My Summer 2021 Capsule | wfh, city life and office

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I have been a (mild) capsule wardrobe enthusiast since 2018. I say mild because I do not dedicate much time and energy to organizing my capsules in an aesthetically pleasing way for my socials. Nor do I obsesses over the exact number of pieces or styles I need to have season after season.

Capsule wardrobes, to me, are more a functional convenience than an aesthetic. They give me the confidence that even if all hell breaks loose in the morning, I will be able to slide my closet door and find pieces that fit me well and complement each other. The capsule wardrobe enthusiasm is similar to my mild enthusiasm for meal-prep. If you follow my insta stories, you know my meal-prep too is functional, entirely lacking the beautifully lined Pyrex Tupperware in the fridge aesthetic. But it frees up my time and gives me the confidence that most weekdays and weeknights, I will be able to feed myself and my partner healthy homecooked meals without spending too much time in the kitchen (hate that!). But let me not digress.

If you are new to the capsule wardrobe concept then I suggest you to give my first capsule wardrobe post a read here. It explains the concept behind a capsule wardrobe and my approach to it. I also have written posts on how to create and plan a capsule of your own here and here.

Considerations for summer 2021 capsule

Weather | Summer is typically mild in Amsterdam with temperatures varying between 12 to 30 degrees. Since I do not have any travel planned, I have hang on to pieces that can take me from chilly rainy days to really hot 30 degrees days.

Activities | Not a a lot of activities planned for this summer. I am mostly working from home with only a few days here and there at the office. So, a large section of my capsule is comfortable pieces that can take me from working at my home office to running errands in the city, and occasionally to the office.

Style | To keep myself comfy but chic working from home, I have stuck to tried and tested silhouettes that I love on my pear-shaped body instead of hopping on any trends. So, that is high-waisted pants and solid-colored tee shirts. I have added interest to my more minimal style through a variety in fabric textures.

Colors | As always, I’ve gone for a mix of neutrals: black, beige, white, camel, navy and gray. I also have a pop of sage green and pink here and there but those accent colors are limited.

Materials | I like to stick to natural fabrics year round, but especially in the summertime, I love me some cotton and linen. So that is what the majority of my capsule is comprised of with a couple of silk, denim, cashmere, and synthetic pieces.

Core staples | The core staples in this capsule are of course items that I can wear on the daily whether it is work from home or a brunch on the weekend. I see my linen pants and my solid-colored blouses and tees as the core staples.

Items to declutter | Surprisingly, this season I am not decluttering any items. As a result of putting on weight and a lifestyle change from working in the office to working at home, I no longer wear most of my old summer wardrobe. However, unaware of my lifestyle in the future normal, I am not yet ready to declutter these pieces. For now, I have a lot of my old summer wardrobe stored away for next summer.

Wishlist | I have been on the hunt for a striped t shirt, a (creamy) white shirt dress, and a white silk button-down that can be dressed up or down. Lastly, I still have not found the perfect black belt that was also on my Fall 2020 shopping list. By no means, I am browsing everyday to scout for these pieces, but I am keeping this list at the back of my mind to guide my buying decisions.

Overview of the summer 2021 capsule

Besides sleepwear and loungewear, everything I am wearing this summer is listed below. Where an item was no longer available or was bought pre-loved, I have linked to a similar option. I have not counted the total number of items and from the experience of my Fall 2020 capsule, I am almost certain that a lot of these items will not get as much love depending on how covid related restrictions pan out.

Tops

Beige cashmere crew neck | here | perfect for cold summer days

Striped cropped cotton knit | similar here | a true classic year round

Light beige cotton knit tunic | similar here | easy to style & perfect for cold summer days

Black and white wool crew neck cardigan | similar here, here (EU) and here and here

Camel wool cardigan | similar here | so cute to style with camisoles and tees on cool summer evenings

White cotton button-down | still available here | a true staple year round

Sage green linen button down | here | easy to style on its own or front open on top of a white or black tee

Blue and white striped cotton button-down | similar here | easy to style on its own or front open on top of a white or black tee

White cotton tee | here | true to size, opaque, and possibly the most versatile summer piece

