Summer Capsule Wardrobe No. 2

For July's capsule, I added more tops since it's unlikely I'll need more than one cardigan during July. I have two skirts this go-around because I wanted a breezier variety for the bottom items. I'm reusing a few of the items I put in the last capsule because I love them and wear them often. After all, the point of this is to have less clothes and use the ones I have, right?

So here's the breakdown of what I'm wearing in July:

• a wrap blouse
• bohemian blouse
• graphic t-shirt
• comfy t-shirt
• tie-die t-shirt
• summer dress
• pencil skirt
• a-line skirt
• shorts
• cardigan

This is a more casual wardrobe for summer vacation because I know this is what I'll actually be wearing.

I'll post the 25 outfits from this set of 10 items on the last Friday of this month, July 25th.

Hope you're enjoying something beautiful about today! (I'm celebrating the front moving in this week, yay for lower temperatures!)

Mini-Style: 10 Pieces, 25 Outfits

{More photos below}

I really enjoyed experimenting with this summer capsule wardrobe.

Taking photos of all the outfits inadvertently helped me see what items go better with my shape than others. I'll be making some changes for July.

Here are three things I learned using 10 pieces for 25 outfits:

1. Don't have too many similar pieces.

I quickly found that even though my black blouse has a pattern, it's not obvious enough to look different from my black t-shirt. That meant that some of my outfits ended up looking too similar. There was also a black cardigan that didn't get much use because I had so much black already in my wardrobe. Not sure why I chose all that black in the summertime.

2. Incorporate a versatile dress.

The dress ended up being my most versatile piece in the entire set! I didn't plan on that, but wow, it was fun. I used it as a scarf, skirt, flowing shirt, and peplum top. The elastic in the middle really helped to be able to wear it creatively.

• For a scarf, I wrapped the elastic waist around my neck and hid the straps inside.
• For a skirt, I tucked the top inside and let the elastic be my waistband. 
• For the flowing shirt, I pulled the dress on but left the elastic under my armpits. This made it look like an extra ruffle at the top and open at the base. I'm not sure this would've worked as well without a ruffle already in place.
• For the peplum, I simply tucked the dress into my bottoms, and then pulled it out just enough to create a peplum.

3. A neutral cardigan appears to be another top.

Most people focus on the outter layer of an outfit ~ that's what they remember. So if you're wearing the same shirt underneath that you wore earlier in the week, it doesn't appear to be the same because the cardigan is different on top.

What's the most versatile piece in your closet?