Summer to Fall Transitional Capsule Wardrobe: 34 Looks from 13 Garments
I have been crushing on this handbag from Cuyana for months. I do NOT need it, but gosh I love it. If I still worked in an office, I'd totally get it. I often make capsule wardrobes inspired by items I can't get out of my head, and this bag inspired this summer to fall transitional capsule wardrobe.
When thinking about crafting a new capsule wardrobe, M.M.LaFleur sent me an email with its New Arrivals which included a gorgeous ice blue (M.M. calls it Clear Sky). The pants are highly rated for the fabric, the fit, the style. The scarf top is so cool; I could see the two together to work, but then also dressed up for a day wedding or even a cocktail party. And the matching jacket is the silhouette that works well with a range of pants silhouettes and dresses too. A capsule wardrobe was born.
Ice Blue, Black and White with a Pop of Lime: A Summer to Fall Transitional Capsule Wardrobe
This is a transitional capsule wardrobe for now if you're in air-conditioned spaces, but also for casual summer life, and pieces that can transition into fall when the temps cool. While you may wish to pack up the shorts and flip flops and some parts of the country may find the blue beach sweater and silver mesh sneakers too breezy for September, the rest can easily head into fall and look right at home.
blue sweater (XXS-3X) | sunglasses | dotted dress (XXS-4X & petite/tall) | slingbacks (M&W widths) | cardigan | clutch/crossbody | blue pants (00-20) | silver sneakers | black blazer (0-18 & petite/tall) | blue scarf top (XS-XXL) | sweater shell (XXS-3X) | belt (XS-XL) | white jeans (XS-3X & petite/tall) | bangle bracelets | earrings | ring | necklace | shorts (XS-3X) | skirt (00-18 & petite) | leather flip flops | blue jacket (00-20) | black purse | striped shirt (XXS-3X) | white tank (XXS-XL)
How to Customize the Capsule To Your Personal Tastes
Ice blue may not be an expected base color, but it's seriously having a moment this year. While I paired it with black, white, and a pop of lime, ice blue looks great with chocolate brown, with navy, with various shades of gray, with burgundy and wine, and with teal. Choosing darker colors will help these pieces transition into fall and early winter.
If lime isn't your jam, most any color can drop into its place. Pink from blush to fuchsia, darker green colors, purple or lavender, even another shade of blue (as long as it's enough of a contrast to the black and blues already in the capsule wardrobe). Check Talbots, Tuckernuck, Quince, L.L.Bean, and Lands' End as well as J. Crew for cardigans and sweater sets in great colors.
The cobalt blue beach sweater can also be switched out; consider a coral or flame red, a bright pink, or if you like a more subtle palette it could be taupe, gray, or camel. It can also be a thicker sweater or warmer textile if that makes more sense for you. As long as it's thin enough to be able to tuck in a sweater and tie around your shoulders or waist.
If you're not a shorts person (though these are pretty great; see my SPANX clothing review to see them on me and check out my guide to the best shorts), the black blazer has matching ankle pants that come in regular as well as a curvy fit and both come in misses, petite, and tall cuts.
When I saw the silver open-weave leather sneakers, I knew I was going to do silver accessories. However, you could easily do a white or tan sneaker or one in ice blue or lime. Accessories are an idea, but you can really play here with other metals and styles that better fit your personal style aesthetic.
34 Sample Outfits from 13 Garments in this Capsule Wardrobe
With 13 garments and a few accessories, my plan was to have at least 21 outfits, but next thing I knew I had created 34 looks. I could have kept going, but I figure these 34 outfits will give you enough sartorial inspiration. To see the thumbnails larger, tap on any of them. You can then swipe or tap through all 34. When finished, tap anywhere outside the slideshow to return to this page.
Adding to the Capsule Wardrobe With Your Existing Closet
I did add some additional items for a few looks; items I figured you may already have: a sun hat (this is one I personally own; you can see it on me here), a mesh tote (a raffia or canvas tote works too; just something more casual), and a work tote (I liked the addition of the teal and the functionality; this could be any color or could just be one of the existing bags instead).
This is a Guide, Not Gospel
As always, my capsule wardrobes are created not to have you go buy everything featured and recreate it 100%, but to see how smart shopping can get you far and a smaller closet can actually provide bigger and more style. I specifically choose more timeless of pieces in hopes you may have similar items already in your closet or can recreate the concepts with items you thrift, buy secondhand, buy from other retailers, or even sew yourself.
Shop the Capsule Wardrobe:
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This is a great capsule with so many nice outfit options. I like the colors especially.
