5 different styles – 5 different capsule wardrobes
Fall has arrived. The weather is colder, the air is crisper. It is the time to start over, to get organized, and to embrace the new season. What better way to welcome fall than to create a capsule wardrobe? If you are a woman over 50, you have special requirements and ideas about how you want to get dressed.
5 different styles – 5 different capsule wardrobes
To help us understand the best way to create a fall capsule wardrobe, I created 5 different wardrobes for 5 different women. All wardrobes include 13 items.
Let’s take a look at some amazing new clothes. Further down, I will go through a checklist and lots of ideas for mastering the art of capsule wardrobe creations.
Adjust the wardrobe to your budget and your taste
These wardrobes are meant to serve as inspiration and to illustrate my points. When I show a black coat or a pair of corduroy pants, they represent the idea of what you need. You can find these kinds of clothes on the High Street and in second-hand shops.
If you favor dresses, go ahead and include more dresses in your capsule wardrobe.
Pick a color palette
This season, I chose to pick one color for every woman and let the capsule wardrobe evolve around that color. The easiest way to create a capsule wardrobe is by using a color palette, more about that further down.
I also made a mood board for every capsule wardrobe. It is an excellent way to collect images that inspire you and let them set the tone.
Capsule wardrobe nr 1 – Olive
This woman loves the outdoors, and long walks in the forest are on her fall agenda.
She is also not afraid to be elegant, especially for the occasional restaurant visit. Her wardrobe is classy and fuss-free, but always with her own sense of style.
If you want to learn more about building a capsule wardrobe, read my article Fall capsule wardrobe for women over 40, fall 2023.
Top row: Outdoor-type jacket. Olive jacket. Olive waterfall cardigan. Navy chunky cardigan.
Middle row: Ivory lightweight cardigan. Black sweater. Black thin polo shirt. Navy silk blouse. Ivory silk blouse.
Bottom row: Olive jeans. Grey Jeans. Navy long skirt. Olive silk skirt.
Why this fall capsule wardrobe works for women over 50
In each capsule wardrobe, I chose 13 items of clothing.
Furthermore, I decided that 4 should be bottoms and 2 pieces should be jackets. This gives us a great balanced wardrobe with lots of alternatives for how to dress.
Make sure you have enough dressing-up clothes
Most of us need a good mix of casual clothes and a couple of nicer pieces.
Nowadays, our lives are more casual, which is especially true for women over 50. But we also want to be able to dress up for a nice dinner or a special event.
When you have created your capsule wardrobe, ask yourself if you have enough casual clothes and enough nice clothes to cover your needs.
Capsule wardrobe nr 2 – Purple
Inspired by eternal chicness and the color purple, this wardrobe is perfect for a fall full of cultural events. Catch a concert, watch a new art exhibition, all while looking the part.
Top row: Grey coat. Purple tweed jacket. Light camel cardigan. Grey waterfall cardigan.
Middle row: Grey polo neck sweater. Grey shirtdress. Purple blouse. Purple pattern blouse. Light camel top.
Bottom row: Pattern camel pants. Purple pants. Grey jeans. Grey patterned skirt.
Why this fall capsule wardrobe works for women over 50
Just because you create a capsule wardrobe, don’t be afraid of color.
Many people make the mistake of creating a capsule wardrobe that is simply too boring. You want to have fun when you get dressed, regardless of age.
If you want more outfit ideas (and who doesn’t?), make sure you read my article Fall outfits for women over 50 – Fall 2023.
Choose a color palette
A color palette is the easiest way to achieve a cohesive capsule wardrobe.
For a 13-piece capsule wardrobe, you can choose two or three base colors and one accent color. In this wardrobe, purple is the accent color. Purple looks very good when matched with the grey and light camel.
Do consider your color choices when you create your capsule wardrobe.
Capsule wardrobe nr 3 – Red
Red is a color that’s surprisingly easy to wear, and one that also always makes an impact. Red is sexy, so bring on the fall romance. Light candles and read some erotic literature.
Top row: Red coat. Ivory jacket. Black turtleneck. Red patterned sweater.
Middle row: Burgundy cardigan. Black silk blouse. Black top. White lightweight polo shirt. Red velvet dress.
Bottom row: Blue jeans. White jeans. Pattern long skirt. Pattern short skirt.
Why this fall capsule wardrobe works for women over 50
This lady wanted a red coat and a pair of jeans. She was also inspired by geometric patterns in black and white. She is not afraid to wear white jeans in the autumn.
