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Writer's picturesallyinstpaul

Rainbow Striped Capsule Wardrobe Outfits + DIY Paper Beads

I had promised more colorful outfits from the fall/winter capsule wardrobe, and today I have two of them to share...one that is well-suited to warm fall weather and one that is more layered for a bit crisper weather. Even if you're not wearing capsule wardrobe outfits in particular, I hope these rainbow-inspired looks provide some outfit inspiration for this late summer/early fall season.

Fall/Winter Wardrobe Capsule Color Palette
Fall/Winter Wardrobe Capsule Color Palette

To give you a sense of the multi-colored outfits to come, here are the two paper bead bracelet sets I'll be featuring in this post, both designed to coordinate with my circus striped skirt (that is part of the capsule). The skirt has so many colors in it that it's a real pleasure to draw inspiration from for both outfit and jewelry creation.

Design a paper bead bracelet set

For capsule OOTD #5, we are still working with pieces from the warm temps part of our wardrobe, circled in green down on the blue row.

Wardrobe capsule
Capsule OOTD #5 items added in green

This one is another late summer outfit that would still be appropriate as-is for early October in warmer climates. Those in cooler climates could add a topper layer: the blue vest or cardigan, the red cardigan, the denim jacket...there are several options that would work. Tying a button up shirt as the waist is not a go-to styling approach for me, but I did like it in this outfit. My layered necklace has two longer glass bead necklaces under the collar and a shorter pearl necklace worn above the collar. The DIY bracelet stack is based on the paper bead bracelet set I made in a pink/red/blue/silver colorway inspired by the striped skirt. I also added a navy paper bead bracelet with white glass pearls and several glass or metal bracelets to finish the stack.

Plus size outfit idea for women over 40
Capsule OOTD #5: 8/17/23

The top bracelet with the dog charm was made using this cover from a Christmas Lands End catalog. I loved the combination of pink and red in this illustration and knew that the bits of black, dark green, and golden yellow would look fine for a circus-striped-skirt-inspired bracelet. I covered the white paper core with silver marker before rolling the beads so they have a bit of silver striping on them.

DIY Paper Beads

The bottom bracelet started from a full-page drawing in an alumni magazine that has the desired blue, red, and (very pale) pink colors. The brown is significant and off-palette but...I don't know, I mostly just thought it would be interesting to see how the beads turned out! So I decided to leave the strips unchanged other than covering the white paper core with silver marker and rolled them up. My one surprise was how much the green shows up in some of the beads, given how little there is on the paper. But it's a good reminder that whatever color appears at the pointy end of your strips is going to have a large visual impact! Although these were not beads I would have immediately picked out for this set, I liked them well enough to use them in making my second bracelet. The small amount of tan/brown was not jarring or "wrong" looking with the other bracelet.

DIY Paper Beads

Capsule OOTD #6 incorporates a couple pieces from the mid temps section of the capsule with my selections circled in gold.

Capsule wardrobe
Capsule OOTD #6 items added in gold

This is a very colorful, high drama look that's perfect for weather that will tolerate layering well but doesn't demand fully covered legs (although of course it could be worn into colder weather with tights and boots instead of ballet flats). It's a mostly-thrifted outfit, too; the scarf and vest (ThredUp) and the skirt and flats (Goodwill) are secondhand with only the top being retail (JCP circa 2017). The total current cost per wear (CPW) for these 5 pieces is only $4.21, which meets my average CPW goal of under $1 each.

Plus size outfit idea for women over 40
Capsule OOTD #6: 9/26/23

I used one of my favorite genuinely easy scarf styling techniques with this outfit (Method #4: Loop to the Front with Ends Loose in this post), and it worked extremely well to showcase the gorgeous rainbow colors of the fabric. I purchased the scarf with the intention of wearing it with this skirt, and I have not been disappointed by the combination that has reached Pleasing Pairing status in my wardrobe. Of course the scarf works well with many things given its array of colors, but it has easily earned its place in my wardrobe simply on the basis of its wonderful pairing with the skirt. Don't you love it when you order something online, thinking it will be great with a piece that you already own, and you're 100% correct?!

Plus size outfit idea for women over 40

Given how much was going on in this outfit, and the volume of scarf at my neck, I added simple little faux pearl studs with rabbit ears for my earrings and my go-to low contrast gold sparkly headband.

Plus size outfit idea for women over 40

As for my shoes...ugh, these shoes. I like the pointy toe, the two-tone faux suede, and the neat gold detail. But standing in these shoes, it feels like they are made of a particularly flimsy cardboard or something. I bought them for $2.79 in summer 2015, and I have worn them a grand total of 6 times! Because they were so cheap to buy, the CPW is down to $0.47, so I could remove them from my closet having more than met my CPW goal...yet I still struggle to make that decision because I really like how this style looks! On this particular WFH day, the comfort level wasn't a factor because I wasn't on my feet in them a lot so I'm feeling like holding on to them even though I had been planning to make this outfit their last. I know that most women's category of "sitting shoes" includes high heels, etc., but for me, it's this pair of attractive-but-flimsy flats. I keep coming back to that nice gold stripe at the toe that is just so appealing. So I might be waffling on this decision for a while yet (ridiculous, I know).

