Using Color Palettes to Not Get Bored with your Seasonal Capsule Wardrobe
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite parts of the changing season is changing up what I’m wearing. That feeling can be a little tricky when you’re trying to cut back on buying new clothes and wearing the clothes you have, whether for monetary or environmental reasons—or maybe you’re just tired of the cycle of buying, getting frustrated with an overstuffed closet, and then purging again and again. That’s where seasonal capsule wardrobes come in. In this post, I’ll break down how to use color palettes to refresh your wardrobe each season—and no, you don’t need to buy “the 10 hottest trends of the season!”
Seasonal Capsule Wardrobes
A seasonal capsule wardrobe is simply a smaller, curated set of in-season clothes that you wear for 3-6 months (depending on your weather and/or personal preferences.)
Rather than hanging all of your clothes in your closet all year-round, I store my out-of-season items out of sight. I encourage clients to move any non-seasonal items into a guest room closet or in bins under the bed, in the back of the closet, in the garage, or somewhere else safely tucked away. Then, when it’s time to get your wardrobe ready for the next season, get those clothes out of storage, and then store the clothes that are no longer relevant for the season.
“It’s kind of like going shopping every season, only everything is free!”
If you’re new here, I’m Missy of Simplified Wardrobe, an Ethical Personal Stylist & Capsule Wardrobe Curator. I help ambitious and eco-conscious womxn who want to look great, feel confident, and simplify their lives.
Find more information about personal style, capsule wardrobes, and color analysis over on Instagram. You can also download my free 10-page Guide to Defining your Personal Style.
One of my favorite parts of creating seasonal capsules is getting that feeling of newness even if I’m not buying much (or anything) new. Whenever I transition from Winter to Spring, I’ve always invariably forgotten about some pieces in storage. Then there’s the excitement of pulling out a favorite sundress or sandal that I can’t wait to wear again! The ritual is complete when I’ve lovingly stored away bulky sweaters and boots (so that I can rediscover them come Fall!)
But seasons aren’t always that cut and dry
Going from one season to the next is not always smooth. It’s not like March 22nd rolls around and suddenly it’s sunny and 70° everyday. When I first started transitioning items seasonally I still lived in San Francisco, which has notoriously unpredictable and out-of-season weather.
I was perplexed.
Most articles I read just talked about switching out sweaters for tank tops, boots for sandals, wool for linen. No one really addressed the fact that often weather behaves atypically for the season and that a lot of people live in temperate climates where it’s more or less the same year round. The most that would be said was that you could keep items like jeans or basic layering t-shirts because they made sense in every season.
Well, most of my wardrobe could be worn in every season! I’ve definitely gone Christmas shopping in shorts and have worn a winter parka in June on numerous occasions. In fact, San Francisco summers are unpleasantly cold, windy, and foggy. In fact, my joke is that you can spot tourists by their shorts and San Francisco fleece (because they assumed California would be warm and sunny, and got seriously burned, or rather not burned by the chilly weather.)
In order to keep realistically necessary items in rotation while still getting that hit of “new clothes” dopamine, you have to store some items that could “technically” be worn this season. If you truly want to keep a seasonal capsule wardrobe, you don’t want to see all your clothes all the time anyway because it’s highly likely that not every piece in your pre-capsule-life closet will go with the rest, entirely defeating the point. However, you can almost certainly choose 25-45 pieces that are intermixable.
So how do you decide what to keep and what to store?
It’s all about color palette.
As I first started the transition into seasonal capsules, I picked up on a few color themes that I seemed to apply seasonally. For example, I love burgundy and teal for for fall, but I usually gravitate toward sky blue in the summer. So when I came across a pair of burgundy jeans I could safely choose to store those for fall, and that sky blue sweater could be added to my spring capsule.
Mood Boards
I love mood boards for a lot of reasons. Not only does it help to see everything in one place, but it gives you an easy way to move things around and cull your inspiration into cohesive themes. I started to create Pinterest mood boards by season. When you have a good idea of the colors, shapes, textures, and silhouettes you’re going for, you’re not just starting from scratch with each season.
This spring my wardrobe was all whites, blacks, reds, and blues. When summer came, I added some dreamy pastels and swapped black for more white and taupe. Autumn was all about burgundy, teal, charcoal, and taupe as well as patterns like plaid and stars. Early winter (aka holiday party season) was mostly a continuation of fall but with some added shine—think sequins, satins, and leather. Then when winter proper rolled around (post NYE), I dropped back into cozy cashmere, wool, and boots in burgundy, blush, and lots and lots of neutral grays and oatmeals.
I’ve done this for a few years now, so I have a good idea of the colors, materials, and patterns I usually like for each season. Of course, occasional complimentary color thrown in for variety, but knowing the heavy hitters of the season helps when I’m sorting as well as when I’m off-season (aka sale) shopping. That said, tastes change, and I know I wont always use these same colors every season (that would be boring!) I continually curate my seasonal mood boards so I know what colors, pieces, and mood I want so I can plan accordingly for each season.
Now you may be wondering…
How does this all work with Color Analysis?
If you’re not familiar with Color Analysis, it’s basically analyzing your natural coloring to determine which colors make you look your best. Wearing the right colors can make you look healthier, younger, and more vibrant. You may have heard of it called Color Seasons, as it was popularized in the ‘80s with only the 4 major seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. The way I do Color Analysis is more nuanced. There are 10 primary Color Types, but I personalize each person’s color palette for them because everyone’s coloring is unique. If you want to figure out what colors work best for you, I have a few blog posts on how to do your own color analysis, including this one on finding your undertone and overtone, and this one on finding your depth, chroma, and contrast. As I mentioned, I also do Color Analysis professionally if you’d rather just hire a pro to do it for you.
Once your know your Color Type
Did you figure out your type? Assuming you know your Color Type, here are are few tips:
Just because my palette has “winter” in the name doesn’t mean that only the Winter mood board pulls from my palette. In general, I’m still within my palette throughout every season. I can pull the deeper neutrals for winter and the lighter ones for spring, the jewel-tones for autumn and the pastels for summer.
A lot of color analysts disagree, but I think you can change your color season between actual seasons. You can’t tell me that someone who’s pale in the dead of winter with dark hair doesn’t change color palettes when they get a tan and highlights in the summer. You’re not going to drastically change: maybe you go from Autumn to Muted when you lighten your hair or you may just favor some of the colors from your palette more in certain seasons. The thing is, everyone is different and the generalized palette is not going to be 100% perfect for you. (This is why I like to personalize my palettes by picking and choosing some colors depending on the client’s unique coloring, but I digress…)
All that said, I deviate from my palette with a few items that were purchased before I knew my season but that I still love. As long as you counteract with makeup, it’s fine to go slightly outside your colors (I mean like butter yellow rather than ice yellow). Also, if the color is not around your face, it doesn’t matter that much.
You want to dress better, but you don’t want to go out and buy an entirely new wardrobe. Maybe you have some pieces you like, but for some reason, putting together outfits you love is hard, and you always feel like you’re not doing it right. Here’s how to use what you have to be more stylish.