With autumn officially a half a season away, the time has arrived to start pondering, preparing and eventually purchasing those items for our fall capsule wardrobe to further enhance what we already have as well as provide what we need and/or are lacking.

And I could not be more eager to step into this particular shopping season. Why? Because now more than ever the clarity I have gained due to putting a significant pause on my purchasing of clothing over the past 18+ months has provided helpful information that actually will save time and money forever moving forward as I finesse my capsule wardrobe.

Today I want to share with you the benefits gained and my approach as I prepare to shop the fall collections to fill the gaps so that you too can have a successful shopping season.

Perhaps you have gone through a transition from one life chapter to another whether it be career or life progression or direction or one lifestyle to another, and if so, you know it takes time to know how you live, and therefore what you need to feel both confident, yet comfortable so that you can simply let any thought of what you are wearing fall away and go about with your full and best abilities engaged in the task at hand.

But then wait! Even when we do finally arrive at the awareness of what would work best, we still have our old or currently wearing wardrobe, and we have to work within a budget, so the evolution from our past to new chapter as revealed by what we actually have to wear, takes time. But the good news is, once we have done the right homework, we can rest easy knowing that in time we will have the wardrobe we once dreamed about.

One of the first few questions I received from TSLL readers when I retired from teaching and shifted entirely to working from home and being on my own schedule was “How has your wardrobe changed? What is your new wardrobe?”, and as much as I wanted to know what it would be and answer that question with specificity, it has taken a good three years to first, realize what it would look like (one discovery: nope, no more pencil skirts, but definitely keeping the 75 mm heels :)), and then, to be able to bring it into being, in other words afford and purchase well the items I know will be my new wardrobe. Which leads me to getting very close to sharing with precision what my new wardrobe is because finally this season and over the coming year I will start to really bringing it together.

Now back to the sartorial shopping pause. While yes, I did purchase some items during this time when needed for work and appropriateness in life, I didn’t invest money during the past three big shopping seasons – Spring ’24 & ’23 and Fall ’23, nor the significant sales events of Black Friday/Cyber Monday and annual brand sales such as Nordstroms, Net-a-Porter, etc. for the past 18 months as I had in previous years, and did so intentionally as I focused on and prioritized completing financial goals I had set for myself to strengthen my business foundation and overall financial freedom (more on being the CFO of your life will be shared this coming fall on the blog and podcast). More specifics of what those were have been shared in the monthly A Cuppa Moments with TOP Tier Members.

What I Learned During the Temporary Pause

Over the past two and half decades, my love of style and dressing well remained a high priority, and even while I chose to pause most of my clothing shopping for a duration recently, my interest in style has never waned. However, what I didn’t realize was how I had been ‘reacting’ more than I thought as well as doubting my taste rather than being a confident shopper who knew she knew herself well. And part of the reason I was reacting was because of a very busy life schedule. And part of the reason I doubted my taste had something to do with still needing to find my stride, fully embrace my dharma, in my everyday life.

During those previous decades, while I still purchased what was on any list that I had prepared, it has taken time to know and trust which mid-luxury to luxury brands I knew with confidence would be to my liking/physique and my lifestyle, and so instead of waiting to purchase that one investment item I loved, I would doubt myself due to its high price and instead purchase a similar item at a lower price, but find myself in a year or so time wishing I would have waited and saved up to welcome what I knew would be the best fit – literally and figuratively for me. And as for not trusting what I knew to be true about myself – someone who wished to be able to be a writer full time and make her own schedule, my clothing reflecting something within that wished to be expressed but didn’t feel it could fully. But with so much in life that is worth bringing to fruition, it has taken time to feel grounded in my overall life, and in many ways that grounding has been paralleled in my trust in my wardrobe purchases.

So what exactly did I learn during this shopping pause? Let’s take a look, and then to conclude today’s post I will share my new and more refined, dare I say somewhat simplified approach, and what I have found to be a bit less stressful, way to prepare for building a wardrobe we love.

1. Clarity and peace in my daily life has carried over to my clarity and confidence about my wardrobe needs

I couldn’t know it at the time, prior to retiring from teaching, but throughout my entire tenure I dressed for the life I wanted – smart, well, confident and professional, and it served me well because without intending to, I commanded respect from both students and staff often before I said a word, and while I followed up the first impression with action I was proud of, the former was often what I was remembered for – the teacher who dresses well and teaches AP Language when what I would have rather been known predominantly for was being the AP Language who dresses well. The difference is slight, but I played a role in why the order was what it was due to my focus on clothing.

