Two weeks since my last Wardrobe Architect post, yikes! With only a three weeks left in the series including this one, you may well have wondered why I didn’t post on time, especially when I’d expressed so much excitement for planning garments and outfits. I certainly wanted to, but when Wednesday showed up in the middle of the week (as it has a habit of doing) I didn’t actually have a plan. And I knew if I threw together a list of whatever popped into my head while I was sitting at the computer, I’d end up with a list of pieces I wasn’t 100% thrilled about, which is a recipe for a) making a bunch of clothes that I won’t wear, or b) going off the rails and ending up with a closet full clothes that are just as disjointed as I have now. So I mulled it over, looked through my recent pattern acquisitions again, and came up with something that I’m pretty stoked about.
1st Row Four fitted t-shirts: one white, one aqua, one with navy and white stripes, and one red with a white print. I’d like to try out the Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick Tonic Tee pattern—it’s designed specifically for petites, and it’s free!
2nd Row Two drapey camis made with McCall’s M6359, one in coral and one in yellow. One drapey sleeveless button-down in green; I really like the Portofino shirts from Express, so I’ll keep my eye out for one in a nice cheery Kelly green.
3rd Row Two drapey open-front cardigans, one in navy and one in smoke. It’s a toss-up whether I’ll make these with McCall’s M6084 or buy them from Express. I have two of the latter already that I really like, but I may not be able to get them in the color I want; on the flip side, I know good sweater knits can be tricky to find in fabric stores.
4th Row Three fitted cardigans in green, yellow, and white. I’m knitting the green cardigan already, and will probably knit rather than sew the other two as well. I haven’t picked specific patterns yet, but have plenty of options to choose from in my Ravelry queue.
5th Row A woven khaki pencil skirt made with Simplicity 1465; a knit navy pencil skirt made with Simplicity 1465; and a woven, elastic-waist swishy skirt in some print (not necessarily the fabric or even the color pictured) made with Simplicity 1662.
6th Row A Lady Skater dress, a woven McCall’s M7156, a knit McCall’s M7116 View A, and a knit McCall’s M7116 View C. All of the fabrics are just placeholders, although I’ll probably be looking for things in similar colors and patterns.
7th Row Two pairs of shorts, one in navy ikat (totally ripping off Lauren here) made with the Grainline Studio Maritime Shorts pattern or similar, and one in white, which I already own. Two pairs of leggings, one in smoke and one in navy, made with McCall’s M6173. And—if can miraculously find them in a store, be it retail or fabric—one pair of coral jeggings.
That’s a pretty ambitious list, to say the least. I doubt I’ll get through all of it by the end of the summer. The biggest hurdle will be sourcing and buying fabric and yarn, since I’m trying to sock away money for a big upcoming purchase at the same time. But I’ll go crazy if I don’t have a steady stream of projects, and my wardrobe desperately needs an infusion of new pieces, so I’ll be looking for economical ways to make this capsule wardrobe a reality. I’m open to suggestions if you’ve got them!