Fashion

I’m sure a lot of us have had those I have nothing to wear moments as we are staring at our closets. Even though there are hangers & hangers of clothing, nothing seems to speak to you & you are slowly entering a style rut. Lately, as I’m entering the spring cleaning era, I found myself so uninspired by my fashion sense. I don’t know if it’s due to the pandemic & leaning into the altheisure wear trend. But now that we are three years out, I’m wanting to get back into fashion & experiment with different looks. This means, I’ve been going against the minimalist lifestyle of owning a certain number of clothing pieces & instead, allowing myself to be less strict with living with less. I’ve felt deprived & honestly – a bit frumpy.

As I am decluttering my closet once again for the rest of the spring & summer season, I have come up with 5 questions to ask yourself to create the perfect capsule wardrobe.

Do I Have The Basics?

When it comes to your closet, being basic is actually a good thing. Those basic t shirts & tanks are the bones to your outfits. Case in point – the classic white tee & jeans. You just can’t go wrong. As you are going though your closet, be sure you have those essential shades of black, grey & white as well as the colors you love best. I for one am excited to add a few brighter colors to embrace the warmer seasons.

When I Put This On, Does it Make me Feel Confident?

Every single clothing piece you own should make you feel confident & your best. There’s no need to hold onto those just in case items or those maybe one day pieces that will simply collect dust. And as you are decluttering & find yourself lacking confident boosting outfits, it might be time to treat yourself to a shopping trip.

What Am I Lacking?

I tend to discover the clothing pieces I’m lacking to create the perfect outfit. I realized I would love to own / experiment with different styles of jeans & pants. I find shopping for tops easier, so the bottom half of me seems to suffer.

What Do I Need To Stop Buying?

Clothing declutters enlighten me on what I waste money on. As I see the piles of clothing I no longer want, I take in mind & remind myself to not buy those types of items again. It’s important to be smart with your purchases & not buy tons of clothing all at once. Creating a wardrobe you love takes time.

Am I Being True to Myself?

There are times where we dress to impress. But sometimes we need to remind ourselves, our style is our own. And we shouldn’t be choosing clothing based on other people’s opinions. It’s fine to take style inspiration. Believe me, I do it all the time. But it’s important to understand the difference of completely copying someone & wearing something that truly makes you happy. If you feel yourself in your clothing, you are on the right track.

As you create your seasonal wardrobes & let go of the pieces you no longer want, I feel like these 5 simple questions will help you establish a wardrobe that defines you in the best way possible. In the comments below, let me know of your favorite styles & what piece that makes you feel the most confident.

-B

Minimalism, Minimalism, organization

Spring Clothing Essentials: My Spring Capsule Wardrobe 2022

March 13, 2022March 18, 2022 mindbeautysimplicity

* This post is not sponsored & all links are not affiliated *

I’ve condensed my wardrobe quite a bit these last few months. As someone who tries to live a more simple & clutter free life, I felt like a closet declutter was well overdue. Check out my 30 Items You Don’t Need in Your Wardrobe to get some decluttering inspiration. If you are familiar with Courtney Carver’s book & minimalist challenge, Project 333 – she talks about having less clothing to choose from will allow you to let go of decision fatigue & realize you don’t need tons of items to feel like you have plenty to wear. Today, I wanted to inspire you & share with you my own capsule wardrobe & the spring clothing essentials I recommend. Over the years, I’ve learned it’s important to have a strong collection of basics as they are the bones to your outfits. From there, you can add a few unique pieces to express your own style / personality. Without further ado, here is my spring capsule wardrobe for 2022…

You Might Also Like: I Tried Project 333 In a Pandemic & This Is How It Went

A Crisp White T-shirt

In the spring, I always like to make sure I have one new white t-shirt. Most of the time, I get either one or two seasons out of a white t-shirt, & need to replace it after that. Currently, I have two styles of white t-shirts- one basic crew neck ribbed t-shirt from the A New Day brand at Target & a longer white t-shirt from The Loft that has shorter sleeves that are in between a t-shirt & tank. It’s important to pick styles that work for your body type.

