September is the month I start seriously looking forward to fall, so I am excited to add some autumnal options to the capsule!
By this point, my capsule bears almost no resemblance whatsoever to the wardrobes Janice is building! Her September additions included a sweater, a warm shirt (or another sweater), a skirt or pants, two scarves, earrings, and a pair of shoes/boots. Meanwhile I am adding items to cover a range of early fall temperatures, enough to make four outfits if we repeat a couple of the pieces.
Outfit #1 is a simple neutral outfit with a mix of textures and prints to keep it interesting. This outfit will still look good without the knit blazer if it is warm enough indoors to take it off.
Cream lace front long-sleeved T - thrifted, CJ Banks - 2X - $6.99 - 12/2018
Denim ankle pants - CJ Banks - 24W - $15.30 - 2/2021
Navy knit blazer - St Johns Bay/JCP - 2X - $20.99 - 9/2017
Clear square earrings - ?
Navy/white/tan butterfly scarf - thrifted - $1.50 - 12/2019
Cheetah Oxfords - Corso Como/Nordstrom - $98.95 - 9/2019
Outfit #2 is a good choice for those cooling fall days when a lightweight cotton sweater that has just a hint more warmth than a t-shirt feels right. And a cotton utility vest is a nice layering option for transitional weather. I like the low-key print mix of double stripes and cheetah print.
Ivory boatneck pullover sweater - Loft - 2X - $8.00 - 5/2020
Navy/cream/maroon striped pants - thrifted, Lane Bryant - 22W - $16.99 - 3/2019
Navy utility vest - Sonoma/Kohls - XXL - $15.78 - 11/2018
Cream pearl earrings - gift from Mom
Navy/maroon striped twilly scarf - thrifted, Gap - $8.99 - 5/2020
DIY Navy/Faded Maroon/Silver bracelet set - made by me - summer 2022
Same as above: Cheetah Oxfords - Corso Como/Nordstrom - $98.95 - 9/2019
Some early fall days feel more like my ideal "summer" weather - cool enough to wear a scarf without sweating - which is where this skirt outfit comes in. I tend to wear very simple (i.e., boring) silhouettes in my garments, but I do like how the peplum top and asymmetric hem skirt are a bit more interesting without being fussy. The print scarf and DIY seed bead bracelet set bring together the colors in the base outfit.
Navy/white striped peplum top - Lands End - 2X - $15.93 - 5/2019
Poppy red knit skirt - Belle & Sky/JCP - 1X - $11.89 - 6/2017
Navy/red chain scarf - thrifted, Banana Republic - $2.99 - 3/2019
DIY navy/red/clear seed bead bracelet set - made by me - summer 2021
Pewter loafers - Madden Girl/Kohls - $4.75 [with Kohls Cash] - 12/2020
Outfit #4 is a variant on red, white, and blue, accessorized with a mix of metals. It's rather unlike me to show an outfit with no prints, but instead I have chosen a variety of textures in both the clothing and accessories. And one could argue that the beaded dots on the owl pendant has a bit of a "print" vibe to it.
White textured tunic - CJ Banks - 3X - $13.01 - 9/2020
Same as above: Poppy red knit skirt - Belle & Sky/JCP - 1X - $11.89 - 6/2017
Blue denim jacket - Croft & Barrow/Kohls - 2X - $0 [with Kohls Cash] - 7/2018
Gold/silver ring chain necklace - Kohls - $16.32 - 11/2020
Silver/bright beads owl pendant - Kohls - $14.00 - 5/2016
Same as above: Pewter loafers - Madden Girl/Kohls - $4.75 [with Kohls Cash] - 12/2020
For today's garment focus, I have three WFH outfits of the day from late winter 2022 featuring the navy/cream/maroon striped pants. When I originally ordered these from ThredUp, I thought they were going to be a plain navy and white pinstripe, so the maroon stripe was a surprise. But I actually really enjoy working red/maroon into outfits with these pants, so it turned out just fine.
First up is an outfit that is just a variation on the theme of Outfit #2 above with the ivory boatneck sweater, navy utility vest, and cheetah Oxfords. Instead of the silky skinny scarf in Outfit #2, I chose a heavier navy/dark blue/red scarf (that entered this capsule in March). As an experiment, I wrapped the chain of a red/silver pendant necklace around the scarf to secure and decorate it as an alternative to a scarf ring. It stayed in place all day long.