Blue cotton tee | here | true to size and perfect with linen pants but also office pants with a blazer on top

Black cotton tee | here | true to size and so easy to style with other staples

Grey slim-fit short sleeve | similar here | longtime favorite year round

Cream crochet sleeveless top | similar here | cute with denim and linen for casual days and with a blazer for office

Lemon printed white sleeveless tee | here | comfiest, cutest, and most versatile top

Black silk camisole | here | true to size and so easy to style

White viscose knit blouse with balloon sleeve | here | perfect to dress up for the office or dress down for WFH

Black and white and polka dot necktie blouse | similar here | office staple

White necktie blouse | similar here | easy peasy piece to style for a day at the office or client

Blazers & jackets

White cropped tweed blazer | similar here and here | staple piece for office and video meetings

Black & grey houndstooth blazer | similar here | so cute with dressier pants for work and with tees over the weekend

Navy blazer | similar here | easy to style for the office, WFH, and weekends

Navy light puffer | similar here and here | for the windier summer days

Collarless black leather jacket | similar here | for the sunnier but cold summer days

Bottoms

Green high-waisted cropped pants | similar here | perfect for casual WFH days or weekend errands

Black cotton & viscose joggers | similar here | staple for cooler days when linen is too light

Black linen joggers | here | perfect for working from home & walks on hot summer days

Beige linen joggers | here | perfect for working from home & walks on hot summer days

Beige high-waisted wide-leg linen pants | here | true to size & great fit for pear-shaped bodies)

Camel high-waisted ballon-leg pants | here | true to size, elasticated waist is so comfy, great fit for pear-shaped bodies)

Black skinny jeans | here | true to size and amazing stretch

Mid-wash blue skinny jeans | similar here | denim for cooler days

White straight-leg jeans | here | not see through but size up

Cream high-waisted pants | here | not see through but size up; also, perfect for office with ballet flats and sneakers on the weekend

Grey pants | similar here, here and here | perfect with all the white, cream, and black tops for the office

Navy pants | similar here, here and here | office staple

Silver pleated skirt | similar here | special little piece for a special little hangout if one ever happens

Dresses / Jumpsuits

Black silk jumpsuit | similar here | perfect for dressier summer days but is so versatile for any day and time

White cotton midi dress | similar here | staple for hot summer days, lunch picnics, and long walks

Pink printed midi dress | similar here and here | easy to thrown on warm days

Short denim dress | similar here | perfect to run the errands or for other casual days

Blue shirt dress | here | was sent to me as PR last year and it’s easily my favorite summer workwear dress

Navy necktie dress | similar here and here | for work and for going out when possible

White printed dress | similar here and here | perfect paired with white sneakers for day or night out

Shoes

Black ballet flats | here, also similar here | office and casual staple

Navy ballet flats | here | office and casual staple

Nude ballet flats | here, also similar here | office and casual staple

Camel ballet flats | similar here | office and casual staple

Black slides | here | most comfortable shoes ever for long summer walks

Nude wedges | similar here | don’t wear these as much; if not this year too, might sell or donate

Nude sandals | similar here (US) and here, here (EU) | to go with nicer dresses

Black short heel sandals | similar here | for more dressy ocaasions

White sneakers | similar here and here | goes with everything shoe

Black sneakers | here | errand shoe

Accessories

Black tote bag | here (currently 40% off) | my trusty work tote since 2019

Nude tote bag | here (EU), here (US) | new bag of choice for work

Black crossbody | here | also wrote a review of this bag here | everyday bag since June 2018

Silver mesh strap watch | here

Rose gold watch | here (also the additional leather staps in black and tan)

Dainty pearl necklace | here | nothing this one does not look good with

Pearl studs | here | my everyday studs

Pearl ring | here

Gold layering necklaces | here and here | usually go for these over the weekend

Diamond studs | here | my everyday studs I switch up with the pearl studs

Diamond pendant on chain | here and here | everyday necklace I switch up with the pearl one

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That’s it for the summer capsule. If you would like to see a post with all the outfits I create with my summer capsule, let me know in the comments!