Each season, new colors and trends have their moment in the spotlight…. And of course we embrace them in all of their fleeting glory. It’s one of the things that makes styling our clients so much fun year over year! That said, we always recommend that our clients have certain timeless, staple pieces in their closet onto which they can layer the trendier pieces of the season. Enter the capsule wardrobe concept! In case you are not familiar with that concept, check out an older blog post here where we answered a few key questions about the capsule wardrobe.
Summer Capsule Wardrobe
This week we are sharing an example of a summer capsule wardrobe with y’all – meaning staple pieces we believe every summer closet should have year over year as trends come and go – as well as some of our favorite brands for these pieces. Hang in there with us, as this is a long post. But it’s definitely a good one if you’ve ever been interested in the ‘capsule wardrobe’ phenomenon. For this particular post, we are working with a 16 piece capsule. This 16 piece capsule includes: a basic layering tank, a basic white tee, a classic white button down, a denim jacket, a go-to short, a denim short, white jeans, a staple maxi dress, one swimsuit, a go-to layering piece (kimono), a flat sandal, a wedge sandal, a go-to sneaker and a couple accessories to mix and match with.
Summer Bottoms
Let’s start things off with bottoms! We love a good denim short for a summer closet. You can of course go more classic with no distressing or raw hem at all, but you can also layer in some distressing, depending on your preference. Either way, cutoffs pair with essentially every top in your closet and can be dressed up or down for fun summer activities, and are just a fabulous staple to have.
High Rise Button Fly Denim Shorts | High Rise Denim Shorts | High Rise Distressed Denim Shorts | Denim Cut-Off Shorts
Every summer closet should have a good pair of classic shorts in it…. We love Lilly Pulitzer shorts! They are well made, their colors are so vibrant and fun for summer, and they are easy to pair with simple, solid colored tees and tanks. Another favorite is J. Crew’s chino shorts. Pick a solid color you love, and pair with either patterned tops, or a white tee shirt and fun earrings! Sidenote – we prefer the 4” or 5” inseam)!
Lilly Pulitzer Shorts | J. Crew Solid Chino Shorts
Button fly, flair, distressed, raw hem, cropped. These trends come and go to a certain extent with denim. We recommend our clients always have a good pair of white skinny ankle jeans in their closet – no distressing or raw hems, clean lines, timeless – that they can wear year over year.
High Rise Skinny | High Rise Skinny | High Rise Toothpick Jean | Ankle Skinny
Throw In a Dress
Maxi dresses are just an absolute must in our book for summer. If you are petite, please don’t be scared of wearing a maxi dress! The lines of the dresses we are showing here work on all frames and heights. And if you don’t want to alter the hemline of the dress permanently, but want the option to wear it a bit shorter, you can tie a side knot at the bottom to create a fun asymmetrical hem! If you are going to have only one maxi dress in your capsule, choose either black or navy…. both classic colors that leave a blank slate when it comes to getting creative with your accessories.
Maxi Dress | Keyhole Neckline Maxi Dress | Smocked Maxi Dress | Cross Back Maxi Dress
Summer Capsule Wardrobe Tops
A white tee shirt is just a great piece to have in your closet year round, but especially during the summer months. We recommend spending a little more to have a high quality option that isn’t see through and doesn’t pull, pill, or tear. Throw a white tee shirt on with your cutoffs, shorts, and even white jeans for some fun summer looks!
Anthro Classic V-Neck Tee | Cotton Slub Pocket Tee | Lilly White V-Neck Tee | Cap Sleeve Crew Neck Tee
Y’all know that we are fans of a good white blouse! Wear it with your cutoffs, shorts, white denim, or tied over your maxi dress. Truly, an absolute must in our book for every summer closet. To hear more about our love of the white button down, check out our recent blog post here.
Classic White Button Down | Slim Stretch Button Down | Curvy Slim Stretch Button Down
Tencel Button Down | Linen Button Down
Layering Pieces
Wine on the patio in the mountains, dinner in the AC after a long day on the beach, cockails by the water with a cool breeze…. Even in the summer months, we sometimes need to cover our arms and shoulders! This is where a good denim jacket plays an important role in the summer capsule wardrobe. This is probably another area where it makes sense to spend a little money to get a piece you really love year over year.
Trucker Denim Jacket | Oversized Denim Jacket | Classic Denim Jacket
A kimono or duster is a fun and versatile piece to have for summer. It can be worn with cutoffs, shorts, jeans, or even as a cover up with your bathing suit!
Light Blue Kimono | Black Duster Kimono | Green Motif Kimono | Our Favorite Layering Tank
We love the idea of having a good quality bathing suit in our closet that we can enjoy for several years. Think one that you can pull on as trends come and go, that doesn’t go out of style, and that holds its color and shape. Below are three timeless suits from lines we adore – each paired with a classic cover up option! If you want to hear more about some of our favorite budget friendly bathing suits, check out our recent blog post here.
Halter One Piece Swimsuit | Sarong Cover Up
Bandeau One Piece Swimsuit | Denim Cut Offs | Duster Kimono
Belted One Piece Swimsuit | Tunic Cover Up
Summer Shoes
In recent years, sneakers have made a huge comeback – and who doesn’t love having another option for being comfortable AND looking fabulous all at once. When it comes to sneakers, we do recommend spending a bit more to achieve optimum comfort and durability over the years… And have as many pairs as you please (believe us, we get it), but absolutely make sure to have a neutral pair that you can wear with everything in your closet.
White Espadrille Sneakers | Neutral Leather Slip-On Sneaker | Classic White Sneaker
Every summer capsule closet needs a traditional pair of flat sandals. Casual, comfortable, and easy…. Enough said!
Leather Slide Sandal | Espadrille Ankle Strap Sandal | Neutral Flat Sandal
Wedges are a fabulously comfortable way to wear a heel in the summer! And evidently, now is a great time to purchase some wedges, as many of our favorite brands are having major sales it just so happens! When choosing a wedge sandal, make sure to have a pair in a neutral color like champagne, almond, or metallic so it’s just easy to throw on with just about anything in your summer closet.
Natural Raffia Wedges | Metallic Wedges | Slide Wedge Sandals
Summer Accessories
Statement earrings = definitely a summer necessity. By adding a fun pair of earrings in summer colors (think turquoise, coral, mint green, etc.) or textures (think raffia, wood, etc.), you instantly elevate your black maxi dress or white tee shirt look into something a bit more festive!
Beaded Drop Earrings | Vintage Drop Earrings | Wood Hoop Earrings
Weatherproof bangles are a fantastic way to look put together all summer long, even at the pool and beach. There are so many fun and trendy waterproof bracelet lines out there right now, and we love them all. But if you are looking for high quality, all weather bangles, Budha Girl is just simply the way to go! They have many different options in terms of hue, but we particularly love the champagne stack.
Fedora, panama, visor, floppy, wide brim…. A summer capsule wardrobe isn’t complete without a classic straw hat. They are all fabulous, so choose the style that you love the most!
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