Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Teacher Clothes | A Back-to-School Capsule Wardrobe

"Ever buy some fun new clothes, but end up wearing your old favorites anyway? Me too.  Ever go to your closet and feel like you have nothing to wear, even when your closet is filled with clothes?  Me too!  I started wondering why I was keeping a closet stuffed with mediocre clothes I didn’t love/wear. And I also started wondering why I kept spending money on mediocre clothes I didn’t wear because they didn’t fit/look right. So I tried out this capsule wardrobe idea I’d been hearing about. I NEVER. LOOKED. BACK."

The quote above is from this blog-  http://www.un-fancy.com/.  I recently came across her site and began reading about her experience with capsule wardrobes. She creates seasonal capsule wardrobes using only 37 pieces.  She wears only those items for an entire season.  I don't really have a ton of clothes, and I don't consider myself a fashionista or anything, but I thought what a great idea!  This can simplify my mornings and make getting ready easier.  I was already thinking about incorporating some kind of "teacher style" or "teacher swag" component to this blog, just for fun, so I thought -- Why not try a capsule wardrobe for my teacher clothes?!

As I started picking out my clothes for the beginning of the school year [end of summer/beginning of fall], I realized I didn't really have 37 "teacher clothes" to photograph.  I only wear a small selection of my clothes over and over.  I even have 2 of the same exact shirt because I wear it so much.  Most of this capsule is made up of clothes I've worn many times, but some pieces are new additions that I'm excited to wear this year.  With all of that being said, here is my "back-to-school" capsule with a few details and helpful hints for teachers who are just starting out buying their first teacher clothes... 

The tops above are all from either Target, Forever 21, Walmart, or Urban Outfitters.  Because I'm an elementary art teacher, most of my clothes are not from designer stores and are machine washable.  [Painting with 5-year-olds in a $50 silk top is a little bit silly.]  I come home with lots of stuff on my clothes, and I don't have the time or money to go to the dry cleaners.  I also like to wear lose tops that can breathe.  I don't like very thick materials because I am constantly moving around, not to mention I have outside duty each morning and afternoon.  I can't count on the air conditioning or the weather, so I like to plan on being hot and dress accordingly.  That's where layering comes in handy.  I always bring a sweater or blazer just in case I get cold, and they are also great for mixing and matching.

The first 3 on the top are from Modcloth, which is a little bit more expensive than my normal clothes but definitely worth it.  Modcloth has great teacher clothes, and I'm excited to buy more from them in the future!  The first 3 on the bottom are from Target, and I wear them a lot.  I buy most of my clothes from Target, and I'm always happy with the price and comfort!  I'm really not sure where most of the pants are from, but the khakis are from TJ Max -- originally Express.  They were too long, but only $8, so I got them hemmed!  If you sit on the floor a lot, I would say maybe to skip the skirts, but I rarely sit down at all.  I don't do small groups, and when I do sit to read to the younger kids I sit in a chair, not on the floor.  I love to wear skirts on hot days [for obvious breeze reasons right?], but when it gets cooler I wear leggings and tights with the dresses.
Shoes!  Shoes are sooo important.  Shoe choices will be different for everyone depending on your needs, but the sandals and boots are from Target, and the brown slipper shoes are from Francesca's.  All 4 pairs of these shoes are very comfortable for me.  I wear inserts in the boots, and I wear boots all fall/winter long with the inserts in them.  If you're a teacher, your feet are going to get sore no matter what.  Walking around for 6 hours at least will take a toll on your feet, and I hope to find some nice tennis shoes to wear soon.

I included necklaces because nice jewelry can make really simple outfits look super fancy.  I also included a rain coat because as someone with outside duty, I needed to buy a rain coat, a nice umbrella, and some rain boots.  

I hope that post wasn't too long-winded or silly.  I'm excited to try the capsule idea and see if I can stick to it until it gets cooler out!  I'm hoping it will really simplify getting ready in the morning...almost like a uniform for myself.  I'll let you know if I stick to it or not!

What are your wardrobe essentials?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perfect timing! I am about to start teaching next year and I was just thinking about clothes. I was reading Unfancy but while her capsule wardrobe is lovely - it's mostly too casual for a work environment. I might give the capsule a go - also I will need to buy a raincoat!

Ashley said...

Awesome! Thanks for reading!

hajikhatri said...

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