Other Neutral T-shirts to add variety…

I’m a huge fan of neutrals. Along with a crisp white t-shirt, I also have a black version of the A New Day brand, a grey t-shirt from J crew & a navy blue t-shirt from the Universal thread brand at Target. Most colored items are in a more muted / neutral color palette. Some other great options include – blush pink, olive green, beige, camel, or brown.

Variety of Styles & Textures

Within those tops, make sure you have a variety of styles & textures. As much as I love a basic t-shirt -I’ve learned having a few silk blouses, bodysuits & even light nits expand the verticality of an outfit. In the spring especially – the weather can be all of the place. So, some days, I’m still wearing sweaters or cardigans to keep warm. For example, in my specific capsule wardrobe, I have this mid length grey cardigan from The Loft that is light weight but can keep my shoulders & arms warm on those brisk days. I also LOVE having a white, black & grey bodysuit in my wardrobe because of the countless ways you can style these items. You can dress them up for a night out on the weekends & also pair it with a blazer for workdays. When I was decluttering my wardrobe, I noticed I want to add a few more button downs & flannels [ as I have none at the moment].

Pops of Florals

I recently added a floral long sleeve top from Loft to add a bit of spring vibes to my wardrobe. Although for the most part, I stick with neutrals & basics – I like having a few unique pieces here and there.

A Good Fitting Pair of Jeans

My favorite brand of jeans are the Topshop Jamie jeans. I have them in dark wash, light wash & black. I personally have gotten away from white jeans [ but if you enjoy that look – it’s also a great shade for the spring time].

Faux Leather

To add a bit of spice to your wardrobe, I recommend a pair of black faux leather pants or leggings. In my capsule wardrobe, I have a pair of black faux leather leggings from Abercrombie. They really turn a basic look more sexy & unique. I’ve worn them with heels & a silk blouse for date night & also with ankle boots & a sweater for a family dinner.

Mules, Sandals & Sneakers

I’ve been wanting to build my shoe collection this year. I think there are a few spring staples that would create a multitude of outfits. My Sam Edelman white sneakers have been my favorite for every season.

In the spring, they pair nicely with long maxi dresses, jeans & shorts. Some other great essentials are neutral mules & sandals. I have two pairs of Sam Edelman sandals in brown & black that I wear constantly in the spring time.

Maxi or Midi Dresses

I typically save shorter sundresses for the summer but in the spring, I love wearing maxi dresses or mid length dresses – especially if they are floral in pattern. I’ve considered trying the trend of wearing nits on top of my dresses. In my capsule wardrobe, I have a few maxi dresses – one white with blue flowers [ very Santorini esque style ] & this lavender one with yellow flowers I want to wear on Easter. As a minimalist, I still love experimenting with colors & patterns. And the longer length of these dresses still keep me warm during those more chilly days.

Bright Long Sleeves

Since spring can be a rather transitioning season with the weather. I love still wearing longer sleeved tops & knits in the spring. But to brighten up my look after a cold, long winter – I have added a pink sweater t-shirt from Zara & a coral sweater from the brand A New Day at Target. I also still love wearing my beige long sleeves that I wear in the fall in winter in the warmer months too.

Cardigans

These are essential during the spring because they are great layer pieces on top of t-shirts & tanks – especially in the evenings as it get’s colder. You can dress them up or even wear them around the house along with lounge / athleisure wear.

What are some trends you are excited to wear this spring season? And what are some essentials you have or want in your wardrobe?

Follow me on Twitter to keep up with my posts & intentional living tips.

-B

blogmas, Lifestyle

My Current Winter Obsessions

December 31, 2021March 18, 2022 mindbeautysimplicity

Happy New Years Eve everyone! It feels great to be back writing more consistently – hopefully once a week. I’ve been scheduling content like a mad woman & have the next few months all written & scheduled. Can you believe it? I wanted to start the new year off with a chit chat post talking about my current favorites. In October, I did this before in my current fall obsessions post & I enjoyed it so much, that I feel like I could make this a seasonal series on Mind Beauty Simplicity. Which by the way, has it’s own domain now! That’s right, the .wordpress is gone from the site URL & is now simply, mind-beauty-simplicity.com! Already, 2022 has been a wonderful blogging year & it has just started. I’m excited to see if my goals for this new year come to fruition. Let’s get into these favorites – shall we?

