A women’s clothing capsule for fall and winter is a set of about 20 pieces in three colors that all go with each other. You need a handful of knits and tops, three or four bottoms, one dress, a few outer layers, and two or three pairs of shoes. Pick the colors first and everything else mixes.
Twenty is small enough to remember and big enough that you won’t wear the same sweater four days running. The count includes coats and shoes. It leaves out underwear, workout clothes, pajamas, bags, and jewelry.
Pick three colors before you buy anything
Select one dark base color, one light neutral color, and one warm middle color. Charcoal, cream, and camel is an excellent combination for the winter season. Navy, ivory, and tan are equally good combinations. You can go for black as your base color if you regularly wear black.
When all the tops match all the bottoms, your work is done. If you would like to use a fourth color, you can reserve it for your accessory and not for the remaining 19 pieces. A burgundy or forest green scarf does the job.
The 20 pieces
Tops and knits (7)
- A white or cream button-up shirt. Wear it alone, under a sweater, or open over a tee.
- Two long-sleeve tees, one cream and one charcoal.
- A fine-knit turtleneck in charcoal.
- A camel crew-neck sweater.
- A chunky cream knit for the coldest days.
- A charcoal cardigan, worn open as a layer or buttoned as a top.
Bottoms (4)
- Dark wash jeans. They go with every top on this list and dress up easily with a blazer.
- Cream or white jeans. White in winter looks sharp next to camel and charcoal, and there are plenty of ideas in our guide on what to wear with white jeans.
- Charcoal tailored trousers for work and dinners.
- A midi skirt, knit or pleated, in charcoal or camel.
One dress (1)
A knit or wrap dress in charcoal or camel. Add tights and boots for cold days, or a blazer and loafers for the office.
Outer layers (4)
- A camel trench coat for fall and mild winter days. Our trench coat outfit guide shows what to wear under it, from jeans to dresses.
- A wool coat for real cold.
- A charcoal blazer, which doubles as a light layer indoors.
- A quilted jacket for weekends and errands, when the trench feels too dressy.
Shoes and a scarf (4)
- Ankle boots in black or dark brown.
- Loafers.
- White sneakers.
- The accent scarf.
Shoes are the one place the palette can bend, since they sit far from your face and go with nearly everything anyway.
Outfits you can make from it
Seven tops and four bottoms make 28 pairs on paper. Because the colors match, most of them hold up. Here are six combinations to start with.
Office day: cream button-up, charcoal trousers, loafers, charcoal blazer. On a colder morning, swap the shirt for the camel crew neck and keep the blazer on top.
Weekend: dark wash jeans, chunky cream knit, white sneakers, quilted jacket.
Dinner out: the knit dress, ankle boots, wool coat, and the accent scarf.
Cold and layered: charcoal turtleneck, camel midi skirt, ankle boots, wool coat.
Light and bright: cream jeans, camel crew neck, charcoal cardigan, loafers, trench coat.
Errands: charcoal tee under the cardigan, dark jeans, white sneakers, trench coat.
Notice that none of these needed a new piece. That’s the test of a good capsule. If an outfit only works with one specific item, that item probably doesn’t belong.
Start with what you already own
Pull out all the clothes from your closet that go with the three colors. Separate them according to the categories mentioned above and count. If you have more than what is required by the list, then select the best fitting items. Where you’re short, you’ve found your shopping list.
If you do need to buy, start with the pieces you’ll wear most often and the ones that cost the most to get wrong. For most people that means the coat and the boots. A good wool coat gets worn almost every cold day, so it’s worth taking time over. A cream tee costs little and can wait.
You’ll also find that some things you love don’t fit the palette. Keep a few of them. A capsule that has no room for anything you enjoy wearing tends to get abandoned by February.
