Closet Inventory, Six Months Later

Posted: March 27, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Capsule | Tags: capsule winter/spring 2015 | 1 Comment

Even though I’m doing the weekly capsule thing to keep from restricting too much and burning out, I still counted the last three months of outfits as the unofficial Winter/Spring capsule, and next week I’ll move on to the Spring/Summer capsule, since the weather is warming up fast. I’m not going to do a round-up of how many pieces I wore and how many outfits I got out of those, because that would bring me right back to counting numbers and stressing out about it. Instead, here is a different kind of counting: to see how much my closet has changed after 6 months of capsule wardrobe. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Tops:
3 sleeveless tops
9 short-sleeved tees
7 long-sleeved tees
17 shirts/blouses
11 sweaters/sweatshirts
8 cardigans
6 blazers
5 coats/jackets

Bottoms:
7 pairs of pants
8 pairs of jeans
9 skirts
15 dresses (I’m holding on to a lot of these for sentimental values)

Shoes:
3 pairs of tall boots
4 pairs of ankle boots
6 pairs of heels (a few of these still need to be cut down and/or replaced)
5 pairs of flats
1 pairs of oxfords
2 pairs of sandals

Total: 126 pieces

That, compared to the 172 pieces of my last inventory, is a huge improvement. I honestly didn’t expect I would be able to cut down so much. So, despite its ups and downs, the capsule wardrobe has definitely been useful in helping me understand what kind of things I like to wear and what works for me, and making me shop smarter. I guess I’ll keep doing it then!

Weekly Capsule 12.4: Offline

Lately, I’ve noticed that my productivity has gone down, and I haven’t able to concentrate on my work as well as I did – I used to be able to finish reading and commenting on a 110-page screenplay in about three hours, sometimes even less if it’s written well, but now it takes me four hours or sometimes even longer. Then I realize, it’s taking me so long because whenever I get bored (which is often) I would go check Tumblr or Instagram or Facebook or a gazillion other online distractions, and before I know it, an hour has passed. Like the other day, for example, I had to read this historical script, so I went on Wikipedia to check some facts, and ended up reading about the entire history of the Hapsburg (the script wasn’t about the Hapsburg, by the way.) Educational, yes, but not exactly productive.

So I’ve made a decision. From now on, whenever I sit down to read or write or translate, there will be no distraction. The Internet will be off, and the only music playing will be movie soundtrack (Pacific Rim is my favorite, it gives me so much energy.) Already I’ve seen an improvement. Hopefully after a while I can learn how to stay focused again.

T-shirt: Uniqlo, Jacket: tailor, Jeans: Charlotte Russe, Shoes: Tamaris, Scarf: hand-me-down

Here are my looks this week – I guess the theme is dark + floral, which is pretty good for transitioning into spring. Also, boyfriend jeans FTW:

Weekly Capsule 12.3: Night At The Opera

Posted: March 25, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Capsule, Clothes | Tags: black, black cardigan, black cut-out heels, black-and-white dress, brooch, capsule winter/spring 2015, red | 4 Comments

I actually wore this last weekend to go a concert with my mom at the Hanoi Opera House. I don’t have that many occasions to dress up for, but when I do, this is my go-to “special occasion” dress – it’s really easy to style, and it looks more put together than everything else I had. (Although, if I’m being really honest, another reason I automatically reach for it whenever the word “fancy” comes up is because it’s one of the few things in my closet that I paid full price for, and I’ve only worn it, like, four or five time since, so I’d like to get my money’s worth :p)

Anyway, the concert was fun. It was to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Vietnam joining La Francophonie, so there was a nice mix of Vietnamese and French music (Clair de Lune played on Vietnamese traditional instruments and Vietnamese folk songs sung by a French choir, that kind of thing.) It was too bad that they didn’t allow DLSR inside the Opera House, because the architecture is gorgeous. I had to make do with these crappy phone photos instead.

Dress: Zara, Cardigan: Target, Shoes: Tamaris (hand-me-down), Brooch: vintage

Weekly Capsule 12.2: Dark Flowers

Posted: March 24, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Capsule, Clothes | Tags: black, black embroidered sweatshirt, black flats, blue, capsule winter/spring 2015, navy boyfriend jeans, necklace, orange | 1 Comment

After the last week of dressing like it’s fall, I’ve decided to bring out some floral prints and lighter colors for this week. And then what does the weather go and do? Start cooling down, of course. But I’m not annoyed, actually. I always prefer colder weather to warmth. I only have to put on my flower-embroidered sweatshirt, and I’m done.

This sweatshirt is one of the items that I wear a lot in real life but doesn’t make it to the blog as often. It’s such a focus-pulling piece that there are only so many ways of styling it, and I believe I’ve featured them all. Ah well. It makes getting dressed easier, that’s what counts.

Sweatshirt: Atmosphere, Jeans: Charlotte Russe, Flats: Vagabond, Bracelet: thrifted

Weekly Capsule 12.1: Spring Window

Posted: March 23, 2015 | Author: Salazar | Filed under: Capsule, Clothes, Style Imitating Art | Tags: black cut-out heels, capsule winter/spring 2015, floral tunic, navy boyfriend jeans, necklace, style imitating art | 3 Comments

I’d put together an entirely different outfit for this week’s SIA, inspired by the “Spring” stained glass window designed by John La Farge, using this navy floral dress with my white button-up shirt layered underneath. However, when I put it on, it doesn’t feel very me at all – the old me, about two years ago, wouldn’t think twice about it, but now it seems too fussy, too schoolgirl. So I tried something else, and put that dress away for my niece when she’s older. Really, I’m too grown-up for it now.

That has been my challenge with SIA lately – with the more intricate inspiration pieces, I always struggle to find an outfit that both mimics the painting and still stays true to my new, more minimalist style. In the end, this is what I came up with – the floral tunic and the shoes are to reflect the stained glass, and there is a bit of blue in it as well, hence the jeans (a truer blue may be more accurate, but I prefer the relaxed fit of the boyfriend jeans with the tunic), and I added the necklace for the wings. The end result may not be as close as I’d like, but it’s something I’m happy to wear, and that’s more important.

Don’t forget to check out Jess’ blog for more interpretations of this gorgeous stained glass window!