Since moving back to Canada I’ve had to re-think my capsule wardrobes a bit with the new climate. The biggest difference from where I was living in Germany is that winters here are a lot longer and colder. Into November we were already very much in winter so I decided it was time to switch my wardrobe at the beginning of December. Project 333, which I started my capsule with, breaks the seasons into 3 months each but in a very cold climate I think it needs to be adapted it to at least 4, maybe even 5 months for winter.
My goal for this capsule was to have good layering options. We live in an apartment building which can actually be quite warm (we get a lot of heat from the neighbouring units and direct sunlight) so depending on the day a t-shirt might be fine inside but then I have to layer up to go out or into the evening. I didn’t include any under-layers in the capsule since they’re not really part of outfits but I still need them, so if I’m going to be outside a while I’ll layer leggings or a fitted tank or tee under my outfit for extra warmth and I made sure the pieces I chose can work layered over.
The Pieces in my Winter Capsule Wardrobe:
(please note: this list contains some affiliate links)
- Cropped Ikat tank – Matter Prints
- Velvet bodysuit – Underprotection (read a brand review)
- Grey linen tee – secondhand
- Navy tee – Lanius
- Grey knit top – People Tree
- Black top – Boody
- Striped oversized shirt – secondhand
- Long shirt – ArmedAngels
- Red knit top – old
- Blue cropped sweater – DIY/handknit
- Icelandic sweater – secondhand
- Grey/brown sweater – Izzy Lane
- Rust cardigan – Eileen Fisher
- Beige cardigan – old
- Plaid draped shirt – secondhand
- Check tunic – People Tree
- Grey tee dress – Kowtow
- Black dress – People Tree
- Draped wool dress – secondhand
- Striped knit skirt – secondhand from thredUP
- Linen skirt – NotPerfectLinen (read more about my love of linen)
- Cropped wool pants – secondhand
- Ikat pants – Matter Prints
- Dark jeans – Mud Jeans
- Black pants – People Tree
- Plaid coat – secondhand from thredUP
- Fair Isle mittens – market/handknit
- Navy hat (touque) – Sitka
- Paisley scarf – secondhand
- Colourblock knit scarf – DIY/handknit
- Beige purse – Angela & Roi
- Backpack – Matt & Nat (please read why I no longer support Matt & Nat)
Even though I’ve been doing capsule wardrobes for years now, I always try to learn from them so I can improve the next one. Especially with any big life changes, like moving to a different climate, it’s important to assess your capsule and learn what works and doesn’t work, because something that worked well before might not any longer. I think I have a pretty good selection of items but I’m also going to be flexible if I feel the need to swap or adapt the capsule to work better for Canadian winters.
Since it’s the holidays also be sure to check out my green gift guide!
4 Responses
Catherine Valentine
I find capsule wardrobes interesting, but I live in southern Missouri, USA, where the weather does a yo-yo act. T-shirt and jeans one day and a heavy coat and sweater the next. I’ve opted to keep all options availability (except for some obvious summer or winter options) and have opted for just a small wardrobe. I.e. all my t-shirts, long sleave and short, fit in one drawer. I also live in a 288 sq. ft. tiny house so I don’t have much room for storage. Anyway, it’s hard for me to see how people in my climate can have a capsule wardrobe. Maybe I’m not understanding capsule wardrobes?
Verena Erin
Hi Catherine! While it can be trickier having a capsule in a place with fluctuating seasons, it’s definitely doable. 🙂 Where I live fall and spring in particular are all over the place, there might be snow or it might be beautiful and you can wear shorts. A big key to this for me is having good layering options, but really capsules are about figuring out the wardrobe that works best for you.
Maureen
I love that blue cropped sweater. Did you make it from a commercially available pattern?
Verena Erin
Thanks! I altered a pattern quite a bit, but you can probably find a cropped sweater pattern on ravelry.