ESSENTIALS OF A FALL CAPSULE WARDROBE

This fall, keep sustainability on your mind when doing your shopping. In fact, take the capsule wardrobe challenge by limiting your fall wardrobe to just 15 mix-and-match clothing staples to create 20+ different outfits. By choosing versatile clothing and a few fun accent pieces, you can feel good about your outfits and your impact on the planet… and your wallet. Better yet, think Goodwill for your fall shopping to find secondhand scores.

Below, we will take you through combining just 12 clothing staples and 6 accessories from Goodwill of Central Iowa retail stores to create 20 days worth of outfits. Because who wears anything but pajamas on the weekends, right? This whole capsule collection of clothing and accessories came in just under $100. At $93.25 for all of these fall pieces, this full collection costs just a fraction of what the typical retail prices would be for a wardrobe overhaul!

Share your fall capsule collection with us on Facebook and Instagram by tagging us at @DMGOODWILL and using #StyledbyGoodwill. Get started with this shopping checklist.

BOTTOMS

When it comes to choosing your staple pieces, we recommend versatile pants and skirts that can be worn casually or in the workplace. Blue jeans are always in style and are as versatile as it gets. For this collection, we chose a lighter and darker wash that had their own quirks. The lighter jean featured more fading up the pant legs and was easily cuffed to switch up the style. The darker wash jean had a fun zipper feature on the leg. For the other bottoms, a suede skirt was a go-to choice for fall weather. Choosing it in a camel brown made it neutral enough to go with the tops chosen for this fall capsule wardrobe!

Last but not least, black paperbag pants make for a great choice that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

When you choose fewer, quality, versatile items for your wardrobe, you are choosing to live sustainably. In fact, the creation of one pair of denim jeans uses over 1,800 gallons of water! When you pair down your wardrobe and choose to shop secondhand, you’re helping our planet and your local community.

TOPS + JACKETS

For the tops and jackets, we were very meaningful in choosing items that worked well both together and alone in order to get a variety of outfits. While an oversized knit sweater may be cute, it can be difficult to layer with other items to switch it up. For this purpose, we chose a mix of sweaters, plain tees, and neutral jackets.

The jean jacket is key for pulling together any outfit. It can work with all colors and compliments most pants very well. Since we created a fall capsule wardrobe designed for everyday and the workplace, we chose a darker wash denim jacket to keep it classy.

Up next, we chose a beige, suede jacket that transitions any outfit into cooler weather. This piece is cozy while also elevating the average t-shirt and jeans look.

The tops in the collection are meant to be comfortable while also stylish. This may look different for everyone depending on your style, but we recommend a majority of neutral colors with a few fun pieces to liven it up.

Once you’ve collected the pieces for your fall capsule wardrobe, you’ll notice how much quicker you can get ready in the morning! No more being wishy-washy about if two items go together or if the pants fit right. With carefully selected pieces, you’ll have the confidence in the items you pair together and have items that fit you comfortably!

ACCESSORIES + SHOES

While the capsule wardrobe is all about being intentional with paired down clothing, accessories are not included in the count! Little items like necklaces and earrings can help each outfit stand out in its own way without taking up too much space in your closet. We also didn’t count shoes in the overall capsule wardrobe since the needs may vary from person to person. In general, we recommend 3-5 great shoes per season that offer versatility.