Today I’m sharing spring essentials for your capsule wardrobe! We just finished an AMAZING Capsule Week during which I taught PMTers how to create a capsule wardrobe and mix and match it. Thank you to those who participated. It was so, soooo cool to see your capsules come to life, to watch those lightbulbs turn on for you, and to hear you finally got over hurdles to where you could mix and match with ease. Just amazing! I’m so proud of you and happy for your wardrobe getting unlocked!
During Capsule Week I shared with participants that a great wardrobe is built with a solid mix of foundational items and pieces with flair. Foundational items are the basics that glue your outfits together. Flair pieces are the interesting ones, the statement pieces, the things that add flair and extra style and personality to outfits. Your wardrobe needs both types of pieces. If you want more on this, check out my blog post about it HERE.
For today’s post, I want to talk through some foundational spring essentials for your wardrobe! (I’ll talk about flair pieces for spring in another post.) Whether you’re building a capsule or just want a functional wardrobe, these foundational essentials are important and helpful to have!
These pieces are all in the Spring Wardrobe & Outfit Guide of course, since they’re essentials! These items are versatile and are the foundation of so many outfits, allowing you to grab-and-wear with ease. In the Spring Guide you’ll see them used over and over again in outfits for those very reasons!
Let’s move on to the specific spring essentials!
SIZING: I’m 5’6″ and usually S/M or 6 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes.
1. Medium or Dark Wash Jeans
Wardrobe staples! If nothing else, AT LEAST have a pair of medium or dark wash jeans. I personally prefer having a pair of medium slim straight jeans AND a pair of dark wash slim straight leg jeans. THIS pair from Quince is what I’m wearing above. I own it in the medium wash as well. I also own THIS pair from J.Crew Factory in the darker denim. Both are stretchy but sturdy so you can move around but also feel supported. I wear size 28 in the Quince pair and size 27 in the J.Crew Factory pair.
Additionally, a dark wash wide leg jean is great. I LOVE THIS pair from Wit & Wisdom. SO COMFY! It’s soft, stretchy, and has elastic in the waistband for all-day comfort. I wear size 6. For another good option, try this pair from Old Navy HERE.
Shop the Outfit:
Sweater: Quince (wearing size S)
Jeans: Quince (wearing size 28)
Sneakers: Nordstrom (similar)
Necklace: Nordstrom (similar)
Earrings: Amazon (wearing 30mm)
2. Lifestyle Sneakers
Lifestyle sneakers are one of the most important spring essentials for your capsule wardrobe. Trade athletic sneakers for lifestyle sneakers in all of your outfits that involve jeans + tees/sweatshirts/relaxed sweaters to make them all look more stylish with the same amount of comfort. Check out a few lifestyle sneaker options below:
Shop Lifestyle Sneakers:
3. Striped Tee
While stripes aren’t for everyone, if you’re into them, a striped tee is a great wardrobe essential to have. Stripes are especially popular this spring! Stripes make outfits more visually interesting — without you having to do anything extra to try harder!
4. Solid Tee
A solid tee isn’t exciting, but it sure comes in handy when you need it. Like, when you have a printed skirt and have no clue what else to pair with it — enter the solid tee. It’s one of the most understated, but crucial, spring essentials for your capsule wardrobe.
Look for a tee that isn’t super flimsy so that it looks more polished, even though it’s a casual t-shirt!
Shop Spring Essentials: T-Shirts
5. Neutral Flats
Have a pair of grab-and-go flats that work with anything! Choose a pair in a neutral color that works best with your wardrobe. For styles, a simple ballet flat, a pointed toe flat, or a square toe flat will all be versatile. I like the Mary Jane flat with a square toe these days! I found plenty of options, rounded up in the widget below.
BTW, these are the dark wash jeans from Wit & Wisdom that I said are VERY stretchy and comfortable – complete with elastic in the waistband for ultimate comfort!
Shop Spring Essentials: Neutral Flats
6. Denim Jacket
Must have! This thing goes with all non-blue-jean bottoms. You know, like black and white pants, colored bottoms, printed skirts, and dresses. It’s like jeans for your top half.
I recommend getting one in a saturated blue versus one that’s washed with grey. (Washed with a bit of white is fine, but the grey looks pretty dull.) I own THIS one from Kohl’s. It’s thick but stretchy and slightly roomy.
Shop Spring Essentials: Denim Jackets
7. Black Pants (or another neutral)
It’s nice to have an option besides blue jeans to mix up your outfits. Choose black or another neutral that suits your colors better, like grey or white. The pair I’m wearing here is sooooooo comfortable! They’re super STRETCHY and thick. They look polished for work but can be dressed down with sneakers and a t-shirt – I’m wearing them dressed down in the previous outfit, which is super casual! I wear them in size 6.
For another option, try this pair from Wit & Wisdom which is equally as comfortable and NOT cropped.
Shop Spring Essentials: Black Pants
8. Short Cardigan
For a modern and updated look, go for a shorter cardigan! In addition to it being a modern update, a shorter cardigan will work better with wide leg bottoms. You can find the one I’m wearing HERE. Other options are THIS one from Amazon, which is really soft, THIS one from Old Navy, and THIS one from Target which is pretty thin and lightweight.
Shop Spring Essentials: Cardigans
9. Neutral Top With Details
The same way that a plain neutral tee is clutch when you need it, so is a neutral top. But if you want an option that is more elevated and stylish when worn on its own, go for one with special details such as flutter sleeves, texture, buttons, or a unique silhouette. I rounded up some below for ya!
Shop Spring Essentials: Solid Tops
There you have it, my list of spring essentials for your capsule wardrobe. These create a solid foundation in your wardrobe that allows you to create outfits more effortlessly. You’ll be able to mix them together with your flair pieces flawlessly!
Start each day feeling stylish and put together with less time, money, and stress.
With the PMT Wardrobe & Outfit Guide, you won’t have to think so hard about what to wear, how to style the items in your closet, or which new styles to try.
Instead, you’ll have a plan you can follow that you can customize to your tastes, a guide to know which trends to incorporate (if you want to) — AND how to style them, and outfit ideas galore so you can make the most of your clothes.
Check out the Wardrobe & Outfit Guide! With it, you’ll have:
- a guided plan to build a functional and versatile fall wardrobe
- a capsule of pieces that turn into lots of outfits
- outfit ideas galore at your fingertips to help you figure out what to wear
- a bonus shopping guide with curated links of great finds all in one place to save you from having to scour the internet yourself
- an easier way to pull together a wardrobe and build outfits
Check out the current Wardrobe & Outfit Guide here and make your wardrobe feel fresh today!
