2016 Reflections - My Fave Capsule

Welcome to 2017!
At the end of January 2016 I published my first post on this blog.

11 months on and I never thought I would have got this far.  My plans were never big and I never dared to think more than short term.  But I am still here.  So firstly I would like to thank you all for visiting my humble blog, for following me and for posting all your kind comments.  Thanks for giving me some of your precious time.  You are why I'm still here.

Please keep the visits and the comments coming!

Now that I'm sailing into my twelfth month, I'm feeling reflective, so expect some flashbacks.  Other bloggers manage to encapsulate their reflections in 1 or 2 posts, a few in 3.  I may struggle with the norm but out of kindness and to repay your loyalty, I will endeavour to spread them out for you.

Oh heck, let's call it a year, it makes it so much easier from hereonin.

One of things I most enjoyed during the year was entering the world of the capsule wardrobe.  The capsule composition has a very open definition, from dailyconnoisseur's 10 items (I can but aspire to Jennifer's take on capsules!) and then pick any number through to 33, which appears to be a magical number floating around the Blogosphere.  And Janice of theviviennefiles rocks all the numbers within that range.

Now, some of you may have picked up that a key driver of this blog is to get me wearing a variety of clothes from my trillion-piece wardrobe.  So the idea of a 10-33 piece capsule is really the antithesis of my blog's raison d'etre.  But I had an ulterior motive, as I was killing two birds with one stone (though only metaphorically).
Bird One, being to force me to experiment combos by reduced choice, be more adventurous so's I could work the trillion pieces.
Bird Two, my fear of travel packing.  And what is a capsule if not a static suitcase, I reasoned.  So by test-driving the capsule on the ground, so to speak, I could soon fly off with a suitcase capsule that was fit for purpose.

None of the following is rocket science to you savvy gals, but it dawned on me that there were basic steps for a successful capsule.

1.  Think out what I will be doing each day for the capsule/holiday period.

2.  Consider location if a holiday, e.g. Denmark = v. casual.

3. Research the weather 1-2 weeks prior to target period.

4.  Pick out a selection of maybes in advance, thinking about what I've been wearing recently that worked/I liked.  Hang them up, see how the mix together.

4. Try the selection on in a variety of combos and whittle down to the required capsule number; do this well in advance.

You know, it worked. By September I'd had a few shots at capsules and my work was rewarded in what I considered to be a pretty perfect carry-on for my trip to Devon and Sussex.  The key to its success was step 4, hence it being italicised.   I think I could have carried on dressing from this capsule for weeks and weeks.   So,  let's get some visuals to show you what I mean.

My Fave Travel Capsule - Devon & Sussex, September 2016

The brief for this trip was a meet-up with family, late September; packing shared with you here.  Added detail was -

Some colder days of sightseeing in Devon, though only a brief Dartmoor visit so no walking boots needed.

A birthday lunch.  

I think the jade was key to this capsule's success, it lifted it.

Some rain expected (and delivered!), so trenchcoat taken as part of a travelling outfit.

 Some warmer sightseeing days  in Sussex.

Some much colder days, so puffa jacket packed tightly into bag and popped into suitcase.

Casual days.

A more formal anniversary dinner.  A sunny-day visit to a garden centre for a mooch and lunch.

And here's a glimpse of the little carry-on my capsule packed into.

As I said earlier, my imagination was fired up by the variety of outfits I could get from this capsule and I actually enjoyed  packing as I was confident I'd hit on a good capsule and in good time prior.

So by working the capsules, two poor birdies were killed with my one stone.  Metaphorically.

And now it's your turn.  Let's get commenting, ladies.  Are you a fan of the capsule?  Do you pack a mean suitcase?  What are your successes?  What is your approach?  Your tips?

Let's make 2017 the year you really open up to The Pout! 

A la perchoine.