WIW Catch Up Part 2: Some Warm Fall Capsule Outfits

There are some hits and misses when I tried to use my capsules. I'd love to know what you think.
1/2: blue and brown. EF dress. 3 is accessories
4/5: inspired by orange/olive using a grey skirt for the olive. The scarf was a gift. Sweater set is a peachy orange Brooks Brothers thrift find. Too matchy?
6/7: more orange/olive This was worn casually
8: peachy orange Daniel Rain top and the bag were gifts. I'm not confident about the proportions.
9: Brown with brown. I thought this was a miss. I don't think I should wear trousers like this. Do you think they could be better as culottes?
10-12: same light grey Halogen pencil skirt as in 4/5 standing in for olive. The EF top is a linen blend and kimono jacket is linen. I wore the skirt to church and later changed into the EF olive-ish trousers (12) for a movie, but should they be rolled?

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This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

23 Comments

  • Brooklyn replied 8 years ago

    Love the blue dress on you. Cut and colour are fantastic. But I have a bit of a thing about wearing a statement necklace with a statement belt (busy!) so I would leave the necklace off. The dress has such a lovely neckline anyway. Just my preference of course. Love the orange top with the olive pants (much better than with the brown pants IMO). Like the twin set. Elegant. Did you try the scarf muffler style? That's all for now, will try to come back. :)

  • Ankita replied 8 years ago

    You look lovely Joy ☺
    The dress is great on you, lovely color & fit... have you ever tried wearing a thin belt with it?
    I love #4, 6 & 11... you look AMAZING in them ☺

  • lyn67 replied 8 years ago

    OMG, 4-5 and 6-7 are killer:-).

  • Brooklyn replied 8 years ago

    I am back! No 10/11 is lovely. No 12: I think you might be right to try rolling. No 9 is a bit blurry but I think may be a little dark/drab. Perhaps try the top with a lighter bottom? You have an amazing wardrobe!

  • cheryle (Dianthus) replied 8 years ago

    I really like the blue dress but agree with Una about the accessories.  Initially I thought it would be better with a neutral shoe but removing the necklace would probably work better.  

    #3/4 is very pretty and professional looking.  The color is really nice on you.

    I like everything about #8 but the proportions seem a bit off.  The top and pant are almost exactly the same length.  I think if the pants were longer or the top a bit shorter, it would be even better.

    A very nice collection of outfits Joy.  

  • Elly replied 8 years ago

    I love the top in 6-7 and would wear it with a simpler, more modern classic bottom. I also love your last look but might choose a simpler purse! Looking good.

  • Suz replied 8 years ago

    What Cheryle said. My favourite one is 6/7. Fun!! And 5/6 is elegant. 

    How do you find this mini-capsule business? I have to confess that after bequeathing you the idea, I seem to have backed away from it some myself. Part of it is due to inconsistent weather. Right now, for instance, it doesn't even feel close to fall; I'm wearing my high summer wardrobe for 30C.  

    But that's not all. One of the issues I ran into was in focusing too much on colour (i.e. the colours for whichever short season I was trying to dress for) I ran out of good and current combinations and wound up with outfits that looked great on paper but less good on me. And were also less comfortable to wear because they didn't in fact meet my weather requirements (although again, on paper, they might have seemed to.) 

    I do have this problem even now of thinking first about colour. I guess if Angie's blog post is right it's not necessarily a problem! :) But when I do focus on colour to the exclusion of other factors, I end up with some less-than-fab outfits. 

    But I think maybe your closet has the depth and breadth to avoid this issue. Hmm. Must ponder more. 

  • Jaime replied 8 years ago

    #1,#6/7 and #11 are my fab favorites. Joy, I notice that I prefer when you don't have a straight horizontal hem with your tops - just my impression but thought I would toss it out there.

  • Janet replied 8 years ago

    You always look so nice, Joy!

    I agree with Brooklyn about the necklace/belt in 1. Just a little ALGO but that might be my taste getting simpler when it comes to accessorizing. That dress is so beautiful on you.

    I love the top in 9. How about trying it with a slimmer or cropped pair of pants?

  • shiny replied 8 years ago

    Lovely as usual! 

    1/2 - I'd remove either the necklace OR the belt. How does it look unbelted?  Also, what brand are those shoes? They look comfy... are they comfy? Link please... 

    4/5 - I love you in peach. Very flattering. 

    6/7 - I think this is my favorite of the batch! Very cute. Casual, yet sharp. 

    8 - so pretty in pink. 

    9 - hard to see in the photo as it's a bit blurry, but this looks quite interesting. 

    10/11/12 - also great colors on you. That skirt is versatile, no?

  • replied 8 years ago

    You always look so chic, Joy! I love how your capsules are working out.
    1-2: I absolutely love this dress on you. Agree with others about the necklace vs belt issue: I'd opt for the belt myself because I like how the ruffled buckle echoes the dress's refined drape, while the necklace has more of a tribal vibe that seems to match better as its worn w/look 6-7. If you feel the need for an accessory to draw the eye upwards, maybe a pair of earrings would work? I love the simplicity of the purse and shoes with the dress. Beautiful!

