Friday 27 July 2012

Book review "15 to 50" capsule wardrobe

While waiting for the Olympics opening ceremony I thought I'd do my book review of the "15 to 50" book which really is meant for professional stylists. To tell you the truth it isn't even a book. It's 15 laminated sheets and one not laminated. You're supposed to show your client the plastic covered sheets, accompanied by an explanation. The last paper sheet gives a few keywords to help you explain things - and if you've read other style books that's also all you need to understand.

 













































The purpose of the "book" is to explain what a capsule wardrobe is, and how it works. The photos show how just 15 items (accessories not included) can be mixed into 50 different outfits. There are examples of day to evening outfits, same item dressed up or down and why it's important that you have more tops than bottoms. It also emphasizes how vital lots of accessories are to a capsule wardrobe.




















































On the paper sheet everything is shortly explained. Suggestions for other colour combinations are given and a list of the accessories used in the photos.


























This is all very No-nonsense, just as I like it! Words have been used economically and the photos are of a great quality. Authors are Aston + Hayes image consultants (London, UK).



What I learned from this book is that for a capsule as small as this getting the colours absolutely spot on right is crucial. Also, when there's only fifteen items to choose from everything has to fit perfectly, and with the frequent use, poor quality will soon show. On the other hand, if you only have 15 items in your closet you can probably afford to pay a bit extra!


Looking at the photos I'm impressed with the result, turning 15 items into 50 outfits - amazing! The way the "book" is presenting it, and explaining the theory is almost purely visual. Lots of other books pay far too little attention to the pictures and have way too many complicated explanations. For me this is absolutely perfect!


Have a great weekend everyone!

11 comments:

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    1. I've had to say that before I saw this I hadn't quite understood the capsule concept truly. It is a great idea, but can a colour lover live with wearing just three neutrals and one bright accent?

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  2. Are you going to set out and create your capsule? It seems like a lot of work to me but I might just not fully understand it all. I enjoy seeing what others do with their capsules though. Good luck!!

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    1. First of all my closet space is extremely limited. And second, I've misunderstood the concept from the beginning so I've collected all sorts of blue colours for the blue capsule, all sorts of green etc. This way I've ended up with quite a lot of "orphans" that go with nothing. Had I had room enough it wouldn't be such a problem, but it is now. So I'm going to give it a serious try!

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  4. After the 6 item challenge, I almost believe I could get it down to 15 pieces, except for seasonal changes in the weather.

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    1. I was thinking about you when I read it - but it may be too drastic so maybe three or four of these capsules is an idea? That's what I have in mind for myself.

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  5. It sound like a great idea and a great challenge! Indeed I think it is worth striving for, although I think I would cheat a lot, since I really like to shop...

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    1. Thank you Anna! With my very small closet I'm already challenged, so if I can pull it off and "boil down" my clothes collection everything could hang nicely and I wouldn't waist valuable space on closet orphans. But I'll let (and everyone else) know how it turns out! Are you back from holiday or are you still touring the wilderness of the Alps?

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  6. I am sure it is possible and that you can do it, so I look forward to follow your journey. I have spent a lot of time in my couch (watching Swedes fail so far in the Olympics), sales, and around a small lake (5 km) in my city the last week, but there are still several outfit photos from our journey to be shown on the blog. It is such a luxury for me to have some photos in store, as it during workweeks are so hard to find a time and a nice place to take the photos. One more week of vacation and then it is back to reality. Hope you enjoy your break too!

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    1. Thank you so much Anna! Denmark hasn't got any medals either - and I'm lying on the couch too! I've only done online shopping the last couple of weeks since my daughter is home with a nasty cough. I hope she's over it by Wednesday were we're having a family picnic and visiting a funfair (imagine me in a roller coaster=blog photos!). So I'm relaxing as much as possible!

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