I thought I’d try a new take on my usual capsule wardrobe recipe. Here’s a very simple way of organizing what you’ll wear for Spring 2025.
- Step One: Choose a base color – it could be white, navy, chocolate brown, tan, black, denim blue or any ‘neutral’ color you like. Look through your wardrobe and gather together all your tops (top layers) and bottoms in your base color that are appropriate for the time of year.
- Step Two: Now add as many tops (shirts, blouses, sweaters etc) as you wish. The more different colors and the more different textures and patterns the better.
- Step Three: If you go shopping for new items your rule is ‘any top I like but only outer layers or bottoms in my base color’.
My simple capsule wardrobe
I’ve put together a Spring capsule wardrobe with a dark base – black. It’s what I have with me here in the UK right now. Sorting through the clothes I packed a couple of months ago now, I found straight black chinos, a short black jacket, an oversized black cardigan and a black linen boyfriend shirt. I’ll look for another pair of black pants online, probably jeans, but I haven’t found them yet.
I’ve pulled out several very different tops to give you an idea of how this works.
Watch my black Spring capsule try-on
Note: As at time of writing the UK is in the midst of a huge criminal hack of major online stores ( but not Boden) so I can’t add links to any of the items I am wearing. I am also not sure if M&S will continue to show their whole range in the USA once the new American import tariffs hit. I will update this post if things change.
The sleeveless top
I bought this top new this year from Boden. I’ll mainly wear it under a jacket in Spring and as the days get warmer I’ll wear it sleeveless – at least while I’m around people of my own age!
If you’re looking to add a new bright colored top to your wardrobe then you must take a look at Boden. Color is their big thing! They are based in the UK but have a dedicated US site where they are becoming more and more popular.
The striped collarless cardigan
This comes from my local Tesco supermarket. I already have a navy and ivory striped collarless cardigan I bought last year and I’ve worn it so often – I just love it. This one is not as heavy (or as expensive!) so it works great under the jacket or on its own. It’s also more relaxed – and less classic – with its dropped shoulder and wider sleeve.
The patterned silk shirt
With this simplified capsule wardrobe scheme I don’t worry about the color or pattern of my shirts because everything works well with a neutral base color. In the past I have sorted through trousers and jackets to find items which pick out a color in this top. But not this Spring. The big black cardigan is fine for a casual day or I’ll wear the jacket when I want to look smarter
The striped tee
Striped t-shirts have been fashionable for years now so of course I have lots. Here’s one in a popular color this spring – pink. With these retro sneakers from marksandspencer.com I can get a casual look even wearing the jacket. (Say hello to my dog Luc.)
The block color cardigan
This fine knit cardigan was another find at the local supermarket. I love the color and how easy it is to tuck into trousers and a belt. It’s lightweight enough to wear with the black shirt over or the long cardigan.
The simple white vest
Any white tee will of course work with any neutral color top and pants. As this one is a vest it’s ideal under any of my three outer tops. In these pictures it looks a dingy grayish color but it’s new and is lovely and bright and spring-like in reality!
The chic feminine blouse
While I was researching Spring feminine blouses I came across this glorious spotty number at marksandspencer.com (though as at time of writing I couldn’t find it on the US site). It has wonderful Matisse-style puffy sleeves, bows down the front and a peplum – basically all the decorative details that are making headlines this season. Ideal for a lunch out, a birthday party or even as a guest to a wedding with silkier black pants and sandals. (In these photos I look as if I am wearing white socks – it’s just the poor lighting! I’m not wearing socks.)
My pants are chinos from M&S.
If you find black too dark for Spring then take a look at my alternative simple capsule with beige,
If you like try-ons why not look back at what I was wearing last Spring.