How to Play Around & Have Fun Styling Your Capsule Wardrobe

70s chic

First up, I’m wearing a pair of skinny blue jeans, some ankle boots, and I’ve added a white blouse and a black waistcoat just to give it a bit of a 70s vibe.

Cardigan to sweater

If I need to look a bit smarter, I’ll take the waistcoat off and do the shirt up a bit to give me a smart collar around the neckline. I’ll then put on a cardigan back to front to wear it as a sweater, just leaving the cuffs showing.

Tucking it in adds a bit more definition at the waist, and I’ll finish the look off by adding a lovely structured camel handbag. 

Boyfriend basics

Here we’re back to a very relaxed mode with boyfriend jeans and a baggy t-shirt. 

Elevated everyday

To smarten it up a bit, you can add a structured blazer over the top. The blazer just adds a bit of polish to something that is really dressed down. A structured handbag also helps to elevate the outfit a little bit more.

Day to night

I often wear these jeans with a black t-shirt at night as well, switching the sneakers for a pair of heels. I really love the contrast between a quite scruffy pair of jeans with a lovely pair of heels and a smart blazer.

It’s my perfect kind of effortless chic; not trying too hard, just some beautiful pieces that all seem to work nicely as a whole.

Skinny style

I love the fit of these black skinny jeans; I think they’re perfect. I’ve added my black handbag and my waistcoat again. I feel that this has obviously got a bit of a 70s vibe, but it is still chilled enough to wear out every day.

Monochrome

You can never go wrong with a bit of a monochrome look, so this time, I’ve paired my skinny jeans with a white sweater and have kept the rest of the look black with a black blazer and a black bag.

If you want to add a little more variation to the look, you could opt for a bag in a different color. An easy way to smarten this look is to add high-heeled boots to it. Obviously, they give you height, but they also make you feel a bit more polished as well.

Elevated extras

Taking off the high boots and putting on a pair of sneakers instantly makes you feel more relaxed and creates more everyday kind of wear. But if I want to polish it a bit more, I’ll add a smart coat and a smart handbag.

I’ll just play with those individual elements really until I’ve got the look that I want to achieve. That is often how I get dressed really, just playing with an outfit, adding bits, taking bits away, until I finally come up with something that I think looks really nice together.

Stylish in silk

In this look, I’m wearing a blue silk dress with a brown belt and brown boots.

Summer to winter

To make this dress feel more relaxed, I’ve added a black cardigan, a pair of black tights, and a pair of little black boots. I really like layering my outfits, and I think that doing this can make your dresses more versatile.

Adding layers means that I don’t have to save this one for the summer, but I can easily wear it in winter too.

Long and layered

Here I’m just wearing a long cardigan over the top of my leather jacket, and I’ve got my straight-legged jeans on with a plain black t-shirt.

Leather

So long as your leather jacket is quite tight, any large cardigan would work over the top; it just adds another texture to the overall outfit.

Styling your capsule wardrobe

I hope that you’ve found this capsule wardrobe style guide helpful. As we’ve seen, the simple addition of a jacket or bag or a change of shoes or outerwear can completely change the feel of an outfit, making it very adaptive to different scenarios.

So, pick out some classic and versatile pieces from your closet, and have a go at putting together your own capsule wardrobe.