver earrings 10/ crystal mala bracelets 11/ crystal wrap bracelet (made by me)

Jewelry is one area of my wardrobe I am not particularly minimal with. I love jewelry and always have, even as a little girl!

I enjoy having a wider selection of jewelry and don’t feel overwhelmed by it. So, for me, I don’t feel the need to further simplify my jewelry collection.

These are the everyday go-to accessories I wear most often. I keep these items easily accessible on the shelf in my closet.

I have more pieces that I love or are meaningful to me in a drawer in my closet that I wear less frequently. I have decluttered my jewelry so I only have items I love and wear. This is the right balance for me at this time.

If you feel overwhelmed with too many jewelry items or accessories, that’s a good sign it’s time to simplify and declutter.

There is no one size fits all approach to capsule wardrobes. Figure out what feels right to you and go with that!

Winter to spring capsule wardrobe – outerwear

1/ winter coat 2/ wool pea coat 3/ brown boots 4/ black booties

As I previously said, our winters are cold and snowy. While I enjoy having more shoe options, I find during the winter I don’t need them. I wear my winter boots daily, and use the black booties anytime I want to dress up a bit.

If we lived somewhere with more moderate weather, I would include more shoe options. But for where we live, this is what works!

How I use my winter to spring capsule wardrobe

My simplified version of mixing and matching

My goal for my capsule wardrobes is to able to mix and match the pieces, but in a simple way. Because pretty much all of my items are quite neutral, I am able to easily match most tops with most of my pants.

However, I am not a big fan of mixing and matching my wardrobe to make new outfit combinations or see how many different outfits I can make with the pieces I choose. I am a creature of habit and prefer not thinking too much about my outfit options.

Instead, I tend to have my preferred outfit options for each item and repeat those outfits. This may sound boring to some, but I find it freeing. It means I don’t have to think about what I’m wearing or what outfit I’ll put together.

Plenty of options, even with fewer items

And even with fewer items I don’t worry about feeling like I’m wearing the same outfits all the time.

For example, if I have 20 different tops in my wardrobe, I could wear a different top each day for 20 days. And something as simple as wearing blue jeans instead of grey jeans means I can easily switch up an outfit without having to get creative mixing and matching, or wear the same outfit all the time.

A loose daily “uniform”

The longer I use a capsule wardrobe, the clearer I get about my personal style preferences and the more I know what I love to wear. This had led me to adopt a loose daily “uniform” of sorts that I wear most days.

I prefer simple outfits. In the winter, my uniform usually consists of skinny jeans in black, grey or blue, or leggings on the bottom. And a warm, cozy sweater or sweatshirt on top.

Having a “uniform” makes getting dressed even quicker and easier. Simply because I don’t have to think about what I’m going to wear.

Instead, I know what uniform formula I prefer, know most of my clothes can easily mix and match and can quickly make an outfit I know I’ll feel good in.

Here are a few examples of my winter uniform in real life.

Transitioning my wardrobe in the spring

As the weather warms up in the spring, I find it easiest to naturally transition my wardrobe and add or remove pieces as needed.

What I take out

For example, once we are through the coldest days of winter and the temperatures are warming up, I’ll likely put away some of my heavier sweaters, winter coat and winter boots as I notice I am not wearing them.

1/ black cowl neck sweater 2/ black cowl neck sweater 3/ grey cowl neck sweater 4/ grey cowl neck sweatshirt 5/ black cowl neck sweatshirt 6/ cream wool cardigan 7/ cream knit sweater 8/ black knit sweater 9/ winter coat 10/ brown boots

What I add in

Around the same time, I might grab a few lighter items from my dresser to wear on warmer days. For example, I have a few lighter weight long sleeve tops that I like to wear as the weather warms up but isn’t super hot.

I also add in my spring appropriate shoes and outerwear as I need it too. After our long winters, I am usually more than happy to put away my winter boots and coat as the weather warms up. And replace them with my spring jacket and a couple different pairs of shoes.

Depending on the weather, I may also add in a pair or two of capri pants from my summer wardrobe. My capri pants are denim – basically a cropped version of my jeans!

1/ burgundy knit long sleeve t-shirt 2/ black knit long sleeve t-shirt 3/ grey plush knit sweater 4/ grey linen blend 3/4 sleeve top 5/ black 3/4 sleeve t-shirt 6/ fleece lined jacket 7/ black slip-on shoes 8/multi-colored slip-on shoes 9/ blue running shoes 10/ black running shoes

Using what I have

And sometimes I don’t even need to add anything at all to transition my wardrobe from winter to spring. I just change the way I use what’s already in my capsule.

For example, I have four t-shirts in my winter wardrobe that I wear under sweaters and cardigans. On warmer spring days, I can easily wear a t-shirt and jeans with no sweater.

I find it easiest to stay flexible as the weather changes in the spring. This is when it’s helpful not to get hung up on rules or sticking to a strict number of items in my capsule.

My real-life winter to spring capsule wardrobe

I hope seeing what my winter to spring capsule wardrobe looks like in real life and how I use a capsule wardrobe helps demonstrate how dressing with less simplifies your life.

I’ll share a similar look at my summer capsule wardrobe soon as well. And share how I easily transition my wardrobe from spring to summer and into fall too.

The key for me is keeping my capsule wardrobes and the “rules” I use to make them as simple as possible. I use a capsule wardrobe to make life easier, so the last thing I want to do is complicate the process of making and using a capsule wardrobe!

Simplicity is key!

Figure out what you like. Get rid of everything you don’t like. Stay flexible and keep it simple!

Do you use a capsule wardrobe? Do you have any questions about my capsule wardrobe? Leave a comment below and let me know, I’m happy to help! Dressing with less has had such a positive impact on my life, I’m always happy to talk capsules and help you simplify your wardrobe too!