The denim on denim look has been around for a while. It’s been my fall-back outfit for a few years now. In fact, that shirt you’re looking at is 4 years old. I’ve worn it so much that when fall came around this year I thought I might be done with it. I *almost* left my chambray shirt out of my fall capsule wardrobe.
But I threw it back in at the last possible second. And I’m glad I did — when I added the booties and the floppy felt hat, the denim on denim look felt updated and a little edgy.
And also! I just have to keep giving love to my oober talented friend Becky for the insane job she did on my new blog header. Send some kindness her way if you get a chance.
I wore the denim on denim look for the FIRST time about a week ago. I paired my medium washed chambray with my dark wash chambray pencil skirt, nude pointed toe kitten heels, and a chunky pearl choker. The best part … I was comfortable! ;)
I love the denim on denim look! As a Texan, it’s so universal around here and I love finding creative ways to rock it.
I love my chambray! Such a versatile piece, I can see why you couldn’t leave it out of your capsule. Good point on being able to dress it up – that’s something I really hadn’t thought of. I typically wear mine in a super casual way, with really dark or black jeans, and flats or booties. I got a new one from Madewell this year because I didn’t really have a perfect version of it, and I really love it!
I actually did a denim on denim post a couple days ago and I’m basically wearing the same colour jeans and shirt as you are. {Plus a sweater, it’s cold here! Here’s a link to the post: http://www.katberries.com/2014/10/outfit-6-double-denim.html}
I think with double denim you have to be a little careful – you can’t have two pieces of very similar shade because then it looks like you’ve tried matching it, and that’s not a good look.
I think my main rule about denim on denim is to wear solid colour{ish} contrasting pieces. Here, you’re wearing blue and blue, and it works because there’s no crazy wash or pattern and the two blues are in contrast.
This may sound crazy..but I still have not had the guts to rock denim on denim. I love the look that seems to be common right now but I always wonder if I can pull it off, so any time I pull out a chambray shirt to wear I always reach for black or colored jeans instead of blue. But your beautiful outfit above is making think I just need to go for it!
Oh me too! My high school self had that rule drilled into me – no jean jacket + jeans so now I’m afraid :D But it looks good when they’re different colors, for sure.
Me too! Totally afraid of denim on denim. I think it stems from jr high when this girl wore black jeans all the time & also black shirts (hey, it was the 90s. There was a lot of angst.) & her blacks didn’t match, & my friend & I were all “ewwwwwww” while breaking out our plaid shirts & acid wash. Lol!!
That’s so interesting to hear you almost left out this chambray shirt! Caroline, it’s so helpful and cool to hear about your process and what you decide to add it, what you hem and haw over and what you leave out. I’ve been working on my capsule wardrobe this month ever since I discovered unfancy and I’m almost there, but there are a few items I’m hemming and hawing over. Most of the time I wear double denim with black jeans and a denim top. Sometimes I’ll do the blue on blue, like over the summer I mixed a nicer looking chambray shirt with some cut-off jean shorts. I liked the contrast of “fancy” top and “unfancy” bottoms.
I always wonder about hat protocol for dinners, so I tend not to wear them out to dinner or dinner parties unless outdoor dining is part of the plan.
Yeah see, I love hats but I feel like I just can’t pull them off! I envy all the women who effortlessly rock fall hats
Well, hats I do. :-) It’s wearing them to dinner that makes me nervous. I turned to Emily Post and even she doesn’t have a clear answer!:
However, white pants are now okay after Labor Day and I imagine that Caroline, if anyone, can convince us all that hats at dinner are cool. :-)
I love and wear my chambray shirts so much I regularly wear holes in the elbows and have to keep replacing them. I’m impressed yours has lasted you four years of continual wear, and I’m also kind of jealous!
I got myself a maternity chambray shirt to replace my most recent busted one and one of my favorite outfits out of my current fall capsule is pairing it with dark denim skinny jeans and leopard pumps. I love that it’s taking an outfit that’s traditionally kind of western and country and making it a bit more edgy and urban with the addition of the leopard.
I also just sent you an email with my formal application to guest blog. It’s a really great idea to include guest bloggers next season, and I’m so excited to see who you choose and everyone’s unique style working with such small wardrobes.
Also funny story…I met a sweet gal this weekend and we were doing intros. She was telling me about her craft,”…mostly illustrations, drawings and doodles, blog headers, etc…” To which I replied “Did you do Unfancy?!?!”
It was actually Unfancy that inspired me to try denim-on-denim! I normally wear this color combination with Converse opposed to heels, especially since a student like me would be tripping all over the place otherwise! Also, I just listened to your interview on The Lively Show, and enjoyed hearing more about how Unfancy came to be. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Love love love your blog. Found it through someone else but can really relate to my mommy lifestyle. Denim on denim is one of my favorite pairing and you do it well!
Absolutely love the combination. For quiet a long time I always said that denim on denim was an absolute no-go. I’ve grown to love it so much over the past two years and there’s always so many lovely ways ti mix it up.
I love the idea, but I have a few questions. These ‘seasons’ I presume change every year, correct me if I’m wrong please, I’m just trying to understand. So next summer, what do you do with clothes from the previous season? Do you simply throw it out? I notice I do find myself changing styles from year to year but sometimes I do really like an item and keep it for a while longer, especially if it’s pricey and great quality. If the season does change from year to year, is that why? Because most of us retire our clothes yearly anyway?
My second question is regarding night clothes and special occasions. How do you go about that with sleeping attire? Also, what should you purchase for swimwear? Only one swimsuit or two, is there a limit w/the capsule wardrobe? Should we bump it up to 30, just to have those two special occasion dresses you wear for weddings or funerals? I noticed you link the book in one of your posts and I’d like to read it some time, but right now for this full time school and working girl, I can only dream of reading anything else but school work.
I think I read where Caroline is planning on keeping the bulk of each capsule next year but maybe changing out 6 – 8 pieces to freshen up each one. I also think I read that stuff like workout clothes and pj’s don’t count for capsule. Check out the pictures of her capsules…I believe I saw her fancy going-out dress in one of them. You need to verify what I “think,” but somehow that’s what I think, LOL.