This is not to saying paying attention to our clothing is a bad thing. Clothing is a medium of communication and to toss away that tool would be foolhardy. However, women often have too much pressure to bear when it comes to clothing as opposed to our gender counterparts, although that is somewhat shifting, but I don’t see it lessening when it comes to commentary about the priority of women’s clothing choices. With that said, it is imperative that our clothing doesn’t out-speak our work/actions/job/purpose/etc., but rather complement and thereby elevated rather than distract.

So I began to look at the wardrobe choices and what I currently had in my closet to understand which clothing items were doing what – complementing the life I loved living or grabbing the spotlight. And this is a large part of why I more fully embrace what I shared two years ago when it comes to my color palette – more neutral focused palette which is part of the often referred to descriptor as Quiet Luxury or Muted Elegance (or Elevated Luxury or Old Money Style, the list of descriptors really does go on and on), but as I share in this post, it has been a founding component of living simply luxuriously. After years of shopping and honing what worked and what remained in good quality, I began to see this approach show glimmers of why it works so well as gradually after purchasing investment items over the years that I loved (ignoring my doubting self from time to time), those pieces have gone and continue to go the distance and effortlessly work with any new items I add that work in my chosen neutral palette.

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2. My eyes remained on current styles and new collections, even though I didn’t shop

I continued to take note of clothing – styles and brands – that caught my eye. Saving them in my own personal files as well as on Karma. And since I wasn’t purchasing anything which would have prompted my focus to shift from one thing to the next after I purchased, I remained focused on which items kept catching my eye, noticing patterns when brands who offer the same styles or colors each year, or which did not. This helped me to realize when I could wait to purchase, and when I would need to pounce if what I loved became available. In other words, this has helped me prioritize what I purchase at full price, what I wait for, and what will still be in stock months later in the season after first being revealed.

So while I may have on my list a wool/cashmere black trench coat for winter from Joseph, I also now know they will be selling them each fall/winter season, and they will eventually be reduced in the summer, saving me easily 50%. So long as I keep an alert on it, I will be able to save money and purchase the item I love even if it arrives in my closet a year later.

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3. Awareness of what I reach into my closet for repeatedly each season (or would like to find in my closet ☺️) and feel my best wearing

This knowledge prevents impulse buying prompted by last minute sales that pop up or items that are all the rage of the season. Knowing with confidence that certain items of clothing will be worn and worn often, mixed and matched, makes it both easier to know what is worth investing in but also what not to purchase so that I can save money in order to purchase what I will wear and love.

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4. Improved knowledge of brands that make clothes for my stature, taste and comfort

As I have shared before, I don’t necessarily like to shop, but I love and find great comfort in wearing clothes/outfits that make me feel good and stand in confidence which necessitates that I shop, so when I know I can trust the brand that I give my hard-earned money to, it makes it easier to shop with confidence and dismiss other brands that may present similarly designed items.

For example, Jenni Kayne’s clothing does not fit me well, although very good products, they are not to my preference. So while her sales will pop up from time to time in my social media feed, I no longer react even if an item’s appearance suits my taste. However, contrarily, when a sale notice pops up in my inbox for example from Joseph, a brand I know fits me well and provides items that will last and look good for years, I pounce as I have already saved the items I love and know it’s not an impulse purchase, but rather an opportunity I have prepared for.

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The knowledge shared above is not something I could have known when I began with the goal of curating my capsule wardrobe back in my early twenties. Not only because of budget restraints, but also because we aren’t born with such knowledge: the knowledge of what is available from brands and what brands fit our body best and most importantly, knowledge of myself. Which is to say, if you are in any way frustrated with where you are on your wardrobe curation journey or feel the finessing just isn’t possible because it hasn’t come together yet, hang in there and perhaps consider taking a step back and pausing for a moment – however long you need, and just be an observer and a student.

After your pause, when you choose to step back into the shopping for your wardrobe, you will have far more knowledge that will eliminate unnecessary choices that do not need to be considered, give you more confidence in your investment purchases and give you the discipline to not react when such purchases wouldn’t actually benefit you.

My Approach for Shopping for My Capsule Wardrobe

Prior to any season I am about to make purchases in for my wardrobe, as I know many of you already do, and we have talked about since TSLL began, I do a closet clean-out and assessment (I write in more detail in book #1 – Choosing The Simply Luxurious Life: A Modern Woman’s Guide. Once I have taken an afternoon to do this, I have further solidified what exactly I need, reminded myself why I am not wearing certain items that still hang in my closet but I never seem to reach for and made space for the new items that will eventually arrive.