    4-5 and 6-7 are winners, I especially love the current look of 6-7.

    I like 8 -- especially the pants rolled up, and thought it looked great, but now that Cheryle makes the point about proportion, I see what she means. This is something I need to keep in mind for myself, too.

    I can't really see 9, and it looks more blue than brown on my screen, but it does seem like the pants might be a bit baggy.

    10-12 are lovely too. I agree with Elly about a simpler purse, but then I'm not much of a pattern mixer myself so not the best person to weigh in on that.

  • Maneera replied 8 years ago

    Love #1,4,6&10. The outfit in 4 happens to be my favourite though....so summery and fresh! And your cold shoulder top----whoot whoot! You're smashing in that one!

    I wouldn't call any of them a 'miss'. But yes, 9 is the least fab of them all, though it's still fab enough!

  • unfrumped replied 8 years ago

    Wow, 6-7 is great! Love that top.

  • shedev replied 8 years ago

    My favorites are 1 and 4/5. You are stunning in brights.

  • Joy replied 8 years ago

    My iPad froze up before I could submit replies 3 times today. I appreciate all your comments and suggestions. The blue dress is fine without a belt and probably not meant to have one. I added finds for most outfits. I will try to address the rest a little at a time so not to lose a whole post.

  • Joy replied 8 years ago

    Brooklyn, you are so generous. I hear you on too many accessories with the blue dress. I did try the scarf muffler style, but it is slippery and would not stay. Some fashion tape should do the trick. The scarf was new doing wanted to wear it, but the weather was too hot to wear it for warmth.
    I am looking forward to trying the dark brown poncho/scarf piece with your suggestion of a lighter bottom. It all felt too dark.
    Ankita, I will try a narrow belt with the dress. Sometimes they look strange because I am short waisted. A wider belt can often fill the gap.
    Thank you, Lyn. Those outfits felt comfortable.
    Cheryle, I agree that the proportions felt off with that outfit. I will try with full length pants. The top feels too big too.

  • Joy replied 8 years ago

    Elly, thank you for the advice to simplify. The handbag in the last photo is just too much with that outfit.
    Suz, this mini-capsule has been hit and miss in actual outfits. I mostly put items in the capsules that I had in the right color and weight, but most are probably better with neutrals. I knew that the weather would still be hot, but it has been too hot for most of this to be comfortable. If I were really serious about a capsule, I would need to shop. This exercise will make me more conscious of shopping in terms of capsules in the future, especially for prints that pull things together.
    You are right that this much thinking about color is not working that well. We are also high summer. I should have postponed wearing these capsules until about September 15 or later. Going forward I may ease up on trying to use these colors in every outfit.

  • Joy replied 8 years ago

    Shevia, you are sweet to take time to comment while so busy with your family and guests! I agree that the assymetrical hem or semi-tuck to form one feels like the best look for me. That may be a reason why cropped tops or tunics are such a challenge for me.
    Janet, I agree that simpler is better. It may be just a need for a change, but I am wearing more jewelry lately and need to take it easy. I love your idea of trying the top of 9 with slimmer or cropped pants.

    Shiny! So good to see you post. You have such a great eye for details. The dress looks fine without a belt and is the way that I usually wear it.
    The shoes are Born from a couple of years ago and very comfortable. My feet give happy sighs as they slide into them. The pencil skirt in 10-12 is the famous Nordstrom Halogen seamed pencil skirt that I have in several colors. This one gets the most wear all year round. Does it look too short? I could have the hem let out to get a little more length.

    Aliona, that is an interesting observation about the belt with the dress in the first outfit. I have worn this belt several times with a bright pink version of the dress. I'll experiment with belt and no necklace. I loved reading all your observations and nodded in agreement

    Maneera, Unfrumped and Shedev, thank you for the encouraging comments and preferences. Maneera and Unfrumped, I'm glad that I can still show my shoulders. I would never have bought that top if it weren't for Angie's client Karen sporting a cold shoulder top.
    Shedev, bright colors make me happy, especially as a change.

  • Windchime replied 8 years ago

    The blue dress is gorgeous on you, Joy! Do you have other toppers that work with it so you can get more wears from it? My other favorites here are 4, 6/7, and 11, all of which show your lovely legs. :)

    I like the variety of colors and styles you can create within this capsule.

  • Joy replied 8 years ago

    Thank you, Windchime. I don't have many toppers that work well with that blue dress. Maybe a long black cardi would work. My black leather jacket is probably the best for extending use. Good question.
    I learned from Angie's capsule building posts about including lots of variety...silhouettes, prints, levels of dressy/casual, etc....all in a limited color group where everything will mostly work together. The variety is whati'd not seen in capsule building advice anywhere else and it is very important or one gets bored.

  • shiny replied 8 years ago

    I think the skirt is a perfect length.

  • Amy replied 8 years ago

    I think you could wear burlap and look good. All are very classy. You look great.

  • Joy replied 8 years ago

    Thank you, Shiny, I was wondering about the length.
    Amy, you made my day!

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