I have been working on this post for a long time. The first requests for the topic came in my July “what do you want to see styled next?” prompt. Then even more came in with the upcoming school year that has already started for some. It took a little longer to pull together, so thank you for being patient with me! My capsule wardrobes for work in the past have been geared toward business casual and are a little more dressed up. Today, I’m focusing on the group that has been left out, with a casual dress code. The great thing about this capsule is you can wear these outfits on the weekend too.
I love capsule wardrobes because they always challenge me, it proves that you can take a handful of basics, and create endless outfits. You don’t need a full closet to have a full wardrobe! The capsule concept is even easier to follow in the fall when layering comes into play. I chose basic t-shirts and tops and picked a couple of sweaters, and button-down tops to add as toppers.
My Sizing: I’m 4’10” and around 105lbs.
13 Items 30+ Outfits
Black Jeans
I chose my favorite pair of jeans to wear to work – the black jeggings from AE. These are lower in rise, so they’re comfortable to sit in at a desk for hours! I find them to run a little small and always size up to a 0 X-Short. If you can’t wear black jeans to work, I recommend this pair of black pants from J.Crew. Another option that fits well is this really comfortable pair from Express. They’re stretchy and legging-like, so you may not want to choose them if you want to tuck your tops in.
Dark Skinny Jeans
I chose this pair of dark skinny jeans from LOFT for the full length and the color. This is just a personal opinion, but I prefer a full-length pair of pants with mules and I wore mules with many of these outfits. This pair is pretty high-rise and a little snug, so I would recommend sizing up. Another great option for dark skinny jeans is these jeans from J.Crew and these from AE.
White T-Shirt and Black T-Shirt
I chose a basic white and black t-shirt because they’re great for layering and great on their own. My favorite t-shirts are from the A New Day line at Target. These run true to size and I wear them in XS.
Ruffled T-Shirt
I also grabbed this ruffled t-shirt from Target. It’s currently low in stock online, but you may have some luck in-store, which is where I found mine! I love that the ruffles give the top a little something extra worn on its own, but it also layers well. It runs true to size and I wear it in XS.
Ruffled Blouse
I think every work wardrobe needs at least one nice blouse. I have been wearing this one recently dressed up and down! It runs true to size. At LOFT my typical size is Petite XXS.
Cheetah Print Sweater
Talk about versatility! The print on this top looks great with just about everything, so it was easy to decide to include it. I’ve styled it before on the blog in this post and this post. It runs small, I chose to size up to an XS in it for more room.
Olive Top and Chambray Top
I like to use button-down tops as toppers because they can also be worn on their own! They’re also a light layer that’s comfortable to wear in the fall. I’m wearing both tops in XS and they have an oversized fit.
Tan Sweater Blazer and Black Sweater Blazer
I included two styles of sweater blazers. The tan one from J.Crew Factory is dressier and the black one from J.Crew is relaxed. I think the outfits would look great if you wanted to use the more affordable J.Crew Factory sweater blazer in black instead of the J.Crew version. I also think a simple black cardigan would look great as well.
Tan Cardigan and Burgundy Cardigan
Cozy cardigans are always in my fall wardrobe. I even wear them now because I find the A/C to be cold indoors. I chose a neutral-colored one as well as a burgundy one. The neutral one from Target is true to size in XS (a little long in the sleeves) and also comes in burgundy if you want to use that one in place of the LOFT burgundy version. The LOFT cardigan is longer and thinner and I wear it in XXS.
Shoes
I chose to keep it simple with only flat shoes because heels just aren’t an option for some people who work on their feet all day. I chose a pair of mules in both black and nude, this is a similar pair if your size is sold out in my exact pair. I also chose a pair of flats in both black and tan. The mules run 1/2 small. The flats also run small, but I still wear them in my typical size. You may want to size up 1/2 size. I don’t think you need all four shoes to create this capsule, I just like to show ideas. I say pick your favorite style and go for black and nude or tan to give you some variety. I also included a pair of leopard flats!
Accessories
I’m a big fan of keeping accessories simple and something you can wear daily. I have a few gold pieces from Kendra Scott I wear all of the time. It’s fun to mix things up with color from time to time, but for me, simple is just fine and still gives an outfit a little extra. I wear these earrings, this necklace layered with this necklace and this bracelet very often.
30+ Outfits
Ruffled T-Shirt XS | Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | Ruffled Blouse Petite XXS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Ruffled T-Shirt XS | Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | Tan Sweater Blazer Petite XXS | Leopard flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Ruffled T-Shirt XS | Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | Ruffled Blouse Petite XXS | Tan Cardigan XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Ruffled Blouse Petite XXS | Flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Black T-Shirt XS | Leopard flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Ruffled Blouse Petite XXS | Burgundy Cardigan XXS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Black T-Shirt XS | Burgundy Cardigan XXS | Flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Cheetah Print Sweater XS | Chambray Top XS | Flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Chambray Top XS | Tan Sweater Blazer Petite XXS | Leopard flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Cheetah Print Sweater XS | Olive Top XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Black T-Shirt XS | Tan Cardigan XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Chambray Top XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Cheetah Print Sweater XS | Tan Sweater Blazer Petite XXS | Flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Black T-Shirt XS | Chambray Top XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Cheetah Print Sweater XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | Cheetah Print Sweater XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | Cheetah Print Sweater XS | Tan Sweater Blazer Petite XXS | Mules Size up 1/2 size
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | Cheetah Print Sweater XS | Black Sweater Blazer XXS | Flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Olive Top XS | Leopard flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Olive Top XS | Black Sweater Blazer XXS | Leopard flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Black T-Shirt XS | Olive Top XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Ruffled Blouse Petite XXS | Black Sweater Blazer XXS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
White T-Shirt XS | Black Jeans 0 X-Short | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | White T-Shirt XS | Tan Sweater Blazer Petite XXS | Leopard flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Black Jeans 0 X-Short | White T-Shirt XS | Chambray Top XS | Leopard flats size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | White T-Shirt XS | Olive Top XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | White T-Shirt XS | Burgundy Cardigan XXS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Dark Skinny Jeans Petite 24 (size up) | White T-Shirt XS | Mules Size up 1/2 size | Earrings | Necklace | Necklace | Bracelet
Need More Workwear Inspiration?
If you would like to see other work capsule wardrobes, check out this post and this post. In this post, you’ll find a few petite-friendly pants for work as well as this post if your workplace is on the casual side. This post has a few ideas for teachers and if you love to wear dresses to work, you may like this post.