Now the fun begins. Choosing another afternoon or morning, but at least giving myself a few hours to not feel rushed and enjoyed the perusing online, I follow the steps below:

1.The list

During the Pause period, as I shared above, I took notes of what spoke to me, what I liked that kept consistently speaking to my style and preference. I would include the brand, the style, and color, if they were available. But at the very least, the style and color. For example, optical glasses have become an accessory that has risen in prominence for my style (I have terrible near-sighted vision) due to functionality but also how instantly I feel more like myself when I am in certain occasions or times of day – more relaxed, yet still keeping the style quotient up. So I started paying attention to the frames that spoke to me, finding them on the internet, and just waiting until my budget allowed and my insurance would cover it in some cases.

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2. Nail down the specifics: Take the list one step further

With the fall collections now being released for most brands, I sit down with my computer and shop without purchasing. In other words, I create a Word Doc/Excel Doc, look at my previously created list, and then find those items from the brands I trust. I also include the link and the current price. This way, when I am ready to shop, I can quickly take out my list, and click (don’t forget to use Rakuten as well to save money with each purchase!)

For many of the items, I list multiple options, each brand I trust and styles, colors I love, and if there is a priority order, I note that as well.

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3. Save all items to Karma

Once I have all of the items shopped for (not purchased), I will make sure I have saved them in the Karma app/plugin so that if they should go on sale, I will immediately be alerted to if I haven’t already purchased the item. So for example, if know, as I shared above, that a particular classic coat is one I would like to purchase, but am waiting for it to go on sale, now an alert has been set up, so I can rest easy and go about my life and know that when it does, I will find out and then purchase it as swiftly as possible. This will not be a reactive decision because I have done my homework ahead of time.

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4. Assess the budget

If I have placed my list into an Excel Doc, I can quickly see the total cost of these items when added together will cost me, so I can then figure out my approach for when to purchase.

I might categorize my items listed based on types – outerwear, accessories, shoes, dresses, tops, etc., or I might prioritize them by necessity for the most highly functioning wardrobe this season. Or, I might go a different route, and prioritize them by which items will no longer be available as the season progresses (quick to sell out), so in other words, which ones can I wait to see if they will go on sale at the end of the season and which do I need to pounce upon.

Then each month, based on how much I have allotted myself in my budget, I will purchase what I can knowing these are each items that will complement what I have as well as what I eventually will have and will last for years and many seasons

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5. Begin to shop with confidence

The shopping will be gradual, and will include stepping into the next season as you might be buying fall/winter items in the spring or even summer at wonderful savings, but by literally shopping without purchasing first, you save yourself time, you now know you won’t be distracted by pop-up sales on similar items and can rest easy knowing that gradually, because you know where to find what you want, with patience, you can simply get about living and building the life of your dreams.

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Having sat down and over this past weekend and made this detailed list, I am will begin to do my shopping for the fall season in the coming weeks, and as you know, TSLL’s Annual Fall Shopping Guide will be released at the end of this month, and most definitely many of the items on my list will appear on it as well, along with many others I think you might love and wish to add to your wardrobe. In the meantime, don’t feel rushed to shop as you curate your own capsule wardrobe, whether it be for fall or spring.

And if pausing is what is the next best step for your wardrobe curation, just know you will come out on the other side with far more confidence, clarity and excitement rather than any amount of dread or uncertainty you may be feeling now should that be the case. I can say from my own experience, I don’t think I have ever been so eager and enthused about shopping for my wardrobe as I am this fall, and that is saying something because I was that person who each August before school began, I couldn’t wait to go shopping for my new spring clothes (as a young girl in school and also as an adult before teaching would begin!), excited to learn what those items might be. Now, I know what those items will be because I know myself, exactly what’s available and what I will be saving up and waiting for, and contrary to what I might have anticipated makes the shopping all the more enjoyable – the thrill of the unknown, much like a long-anticipated trip you have planned and reserved tickets for and made the itinerary in detail – all you have to do now is patiently wait for that date to arrive.

Wishing you a wonderful fall shopping experience as we look ahead to the new season.

~Sweaters seen in the above photo: two from Joseph (shop the gray cashmere one here, and the blue cashmere turtleneck here). The ivory was purchased about six years ago – a similar merino ribbed sweater from Joseph here.

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