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!
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.