My bracelet stack was an atypical mix up of different sizes and materials: the large DIY plaid paper tube beads tipped in silver that I call the "beer can" bracelet, a thin silver spacer bracelet (from Amazon), DIY red 8mm bamboo beads, and DIY "starry sky" bicone bead bracelet. All of these but the "beer cans" were added to this capsule in previous months. So this would be an easy outfit to almost replicate using the capsule.
This second OOTD shows how the striped pants and dark denim jacket work together. I layered a thicker ivory sweater underneath, but the one added above would work equally well. It is rather stunning for me to see myself in a February outfit with no (visible) socks and ballet flats, but that's one of the advantages of a work commute that occurs entirely within my apartment! (Foreshadowing: both the floral scarf and gold necklace are likely to show up in this capsule in the coming months.)
Here is a closer look at the navy/faded maroon/silver bracelet set that joined the wardrobe in Outfit #2 above. I designed this set specifically to coordinate with the striped pants. The rust agate/silver rabbit charm bracelet was a gift from Robot, and the navy/silver bracelet you have seen 100 times is from a CJ Banks set. The other two are DIY paper bead bracelets: tube beads made from a floral hoodie catalog image and bicone beads made from a Mars + starry sky advertisement in The Economist.
Finally, this OOTD also draws on several pieces from this capsule, including the navy suede loafers (January), navy check shirt (February), red sweater + red leather leaf earrings (April) and White Rabbit pocketwatch pendant (June). I am more a fan of layering a pullover sweater over a button up shirt in theory than in practice because it can be fiddly to get the layers sorted out comfortably, but I really liked this combination! It helps that this check shirt has a very soft cotton fabric rather than a stiff one.
Yes, the scarf (a gift from Robot) also has a rabbit print...white rabbits to accompany the White Rabbit on the pendant...and indeed, I loved the double rabbit action in this outfit. The bracelet stack has a DIY red pearl/gold bracelet, DIY plaid/gold tube beads (the gold version of the "beer cans"...this joined the capsule in March), gold spacer bracelet from Amazon (also added in March), and the same starry sky bracelet in the first OOTD (added in July/Aug).
As you can see, when I wear these striped pants, I draw heavily on items from my close that have been chosen for this capsule wardrobe. These pants are probably the true inspiration for this navy and white capsule...I did use the floral scarf that includes pink as the official scarf inspiration, but it was the omission of these pants from my 2021 scarf-based capsules that got me thinking that a navy/white/red capsule was a must for 2022.
Our new mascot for September is a white rabbit with a twist - a dark-nosed, dark-earred, and dark-footed Californian rabbit called Callista! I thought she was an appropriate bunny for the transition from summer to fall because the dark points on her extremities are temperature controlled: they tend to lighten up in warm weather and darken in cold weather. This photo was taken at the Minnesota State Fair in late August, so she is in her summer "smudgy" point colors. But as fall turns to winter, those points will turn black.
The Californian is a large breed of rabbit with a breeding standard of 9.5 pounds, making Callista the second-largest rabbit in our menagerie (after Zinnia the red New Zealand at 10-12 pounds). Luckily this is a very friendly and accommodating set of bunnies so they readily made room for her right in the middle of the bunch where she can feel welcome and shine as the focal rabbit for September!
Do you get excited at the onset of sweater season? Do your color choices in cold weather get darker (as Callista's points get darker)?
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Oh I love the necklace to tie the scarf together, what a fun and different way to wear it! :) You wear those pinstripe pants so well - I think stripes always look good, although horizontal striped pieces can be hard to find. I have a horizontal striped skirt and everything else is vertical stripes!
Thank you for joining the Weekday Wear Link Up! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend :)
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I am really loving those pinstripe pants! As always, your outfits are so well put together. And you look amazing in red! How cool that Callista’s tips change with the temperature. I had no idea.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Oh yes! I just LOVE sweater season!!
Fall is a fun time in terms of clothes! I'm crazy about your cheetah loafers. Thanks for linking!
I am with you on layering a crew neck sweater over a top. It seems the blouse always wants to bunch up, and I'm forever pulling it down. I am definitely excited about sweater weather! It is my hidden passion...well, not so hidden! But, I am definitely a sweater type person! I love the outfit with the red sweater and the bunny scarf...those pants are hard workers in your closet!
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