The 10 item wardrobe does not have to be all black and white
In fact, it doesn't have to have any black in it at all.
The main argument against the 10 item wardrobe has been the lack of colour. And I agree. A capsule wardrobe with no colour is a little decaf, don't you think?
It's well and good if you are a Winter. A very minimalist, colour shy Winter.
But what if you're a Bright Spring, for example? You thrive on colour, you love prints and you need a black and white wardrobe like you need listening to a reading of the telephone catalogue for Northern Illinois, the 1964 edition.
But you're fascinated by the idea of having a core wardrobe of 10 fabulous items, timeless enough use and combine with different clothes and accessories for at least five years.
OK I'm up for the challenge (rubs hands gleefully, opening a new draft in URSTYLE).
The bottom line is that there is absolutely no law that says that black is the only colour that a capsule wardrobe should be built around. The trick is to know your best colours, and use those.
And let no one tell you that you need to have only 10 items in your wardrobe to be happy. If 20, 30, or 276 is your magic number of items, go for it! The important part is that your wardrobe is a conscious choice, and not haphazardly gathered mindless retail therapy. You deserve so much better.
Here's what I came up with. I've included a detailed account of how I chose these items as a bonus lesson in the Capsule Wardrobe Course, but look at all the wonderfully energetic outfits can be created with these 10 items as a starting point:
A Light Summer might put together something like this:
...and a True Autumn? Look no further:
See? No black anywhere. And all the more elegant for it, because you will look uniquely you, when others opt for the generic black/white/neutral.
And you still have so many combination possibilities, whatever occasion you dress for, whether it's a board meeting discussing next year's budget, or poker with the girls.
What do you think? I'd like to hear from you, in the comments or in an email.
