A couple weeks ago I talked about what I learned from my summer capsule wardrobe, and how I was going to apply those lessons to my fall capsule. Here’s how it went:

Document Everything.
By starting the season with every single piece photographed and assembled in one digital flatlay, I can more easily see possible outfits than if the pieces were hanging in my closet. And now that each piece has been individually photographed, I have imported the images into a digital closet app called Stylebook. I plan on using this app to document my OOTDs and analyze the trends as the season progresses.

Dress For Your Real Life.
When I was looking for some closet inspiration on Pinterest, all of the fall looks that appealed to me featured comfy sweaters, big scarfs, boots, and puffer vests. But it’s not realistic to expect to be able to wear all of this cold weather gear during most of the fall season. And once it does get cold, I will still be spending the majority of my days in climate-controlled settings aka indoors. I also have learned that whatever I wear has to be suited for lots of sitting on the floor as well as be able to stand up to grabby baby hands.

Consider the Entire Season.
This lesson overlaps a little with the above lesson. North Alabama autumn ranges from 70 degree days at the beginning of the season to 50 degree days towards the end. And I’ve been very pleased to find that 50 degrees with low humid doesn’t even compare to the bone-chilling 50 degrees in high humid. I can get away with light layers, maybe a little jacket and be extremely comfortable. The start of the season will get more wear out of the sleeveless blouses and ballet flats while the end of the season will call for a little more layering with the wrap sweater and boots.

If It Doesn’t Fit, You Won’t Wear It.
When I was trying on each piece I not only considered if it fit my post-baby body, but did I feel confident in it? Did it highlight my features well? Was the color something that worked with my skintone? You can love an item of clothing and it can be the correct size, but that doesn’t mean it works for you. You also want each piece to pair well with other items in your capsule. Together they create a cohesive story about your style, not just separate looks. Most importantly when you wear items from your capsule. the items should highlight your natural beauty, not provide as a distraction or try to hide something. Your goal should be to recieve compliments for looking great, not for having great shoes or a great purse. You wear your clothing, not the other way around.

If You Love A Piece, Buy It In Multiple Colors.
Quite a few pieces in this season’s capsule are multiples. The cream cardigan is one of four Merona cardigans bought from Target. Same for the ballet flats. My two pairs of skinny jeans are from Gap. And my olive J.Crew cardigan can also be found in cream, pumpkin, deep purple, and black in my closet. You can even create a uniform by repeating items in different colors and patterns. In early fall I will be wearing a silk blouse under an open cardigan paired with skinny jeans and flats consistantly.

Love It or Lose It.
The process of emptying my closet and choosing my fall capsule was relatively quick. I was worried I was too hasty in my selections. As I layed out each item to photograph, I thought about how many times I had worn that embellished tee under my wrap sweater to pretty much every single Sunday brunch. Or how I wore the lace navy cocktail dress to my rehearsal dinner which was the most beautiful January weekend a girl could ask for; it was a high of 72, low of 50, sunny, with zero chance of rain in January! Or how I was wearing my grey silk blouse when I found out I was having a boy AND a girl. I can say with confidence that I love every single item in my capsule wardrobe.

If you’re interested in seeing how I wear my fall capsule, follow me on Instagram for my outfits of the day. And share with me in the coments your favorite “uniform” on repeat this season!