Makeup / Beauty:

Starting off with makeup favorites, I’ve been really drawn to neutral eye looks & bold lips – specifically the shade red. I guess you could say it’s a common color for the holiday’s but I personally find it’s more than just that. I feel the most confident when I wear shades of red [ both lip color & clothing ]. I discovered the Maybelline Color Sensational Ultimatte Slim Lipstick & have been wearing the shades More Blush & More Scarlett interchangeably anytime I wear makeup. For a drugstore product, they are very long lasting & smooth. I highly recommend them.

Binge Worthy Entertainment & Page Turners

Downton Abbey:

I decided to re-watch Downton Abbey from the beginning on account of the newest movie coming out in March. This fictional British series is so beautifully written & is filled with drama & romance. I highly recommend it if you haven’t yet watched it. You can find the entire series on Netflix.

Hypnotic:

I made the mistake of watching this Netflix movie alone one night. It’s a psychological thriller [ my favorite genre ] about a woman who comes across a hypnotherapist in hopes for some self-improvement. This movie made me not want to ever be hypnotized or answer any unknown calls on my cellphone. It was eerie good & I recommend it to anyone who loves this genre of movies.

TheSilent Patient:

I’ve gotten back into reader this past year – & I hope to continue this habit in 2022. Over Christmas break, I finally finished the novel The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I was recommended this book through Booktok as it was quite similar to Verity by Colleen Hoover. A psychological thriller [ surprise surprise ] about a psychotherapist who tries to treat a patient who became silent after the murder of her husband. Although the twist was discovered slightly early, I enjoyed the writing & concept of the novel. I couldn’t put it down.

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Gadgets

I’m excited to have been gifted an Ipad & an apple pencil for Christmas. I’ve been wanting one for a while & feel like it will come in handy for blogging. It’s very travel friendly so I can blog & promote on the go. And I find using social media to be quite enjoyable on this device. I like to keep my blogging life separate from my real life, so having a different device for all these tasks instead of using my phone all the time, is quite nice. I also plan to use it for reading, as I have the book app. But I’ll be honest – I do find myself preferring paper backs.

Eileen Fisher Scarf & Beanie

Another Christmas gift of mine – & a classic addition to my wardrobe is this scarf / beanie combo from Eileen Fisher. I don’t usually shop at this store in my leisure but I feel like the store is a hidden gem. I absolutely love the neutral shade & the material is so so soft! It’s one of those shades that goes with so many outfits & I can tell they are going to be accessories I’ll have for quite some time.

Universal Thread Cropped Knit Sweaters

You should not sleep on Target brand clothing. Seriously – these are great quality with an even greater price. I love the texture of these & love how you can dress them up or leave them casual. These will be other clothing pieces I’ll be wearing a ton this winter. Something about wearing a cozy knit with a warm beverage in hand screams hygge & relaxation.

Ugg Crew Socks

I feel like this current favorites post is all about my Christmas gifts – but I can’t help if my family knows me so well. I absolutely love the Ugg crew socks & my mom got me like six pairs in multiple neutral shades. I will be living in them this winter.

Mindset:

As a whole – the word for 2022 is self care. I know, how original. I think it’s so important to make time for ourselves & create a routine that keeps us from becoming too stressed. Whether it’s fixing a warm beverage in one of my fun winter mugs in the morning or setting some time to read or write – making ‘me time’ is so crucial. It truly is the little things in life. I’ve been spending less time on social media [ even deleting the Instagram app off my phone ]. Focusing on being more intentional & present are habits I’ve been trying to have & continue to have in the new year.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my current lifestyle favorites. Let me know if you’d like me to continue this series on the blog & whether you’d like it seasonally or even monthly. I think this is such a fun way to showcase my life & provide little updates with my readers. See you next Monday.

Tag: Fashion

5 Questions To Ask Yourself When You Have Nothing To Wear