Trip Report: (Long)
I returned last night from three weeks in Europe. I packed Eileen Fisher crepe pants (years old) in white and black. Striped tops in black and white, green and white, fuschia and white. Three quarter sleeve and half sleeve tees in light blue, white, and aqua and a Quince cotton sweater in light pink. Basic Keds white leather sneakers and a pair of scalloped edge black Skechers flats. The wild cards I added were a gauzy black very loose dress and Old Navy linen blend wide leg pants and matching shirt (worn on the plane). At the final moment I had room to toss in a denim jacket.
I thought I’d done well, then I took the nearly seven hour plane flight, two hour train trip, one hour ferry ride and finally the walk to the hotel with luggage. It was over 95 degrees in southern Germany and my hotel room was on the third (fourth by US reckoning) floor with no elevator or a/c and not even a fan. The temp at a dinner I had to attend reached 104.
From Germany I went to Denmark and Sweden, with morning temps in the 60’s and lots of wind. Then on to England, where it changed day to day from 95 to 60, no a/c and a three mile round trip walk from my room to the event I was attending (no shuttles or golf carts available).
What I found was that Northeast US “summer weight” clothes were deathly hot or too cool without layering. My flats and my bras turned on me, chafing and blistering and sticking, leaving me with one pair of shoes and one ancient stretched out cotton bra for decency. The denim jacket saved my life when I was cold and the dress and ON set when it was hot. My schedule for re-wearing things was blown to bits in the heat wave.
On the other hand, I walked into a cheapy clothes shop in England and was presented with racks and racks of pants and jeans by inseam length, starting with 25″, impossible to find here and a lot of other cute bits and pieces. Fast fashion, yes, but my summer stuff usually only lasts 1-2 seasons with frequent washing.
I’m not sure yet what I’ve learned — still jet-lagged. Maybe just not to go anywhere during a heat wave receiving international attention.
Absolutely love how this transitional capsule wardrobe effortlessly blends summer vibes with fall chic! The mix of versatile pieces is genius—practical yet so stylish. Great inspiration for creating a seamless transition.
Je voulais des capsules garde robe, automne/hiver
Hi Alison —
The six photos of your actual looks are great, and those enlarge, but I can’t get any of the 16 collage looks to enlarge for some reason. Tried on both my tablet and phone.
Amy H.
I can’t get it to open either, and removing the first one doesn’t help it. Thank you for bringing this to my attention I’ll investigate!
Love these options! Those gunmetal loafers are awesome! I just wonder how they fit? In the past year or so, I ordered 2 pairs of loafer type shoes from Talbots & they were too big. My local store doesn’t carry shoes, so it’s not easy to figure out & I don’t want the hassle of returning & re-ordering.
Alison, I’d also love to know your thoughts on cropped jeans & pants in winter? Can we pair them with loafers, flats, or sneakers in cold weather, assuming it’s not bitterly cold?
I find Talbots runs roomy in width but accurate in length. The last pair I tried was a year ago though.
And if you’re not cold you can wear cropped pants. Just make sure the shoe and the top are appropriate to the season. Think black cropped pants with ballet flats and a turtleneck a la Audrey Hepburn.
I love the capsule. It looks like the blazer has a button on the sleeve though – does it look like the sleeves could be shortened? I’m getting really frustrated this year trying to buy a new suit since almost all the blazers have buttons with real button holes, which would make them really challenging to get shortened. I know it’s possible to get them taken up at the shoulders but I’m worried that would be expensive and probably would result in them not fitting right in the arms.
Everyone has griped about this for years, with no changes from Talbots. While I love the Glen Plaid blazer, I do not appreciate paying $20 more for a plus-sized version, with no photographs of an actual plus-sized model to indicate how it might fit. Further, the photos of the “regular” sized model continue the trend of not showing the actual jacket, include an oblique side view but no back view, show the cuffs rolled or pushed up, and have no indication of how the jacket looks when buttoned. Fail!
This capsule is totally me. I already own a cobalt blue suit from Of Mercer, and I tried it on just a couple days ago and was happy to see I can fit back into it. Really like the blazer but have a couple that are similar, so I can probably make one of those work. Alas, the sweater tank is available in a small only in Misses.
What size did you buy in the blazer? Does it run big or true to size?
I got a 16 petite. I think it runs a bit big.
I have found this year they are snugger than before. My favorite shirt is three years old and has a clearly wider arm than more recent versions.
Exactly, it feels like summer just started but before we know it, things will be cooling off!
Sometimes our height is a benefit! 🙂
My pleasure, Bette. I am so glad you like it!
I’m so glad you like it, Dana!
I hired a VA to help me with LTK! She makes all the collages with the aqua border, I just “like” the items and she works off what I choose. It inspired me to start sharing my outfits again!
Oh I am so glad you got that duster, it’s so elegant!
My pleasure, hope you have a great time shopping!