Pick a velvet piece
The red velvet dress further elevates this capsule wardrobe. This is a woman who’s not afraid to take risks, she likes fashion and she likes to be noticed.
Pattern and capsule wardrobes
Incorporating one or two patterns will instantly make your capsule wardrobe more interesting and alluring. Do consider plaid, or an fair isle knit sweater, or just a pattern skirt.
The best patterns are the ones that combine two of the colors from your chosen color palette. This way, you can match most of the clothes in your capsule wardrobe.
Capsule wardrobe nr 4 – Burgundy
I love burgundy for fall. It looks rich and luxurious and suitable for the season. I think it looks particularly good with the black and light camel.
This lady does like a bit of attention, so that’s why she chooses eye-catching clothes such as coated jeans.
Top row: Trenchcoat. Burgundy jacket. Light camel sweater. Pattern burgundy sweater.
Middle row: Burgundy top with white collar. Black silk shirt. Ivory cardigan. Burdguny plaid skirt. Flower patterned blouse.
Bottom row: Black wool pants. Burgundy jeans. Black coated jeans. Burgundy skirt.
Why this fall capsule wardrobe works for women over 50
She wanted a trenchcoat and a pair of burgundy jeans. Generally, she was feeling burgundy this autumn, she wanted a fun capsule wardrobe.
Choose your favorites
Don’t be too adventurous when you create your capsule wardrobe. Keep it realistic. Pick the clothes you enjoy to wear from day to day.
If you want to look more stylish, pick one or two “special” pieces, and try to reach for them more often.
Clothes are meant to be lived in. If your main activity is walking your dog, do let your capsule wardrobe reflect that activity.
Consider your activities
This brings me to my next point, another way to create a functional capsule wardrobe is to consider which activities you need to get dressed for. Take a couple of activities and ask yourself what you would like to wear? Use this knowledge as a starting point.
Capsule wardrobe nr 5 – Brown
She is inspired by nature and the shift in nature. She likes comfortable and slightly oversized clothes, and yet she always gets compliments. Maybe because people can tell that she is truly comfortable in her skin.
She enjoys the aliveness of the fall season and yes, she does collect beautiful things from nature.
Top row: Plaid coat. Green field-jacket. Brown cardigan. Patterned grey sweater.
Middle row: Brown silk shirt. White shirt. Green sweater. Pattern turtleneck. Brown top with big sleeves.
Bottom row: Brown corduroy pants. Plaid pants. Grey jeans. Grey wool skirt.
Why this fall capsule wardrobe works for women over 50
She wanted chocolate brown and she wanted a plaid green coat. For events, she favors a long grey wool skirt. But mostly, she wears pants.
Consider the clothes you want
All of these ladies had two or three items they knew they wanted to include in their fall capsule wardrobe.
It was those specific items that inspired them. Maybe it was a picture they wanted to try and imitate in their real life, maybe it was something (such as a cardigan) that they knew they needed.
Start with the outerwear
Some of them wanted an outdorsy jacket (perfect for walking the dog. ) Most of them had a specific coat they wanted to include, a good capsule wardrobe often starts with outerwear.
Checklist for creating a fall capsule wardrobe
- Decide how many items to include.
- Decide which kinds of items to include.
- Decide on a color palette.
- Start creating your capsule wardrobe. Make sure you lay everything out and try different outfits. Take note of your favorites.
- Find a good balance between fancy clothes and casual clothes.
- Find a good balance between basic colors and accent colors.
- Find a good balance between dark and light colors. This will help your capsule wardrobe be more versatile. In all the examples above, I included both dark and light clothes.
More tips and tricks for creating the ultimate fall capsule wardrobe
If you want even more information about all the tips and tricks behind creating a highly functional capsule wardrobe, read my article Summer capsule wardrobe for women over 50, Summer 2023.
A final note on Fall capsule wardrobe for women over 50
Finding the right clothes to include in your fall capsule wardrobe might take a little bit of time. But in the process of going so you will learn a lot about your style and how you like to get dressed.
Evaluate your choices
Do evaluate your chosen clothes after one or two weeks. Which items do you reach for more often? Which items do you feel best when you wear them? Which items receive the most compliments?
Becoming the chicest version of yourself is a learning process.
Moa Ailert is the founder and editor-in-chief of Her Brilliant Friend.
She has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and plenty of insight into human psychology from traveling and living in different places around the world.
Moa is currently based in Portugal where she has a guesthouse; Villa dos Irmaos.
She has various websites, among others Ericeira Insider, but Her brilliant friend is her true passion project.
