'I built a capsule wardrobe all in a single colour. Here's my honest review.'

When I became a mum for the second time in late November last year, my personal sense of style became… well, whatever you'd call "wearing the same oversized maxi dress for all 99 days of summer". 

When it finally got too cold for my beloved maxi dress (may she rest in peace in the bin, where she belongs) a frank reassessment of my wardrobe was long overdue. 

It wasn't that I didn't have any clothes. It was more that I couldn't think of any way to arrange individual items of clothing into anything resembling an outfit. 

It didn't help that I'm sitting squarely in between seasons in my own life. I've returned to work (in a fairly corporate office) part-time, but still spend the majority of my week in casual clothing. 

I walk to the office on my work days, so comfort is a priority, and on my days at home with my baby and toddler I'm mostly covered in vomit and/or peanut butter. But that doesn't mean I don't want to look good doing it!

I'd read about the magic of capsule wardrobes — the ability to mix and match just a few key pieces into "looks". But honestly? The level of organisation and forethought required seemed out of my reach. 

If I couldn't plan my meals more than a day in advance (and trust me, I've tried), planning an entire wardrobe in advance seemed impossible.

But then, I found them — the staple around which I was destined to build an entire capsule wardrobe. 

My brown corduroy pants. 

Image: Supplied. 

 The moment I saw these pants, I was obsessed with them. They were so flexible! Just as acceptable for work as they would be for weekend brunch! 

Not too tight, perfectly flattering, as comfortable as trackies but ten times as cool. 

As soon as I brought the pants home, I realised my mistake. The pants were brown, and the rest of my wardrobe was a random collection of statement pieces I'd purchased in the hopes of one day building an outfit around them.

A lilac blouse with a ruffle! A blue linen skirt! An emerald green coat! Four separate black turtlenecks, for some reason! 

In other words: totally useless to me.

So I did what any normal person would do. I went out and bought twelve more brown items of clothing. 

I bought a brown blazer (similar to this style), and a brown cardigan (like this one). 

 

Images: Supplied.

I bought a brown skirt (well, more of a champagne) and a brown jumper (like this one). 

 

Images: Supplied.

 I bought a trench-look coatigan from Kmart — one of my favourite finds of the season (sold out in brown, but still available in black!). 

 

Image: Supplied. 

 I bought a pair of brown lounge pants. 

 

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Then, as I was walking along minding my own business, I stumbled across a beautiful brown coat on sale, and so I bought that too. 

Image: Supplied.

I re-purchased my favourite white t-shirt from Uniqlo (for less than $20 a season, replacing your white t-shirts is the hill I will die on) and grabbed cute black midriff top from Zara. 

 

Image: Supplied.

To top it all off, I found a brown felt bag and added my trusty brown AM Eyewear sunglasses (sold out, but these are similar!) and brown and cream New Balances. 

 

Image: Supplied.

And suddenly… suddenly I looked put together for the first time in my life. 

Of course, there's still room in my wardrobe for a pair of jeans, but I've found that I'm reaching for my brown ensembles more and more. They look more intentional than just throwing a shirt on with a pair of jeans or leggings, and I barely need to give them any thought - I always know I'm going to match.

Someone more sophisticated than I am — a stylist, for example — would probably tell you that "matching" is overrated, and I'm sure there's a whole lot of experimentation to be had with items that don't sit directly next to one another on the colour wheel. 

But for me, right now, in this stage of life? The brown is working. 

My commitment to brown has made getting dressed easier, and also made my shopping more targeted and less… random. 

I have an idea in my head of the next few pieces I'd like to invest in (a pair of brown suede knee-high boots is high on the list for next winter) and I'm working towards those rather than getting swept up buying items on sale that I don't need and frankly, will never wear. 

And best of all? On brown, you can barely see peanut butter. 

Feature Image: Supplied. 

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