I am really excited to share my summer 2019 capsule wardrobe! If you’re looking to learn about capsule wardrobes in general, I hope you’ll check out My Capsule Wardrobe Guide.

I’ve really loved using the format of a capsule wardrobe as inspiration as I minimize my wardrobe, but many pins, posts, and videos out there focus on a very neutral color palette – lots of black, white, gray, and denim/chambray. While I generally feel this fits my style and creates a set of items that is more wearable, more often, I prefer to add a bit of seasonal flare through color. Here’s the color palette I chose this year:

Black, white, and blue (in the form of denim and chambray) are staple colors in my wardrobe throughout the year. Olive is another color that comes into outfits regularly, mainly because of one item. Light gray tends to show up in my wardrobe occasionally, mostly through a few t-shirts I have. For my more colorful additions, I’m working in a few pieces in a rosy coral hue, along with some pops of mustard, leaning on the brighter yellow side for the summer.

Why a seasonal capsule?

As I mentioned in , I’m working toward a year-round capsule full of pieces to layer as the weather changes in So Cal. A year-round capsule may work for you if you live somewhere with less variation in temperature/weather, but I suggest starting out with a seasonal capsule, then working toward a year-round capsule over time.

For anyone living where there’s clearly-defined seasons, I suggest going with a seasonal capsule, and allow some of your most basic pieces (like a favorite pair of jeans) to overlap through the seasons.

To get to my year-round capsule, I’m working through each season to narrow down the items I wear and love most before I really lock things in. I think I will always do a quarterly review/refresh of my capsule to add and remove pieces to make things work even more smoothly, but it will be more about further curating than swapping things out.

Let’s get to the goods

Without further ado, here’s the full set of items in my summer 2019 capsule: 

Out of the 39 items in my summer capsule, 14 of them are what I would consider color items, and the other 25 are neutrals (that white/black/gray/denim standard I spoke of). I will list the details below as best as I can. As you will see, you can probably recreate most of this by going to only 2 stores – Old Navy and TJ Maxx, with a splash of Target, of course! (PS: I put these collages together using the Stylebook app.)

Tops

1. Old Navy white sweater
2. Old Navy white eyelet blouse
3. Liz Claiborne embellished tank
4. Cupio gray pocket tee (TJ Maxx)
5. Velvet Heart rose tie front blouse (TJ Maxx)
6. Old Navy coral ringer tee
7. Dantelle mustard pineapple tee (TJ Maxx)
8. Old Navy yellow sweater
9. Old Navy stripe ringer tee
10. Target ruffle sleeve chambray blouse
11. Hester & Orchard chambray pom pom blouse (TJ Maxx)
12. H&M Divided black and white dot sleeveless blouse
13. Target black and white blouse
14. Cable & Gauge black and white stripe tee (TJ Maxx)
15. Lucky Brand black patterned tee (TJ Maxx)

Note: I do occasionally wear other tops from my closet, depending on my mood. This helps me to see what I am drawn to that isn’t in my current rotation and those I don’t reach for become up for consideration to donate/sell.

Dresses

1. Target chambray long-sleeve shirt dress
2. Old Navy black patterned high-neck swing dress
3. Loveappela blue/multi knit faux-wrap maxi dress (Stitch Fix)
4. Target olive short sleeve shirt dress
5. Loft coral sundress with back cutout (the dress pictured is not what I have, but I haven’t been able to take a good picture of mine for my app, so this one represents it closely)

Bottoms

1. H&M mid-rise, medium wash jeans
2. Old Navy distressed high-waist, dark wash jeans
3. Lucky Brand mid-rise white jeans (TJ Maxx)
4. Target black work pant (looks/feels like leggings, but with fake pocket slits in back)
5. Old Navy black linen jogger
6. Target distressed denim shorts

Outerwear

 

1. Macy’s (Style & Co) denim jacket
2. Lucky Brand army green anorak jacket (TJ Maxx)
3. Apt 9 black open-front cardigan

Bags & Shoes

Bags

1. Anne Klein Perfect Tote Top Zip Crossbody in Yellow
2. Kate Spade Jackson Street Hayley in Black
3. Anne Klein Perfect Tote Small Shopper in Medium Gray

Shoes

1. Unisa taupe peep-toe bootie (TJ Maxx)
2. Natural Soul cognac sandals
3. Old Navy nude loafers (again, not the exact same as the pic, but close enough – mine have little square perforations all over)
4. Old Navy pink sneakers
5. Life Stride black wedges
6. Jessica Simpson black sandals (TJ Maxx)
7. Blowfish light gray slip-on (TJ Maxx)

I’ve technically been wearing this capsule since the end of May (thus explaining the two light sweaters included), and I plan to keep going with it through mid-August. It’s been going well so far, and I’ve been learning a bit more about what I need in this hotter part of the year. I’ll want to be a little less casual at work once the school year begins, so I’ll keep that in mind for the next seasonal capsule.

Have you tried following a capsule wardrobe? How have you incorporated color into your capsule? Please comment here or on Instagram! (Follow me @natalieblends!)

– Natalie

P.S. Here’s some referral links to some of my favorite sites. Use if you’d like!

• Rakuten (formerly Ebates) – This is a great way to earn cash back from online shopping (that you’re already doing) at many of your favorite stores! (Including Sephora & Ulta!) If you join through this link and make a purchase of $25 or more, you’ll get an extra $10 cash back and your own referral code, and I’ll get $15 as well.
• thredUP – I love using thredUP to clean out my closet and shop for new pieces at a discounted price – sometimes they’re even brand new with tags! When you join thredUP through this link, you get $10 to spend and I get $10 to shop after you place your first order.
• StitchFix – This is a great way to try out some new items for your closet, without the hassle of going to the stores and the bonus of a personal stylist. If you sign up with this link, you’ll get a FREE styling fee (usually $20) on your first Fix, and I’ll get $25 credit once it ships.