My 25-piece capsule wardrobe for busy moms

Sep 17

Earlier this year, I participated in the 75 Hard Style Challenge. It got me in the habit of documenting what I wear.

Noticing what I wear is hugely important to a thoughtful wardrobe. It helps me identify the gaps in my closet and shows me if the style words I’ve picked accurately reflect how I’m choosing to dress.

Here’s a look at what I wore most this summer.

I was surprised at how organically this all came together! I went through my archive of outfit videos that I post to Stories and quite literally cataloged the clothes that popped up again and again.

I joked a lot about having a moment with pale yellow and light blue, but wow! I didn’t think it would be this obvious.

closet Regulars

Closet regulars, workhorse pieces, or whatever you want to call them, these are the items that would make the cut if I had to narrow down my summer wardrobe even further.

brown tees — I have two t-shirts in different shades of brown and I wear them all the time! One is an Outerknown tee I’ve had for five years and the other is a Madewell tee I found thrifting. They’ve both held up incredibly well for all the wear they get.
yellow sweater vest — how much more can I write about this piece of clothing?! I love it, I’m so glad I found it at the thrift store, but if I were buying it new I’d snag this one.
denim shorts — as a denim girl, I live in denim shorts during the summer. I rotated between my tie-waist and mom jean shorts this year.
bronze tank — a Target find that has paid for itself in the amount of wear I’ve gotten out of it! It’s a unique bronzey brown color that I love, and this tank reminds me of it.
yellow shorts — a Zara find from last summer, I’m not sure how much longer these will last. They’re pretty flimsy and something as light as an AirPod case will make them droop. I’ll be looking for a more practical short in this color for next year.
linen pants — my best Old Navy purchase to date! I have them in brown and beige and I love them so much, they stay in my closet year round.
tie strap tanks — I love these for the days I want to feel a little more dressed up without baking in the heat. Both of the tops I have are the wrong size for me and one of them is getting dingy, so this is another item I’ll be noting down in my closet gap list.
jellies — I didn’t know I’d love these so much when I bought them! Another Old Navy find, I’d love to add a neutral jelly sandal like this next year.
boston clogs — my perfect shoe for when I don’t want to wear sandals but also can’t be bothered to lace up some sneakers, I don’t see these getting any less use in the fall.
birks — I think my birks got more use than my tevas this summer! They go with pretty much anything and they’re comfortable enough for wearing all day. What’s not to love?