Work Friendly Capsule Wardrobe for the Creative Minimalist
Any creative puts their personality into their work. A signature falsetto, the use of a certain color, or media, or flower. I consider making capsule wardrobes a creative act, and my capsule wardrobes are known for color, use of makeup, and jewelry for additional versatility, and almost always contain a Breton stripe top. But not everyone is Alison Gary, and I have had requests for capsule wardrobes with fewer frills and traditionally feminine details.
I have you my friend, and I hope this work-friendly capsule wardrobe for a creative minimalist inspires you to see that big style can be achieved with a small closet, even if that closet is free of heels, skirts, and statement jewelry. Please note this is one of a series; tomorrow will be another post breaking down the why behind these items and additional items you can add to the capsule to expand it for more months of the year.
Work Friendly Capsule Wardrobe for the Creative Minimalist
The latest arrivals at M.M.LaFleur inspired this capsule wardrobe. I was scrolling through, and the dark emerald color of the Flex Suiting collection caught my eye. I liked the straightforward double-breasted jacket and trousers, which were stylish while transcending most trends. I also liked that the fabric was wool-free (which many of you requested)and washable (which is always nice).
Shop the Capsule: blazer (00-20) | trousers (00-20) | ivory jacket (XS-XXL) | matching jeans (00-20) | striped sweater (XS-XXL) | green collared sweater (XS-XXL) | ivory shirt (00-16) | lavender turtleneck (XXS-XXL & petite) | dark jeans (23-33 & petite/tall; link to plus) | glasses | sneakers | loafers | belt (XXS-XXL) | crossbody | work bag
Sample Outfits from the Capsule Wardrobe
Below are 15 outfits I made from this capsule wardrobe, but I could easily have made more. Each outfit provides a style tip on how to tuck or button, what kind of socks to wear, and more. I hope these help you envison these looks and replicate them at home.
To view the outfits, click on any of the thumbnails below. Use your cursor or finger to tap through all 15, or use the arrow keys on your keyboard. To exist the slideshow, click the “x” or tap anywhere outside the window.
The Mindset Behind This Capsule Wardrobe
This capsule wardrobe is geared towards the person who may have client meetings and conferences but does a lot of work in a creative office where denim and a nicer sneaker are welcomed. It is also a starting point, as it can easily transition to three seasons of the year, adding simple pieces that may already be in your closet.
I chose styles of shoes, bags, and apparel that are common for both women's clothing and menswear, but from women's fashion brands that factor in curves. So, if these specific items don't fit your body or aesthetic, you may have success at a range of retailers. You can also make adjustments to the cuts to serve you better:
- If you don't like the cut of the suit, you can change that as well. The blazer can be single breasted but it should be more of a straight or classic fit than nipped in at the waist or oversized. The trousers should match the blazer in regard to fabric and color, and be a classic suiting fit (straight to wide leg and full length).
- If you don't like the jeans, they can be switched. Ankle length, wide leg, bootcut, relaxed fit… I would just stick to a dark wash, midrise, finished hem, no distressing.
- If you don't like the necklines… change them out! Turtlenecks, collared shirts, and crewnecks are classic, but you can switch to something you find more comfortable.
- Switch it up if you find the look too (young, old, feminine, masculine, boring, colorful, whatever). Play around with silhouettes you own in your closet, or try them on at stores to see what combos feel nice and incorporate them when you shop.
green blazer | green trousers | ivory jacket | ivory jeans | dark jeans | striped sweater | green sweater | purple sweater | ivory shirt | loafers | sneakers | tote | crossbody | belt | glasses
My Capsule Wardrobes are Guides, not Gospel
My capsule wardrobes are guides, not gospel, and I encourage you to modify them to fit your tastes, climate, and comfort level. Style comes not from what you wear but how you wear it, and that's all about experiencing comfort and joy in your clothes.
Now, if you want to get suggestions on how to adjust this capsule wardrobe to your personal tastes and needs, want different colors of items but not sure which ones will work, or want ideas on how to add to this capsule wardrobe to create more outfits and versatility… check out Wardrobe Oxygen tomorrow!
What do you think of this capsule wardrobe? Is this something you could see yourself wearing? Do you like this as two blog posts instead of a long novel? I'd love your feedback and am happy to answer any styling or product questions!
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Love this capsule- hoping that green sweater is a good length on me! I have similar basics in my closet- but like others have struggled with my cream colored jeans and corduroysโฆ Iโm inspired to play around in my newly cleaned closet! ( seriously- my one day project turned into three!)
Really love this capsule! I wear cream jeans all winter long and feel so put together in them. I find since I’m outside less, they last longer/stay cleaner – in the summer, I’m always dropping ice cream on them or sitting on gum on a park bench, ugh. I do wear a lot of brown accessories with them though, I find it to be less severe than anything black.
Really love those Nikes! I’ve been looking for something to replace my Onitsukas since the style I love isn’t available in the US anymore.
I’m much more of an ‘ Alison dresser ‘ (colourful, feminine etc), but still appreciate these looks for when I need to be slightly more austere – I actually wore a variation of outfit #1 for my last interview (which I got), albeit with dark brown accessories (instead of black), so happy to report that it does work!
I like the capsule posts a lot, and 2 days works fine for me. I appreciated this one – I think a โcreative minimalistโ is a pretty good label for where I fall in the clothing spectrum.
I really like that green collared sweater, so of course it’s disappeared from the website. They only have lavender and two striped options now.
I am so sad about it; it was new and full price during the pre-Christmas sales so I thought it was a safe addition. I’ll search for a replacement.
I like this capsule. I like all capsules. I tend to not be mindful of all the pieces needed for a polished look (like belts), I appreciate the visual layout.
In this example I’m loving that it’s fairly conservative but using that beautiful dark emerald green.
A two part series works for me.
Thank you for the feedback!
I love capsule posts! Often look at older posts and doing it as a 2 part is fine
Thanks, Maggie!
I like this capsule, though I’d probably mix up the colors a bit and the MM LaFleur suit is pretty pricey. But since the ivory jacket was marked way down and I can still return it for store credit, I grabbed it and the jeans. Had to order a 14 in the jeans, which might be too large, but in my only other experience with MM LaFleur I had to take a 14 in the pants to work with my waist. In general I do not find them the most tummy-friendly versus hips-friendly line.
And I really liked that jacket in the plaid — I am a bit more loud than this capsule, though not by much! — but the matching jeans could not be returned or exchanged. I realize it doesn’t have to be matchy-matchy, but going to see how the ivory items fit and go from there, hoping things are still in stock.
And P.S.–MM LaFleur has an extra 30% off sale today that applied to the jacket, but I could not combine that with your 15% discount, Alison, even on the full-price jeans. I’m OK with that, but I know some retailers let your discount be stacked.
Fewer and fewer retailers are letting us stack discounts, I’m sad to say. And thanks for the feedback on the capsule!
I impulsively bought a pair of cream corduroy pants last spring (dreaming of an all cream quiet luxury inspired outfit) and have been struggling with how to wear them for work. This is very helpful!
How do you feel about dark jackets and tops with white pants? Iโm struggling with if you need the lighter color on top to balance?
I too have cream corduroy pants and I love them with dark jackets and tops! I “bookend” the look with dark shoes.
This is a great capsule- very workable from many combinations. I put my info on the wait list for the ivory jacket. Thanks!
I’m so glad you like it!