20 PIECE, SPRING BUSINESS WARDROBE

I've heard quite a few women say that they could never commit to a capsule wardrobe because their style is colourful. You see, because there are so many neutral and very colour-less capsule wardrobe gals out there, we kind of figure that perhaps that's the only way to go if we want to get all the mix and match possibilities a capsule wardrobe promises. Well, let me set the record straight. To say it bluntly: you're wrong. And I'm here to prove it .

This is a new series I'm starting on the blog: a 20 piece sample wardrobe. Every now and then, probably at the beginning of seasons, I'll pick a colourful colour palette and "build" a small, 20 piece wardrobe around it. To show you that indeed it is possible to keep colour in your wardrobe and still have all the mix and match possibilities. Find out more below.

It's almost spring, and a lot of you will have been thinking about your spring wardrobe for a few days now, am I right? Planning it out, seeking inspiration in magazines, making secret wish lists on Pinterest (cough, cough). So let's get to it. Last year, I wrote this post on how to build the perfect (capsule) wardrobe, one of the most popular posts on katberries to date. One of the steps is to set a colour palette - below is a screenshot from that big infographic. For this spring's very first 20 piece sample wardrobe I picked the very first colour palette - a light coloured, cool palette, with baby pink and baby blue accents. (Need I point out that those accent colours turned out to be Pantone colours of the year for 2016? Sixth sense, anyone? ) ↓

Now, about the business / business casual part. This sample wardrobe is not something you'd see me wear, not because I don't love it, but because it's not my style right now. But for you ladies out there dressing for business casual environments, I hope this post will serve as a small wardrobe inspiration. To prove you can make it work for any colour scheme and any environment, if you choose to do so. Here we go:

What do you think? This is not to say you should only have 20 pieces in your wardrobe (though if you do I applaud you), but that this kind of 20 piece wardrobe can serve as a good, solid core for your professional closet. You can easily build 30 outfits just out of those 20 pieces too. The lilac, baby blue and baby pink colours are represented mostly by tops / sweaters and accessories. The bottoms are more subdued. If you have a good balance between these categories, most of your clothes should really go together with the others, i.e. if you liked patterned things, pick a garment category you're going to apply it to, so your items don't clash (leopard trousers with a palm print top, anyone? Only for the brave at heart.)

In this sample spring business capsule wardrobe - what a mouthful - we have:
5 tops - sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve
4 sweaters - cardigans, sweater, blazer
4 bottoms - skirts, trousers
2 dresses - formal, day dress
2 jackets - long, short
3 pairs of shoes - pumps, ankle boots, ballet flats
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20 items

I will be taking requests and suggestions for the summer season's 20 piece wardrobe, for both colour palette and style (boho? minimalist? cali girl?) If you're struggling to put together a wardrobe for your colour scheme and style, I'd love to hear from you! Or if there's any one from the remaining 5 palettes you'd like to see in action from the photo above - I'm all ears.

Do let me know if this kind of post is interesting for you and if it's good inspiration for your own wardrobe. I aways love to read your feedback!
Thank you for letting me share.
xo,