Create a women’s work capsule wardrobe

8 different capsule wardrobes for when you need to look sharp and professional

Having a work capsule wardrobe makes a lot of sense. All the clothes you wear to work will work together and help elevate each other. You will always know what to wear in the morning. A little bit of planning will save you lots of stress and time later on. Let’s take a look at how it is done to make a women’s work capsule wardrobe.

4 easy steps to Create a women’s Work Capsule Wardrobe

1. Decide on a color palette. Three or two colors are suitable for a 10 pieces work wardrobe.
2. Decide how conservative your pieces need to be. What kind of pieces do you need to include? Write down a list and specify the exact pieces you want.
3. Take a look at the actual pieces. Which ones do you already own? Buy new clothes if you need them. Try the clothes and make sure everything fits and that you like everything.
4. Lay everything out and start creating outfits. Decide which situations those outfits are suitable for. Take pictures of your outfits so that you remember them when you feel stressed about what to wear.

Learn by examples

Are you still feeling unsure? No need to worry. I will show you how it is done.

Using these 4 steps I created 8 different capsule wardrobes. Follow along and soon you will master the art of making a capsule wardrobe.

Different seasons – Different work capsule wardrobes

Since the climate change over the year, your work capsule wardrobe needs to do the same.

In this article, I created 2 capsule wardrobes for each season. I choose 10 items for each wardrobe.

You can create around 20 outfits from these 10 pieces of clothing, which is the advantage of a highly functional capsule wardrobe.

Color palette: Sand. Light blue. White.

How good is this color combination?

When creating a women’s work capsule wardrobe, it’s always good to start with the suit first. A blazer with matching pants will already take you to a lot of places.

Choose classic and versatile items

The next step is to add a pair of pants in another color to keep things interesting.

In this wardrobe, I also added a long striped skirt that mimics the look of a classic shirt.

The 6 tops give you plenty of options depending on the weather and the situation.

A sleeveless shirt is a particularly good idea for looking sharp in the springtime. You can wear it under the blazer, the cardigan and the light knitted top.

A knitted polo with longer arms is another wardrobe workhorse when it comes to looking professional and stylish.

Color palette: Black and white.

Here, I wanted to show how a 10-piece women’s work capsule wardrobe looks when you use only 2 colors.

Black in summer is not for everyone, but it does look incredibly chic.

In this wardrobe, I created a suit in off-white. This is the best starting point for creating a work-friendly wardrobe. If your workplace is more casual, you don’t need to use the pieces together, but it will be a good base for creating many different outfits.

Several columns make getting dressed easy

The next thing I created was a second column of clothes using the black pants and the black henley. Two columns of matching clothes is the absolute best starting points for lots of outfits.

I want you to look at these wardrobes and take inspiration for what kind of clothes you want to include in your work wardrobe. How many pants? How many dresses? Making those decisions will help you know what you are looking for.

In this wardrobe, I also included two shirts and dresses; this is a smart move if you like dresses.

Color palette: Grey. Camel. Burgundy.

Here, I wanted to show how well a women’s work capsule wardrobe functions if you choose two neutral colors and one accent color.

The suit has some camel mixed into the checkered pattern, so that will make it look great with your camel pieces. Grey goes with everything.

Three luxurious colors

The strength of this wardrobe is that all three colors work very well together and also look expensive together. You will look like a leader.

Since it is autumn, I needed a coat. You will naturally wear your cute skirt with thick stockings.

A pair of pants in burgundy might seem hard to wear, but you will be surprised, I wear mine all the time. They give some personality to your work wardrobe.

Color palette: Black. Brown. White

Brown is such a cozy color for winter.

Here I choose to skip the suit and instead aim for a tweed jacket and normal brown pants. At the same time, this is a lady who likes to dress up, as evidenced by the silk skirt and the dress. She is in contact with her feminine side 😉

Warm and cosy clothes

A turtleneck keeps you warm in the winter.

A white shirt will help you when you need to look sharp. I imagine this lady being a leader in a more creative workplace; she can get away with wearing thick, expensive leggings.

Color palette: Navy. White. Red.

Navy is such a great color when you want to look professional.

This woman is happy that it’s finally spring, to celebrate she adds a dash of red to her capsule wardrobe.

You should feel comfortable

She likes to be comfortable, so her pants and blazer are stretchy.

The shirt dress is a no-brainer, and a white blouse is always a good idea.

If you want to learn even more about how to create capsule wardrobes, read my article How to Build a 2023 spring capsule wardrobe.

Color palette: Grey. White. Blue.

For my second summer women’s work capsule wardrobe, I wanted to show a bit of grey. This color is a great alternative if you don’t feel comfortable wearing white; just go for a lot of grey pieces.

In this wardrobe, I also wanted to show how you can mix different shades of white. Cream white looks good with normal white, so don’t worry about the shades matching.

Celebrate color

I also wanted to show that a summer capsule wardrobe don’t need to be neutral, you can add a lot of color if you are smart about it.

With enough neutral-colored tops, a pair of cobalt blue pants can absolutely work.

This woman opted for a tweed blazer rather than a normal blazer to get a more feminine touch on her wardrobe.

Check out more wardrobe options for summer in this article Summer capsule wardrobe for women over 40, summer 2023.

Color palette: Beige. Navy. Burgundy.

This work capsule wardrobe is such a celebration of autumn.

A trench coat, corduroy pants, and a long cardigan. This wardrobe manages to be both stylish and utterly comfortable.

A printed blouse will help you when you need to dress up; notice how the print works with all the other clothes.

Choose timeless clothes

This wardrobe is also a good example of how you can inject a lot of personality into your work wardrobe. It might take time to find the exact clothes you want, but once you find them, the result will last for years. These clothes are timeless.

This wardrobe also gives you lots of variation when getting dressed since it is a good blend of different shapes.

Color palette: Black. Camel. Purple.

I haven’t yet shown you how amazing black and camel look together. Very chic and expensive, right?

here, I also want to illustrate how well two vibrant blouses work with a wardrobe of neutral clothes. Sure, this lady dresses neutral most of the time, but when she wants to make a statement, she has two blouses to choose from.

If you are wondering how to dress as an “older” woman, read my article How to dress like a French woman over 40.

Your capsule wardrobe should not be too neutral and too boring

Many people make the mistake and create a women’s work capsule wardrobe that’s simply too boring.

If this is your problem, you might only need to add two blouses to change everything. A little bit of color might be exactly the vitamin injection you need in the dead of winter.

A final note on creating a women’s work capsule wardrobe

To create a functional and stylish capsule wardrobe, you need to make decisions, and you need to stick to those decisions. You need to find a good balance between basic pieces and more fashion-forward pieces. You need to adjust your wardrobe to what’s appropriate in your workplace.

Let the search begin

I also recommend searching in high-end consignment stores and second-hand stores to find the pieces you need.

A bit tricky, I know.

But when you manage, you will be rewarded with a wardrobe that is both chic and comfortable, and you will always know what to wear in every situation. You will feel and look confident.