Plus size outfit idea for women over 40

My all-DIY daily bracelet stack started with the gold metal paper bead bracelet set I made for the striped skirt. To this I added the two black glass bead bracelets that I wear all the time and two recently-made bracelets using red glass beads with the AB ("aurora borealis") finish that gives them that prismatic shine.

DIY bracelet stack

The top bracelet with the adorable rabbit charm originated from this colorful illustration in The Economist magazine. Aren't the colors a great fit for the skirt? I love how using a page with a drawing like this, with blocks of color that are not evenly distributed on the paper, creates a set of beads that coordinate well with each other but are all distinctly different based on what sections of color happened to be on the individual strips. In addition to how good it feels to upcycle trash into jewelry, how much cheaper it is than buying new scrapbook paper (or whatever), and how fun it is to see how a page turns into a finished bead, upcycling magazine and catalog paper results in truly unique paper beads which add another dimension to the jewelry made with them.

DIY paper bead bracelet set

The middle paper bead bracelet with the black focal bead also started out as an illustration in The Economist, this time a whimsical robot being kissed drawing. I thought this was a good page to pick to complement the previous one, and I really liked the dominant pink background with bits of red and golden yellow. The beads coordinated well the previous set but has a more limited color palette, which I liked because it differentiated them.

DIY paper beads

The bottom, mostly black paper bead bracelet came from this full-page photo from an alumni magazine. I wanted a darker bracelet that would help balance the two more colorful ones, and I liked how well the green plants and her floral print clothing worked within the color palette the other two pages had established. This was a thicker paper so I covered the white core with gold marker before rolling. These beads did a great job of grounding this bracelet set, adding some depth and a more organic appearance to counter the colorful cartoon vibe of the other two groups of beads.

DIY paper beads
DIY paper beads page to bead examples

The two colorful bracelet sets and the rainbow striped scarf really add some delightful punch to our accessory capsule. However, I've gotten into a bit of an "interesting black shoe" rut, and I would like to see an accent color pair get added to the mix before boot season is underway.

Accessory capsule to date
Accessory capsule to date

Do you like to wear rainbow striped clothing or accessories? Have you tried styling a button up shirt by tying the tails together at the waist? Do you have difficulty making decisions about whether or not to remove items from your wardrobe? Do you ever like to add whimsical touches to your outfits?


Blogs I link up with are listed here.


8 Comments


awayfromblue
Oct 15, 2023

I love how colourful both of these outfits are and I really like the rainbow skirt! :) It's a shame about the ballet flats! I hate uncomfortable shoes but it's hard when they are pretty. maybe an insole could help?


Thanks for joining the Weekday Wear Link up :)

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Oct 16, 2023
Replying to

Good point about the insole - I hadn't thought of that. Thanks, Mica!

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Nancy's Fashion
Nancy's Fashion
Oct 10, 2023

I am very much in love with that beautiful rainbow skirt!

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Oct 10, 2023
Replying to

It's such a pretty piece - can't believe I got it for under $4 new with tags at a thrift store!

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mlrbanks57
Oct 10, 2023

That rainbow skirt with that rainbow scarf...chef's kiss! I love everything about it, and you look fabulous!! I absolutely have problems saying goodbye to things in my closet. That's why my donation bags hang around so long! Actually, they sit there for so long, I don't even see them anymore! Shoes are one thing I don't have problems bidding au revoir to, though. I'm not sure why that is. A therapist would probably have fun with that one, right?


I love that even you are surprised when you create beads! I would honestly have no idea what my beads would look like in the first place!


https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Oct 10, 2023
Replying to

Thanks, Marsha! I love it when you imagine how things will look together and it actually works, right? I know what you mean about not seeing the donation bags anymore. I had a bunch of them in the coat closet, and finally I asked my husband to take them in to donate - it felt pretty good to have the floor of the closet available again!

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jodie filogomo
jodie filogomo
Oct 10, 2023

Oh, be still my heart. All those colors just make for such a fabulous way to ease into winter. And I have a couple of flimsey flats that are less comfy than my heels, so I know exactly what you mean. XOOX Jodie

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sallyinstpaul
sallyinstpaul
Oct 10, 2023
Replying to

Thanks, Jodie - I figure we can use some cheerful color year-round, you know? I'm glad I'm not the only one with flimsy flats. I wondered if I was the only one who had this kind of shoe.

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