My 25-Piece Neutral Summer 2021 Capsule Wardrobe

See how I mostly “shopped my closet” to create an all-neutral color capsule wardrobe, which includes tops, bottom and shoes, based on the Simplified Style®: Dressy & Casual Capsule Wardrobe. I created this capsule to experiment with all-neutral color outfit combinations for the Summer season.

For those of you that are readers of the Classy Yet Trendy blog, you know that I have been using a capsule wardrobe in my closet for several years. I absolutely love using a capsule wardrobe every season and know my favorite items that I enjoy wearing. By using a capsule wardrobe, I can get dressed quickly and easily knowing everything will coordinate. Since a capsule wardrobe is a small set of clothes and shoes, it is a minimal wardrobe. Joshua Becker, from becomingminimalist.com, says this about minimalism, “minimalism is intentionally living with only the things I really need—those items that support my purpose. I am removing the distraction of excess possessions so I can focus more on those things that matter most.” Using a capsule wardrobe lets you focus on more important things in your life and takes the stress away from getting dressed everyday.

In previous years, all the capsule wardrobes I created were ones with neutral plus accent color capsules, but never just neutral colors. The first all-neutral capsule I created was my Spring 2020 neutral capsule wardrobe. In the past, when I participated in the 10×10 Challenges, I used mostly all-neutrals and really enjoyed wearing them!

Being that I work at home on Classy Yet Trendy, I wear casual clothes like jeans, casual pants, shorts and casual tops. My job everyday consists of many duties: working at my desk, shuffling clothes and shoes from room to room, standing up and down creating flatlays for Instagram, taking photos, etc. so dress clothes, dresses or skirts aren’t feasible for my lifestyle.

I’ll be using this neutral Summer capsule wardrobe probably all the way through at least the end of September. Being that I live in Alabama, we have more warm months that cool and cold months and our Summers are typically our longest season.

I created my all-neutral capsule for my closet based on my eBook, the women’s Simplified Style®: The Dressy & Casual Collection – A Year-Round Core Closet Essentials Capsule Wardrobe. In my Simplified Style® eBook, there are 400+ outfit combinations for the entire year, capsule collections for all seasons, outfit calendars and more!

CLICK HERE to get your copy today!
Simplified Style®: The Dressy & Casual Collection

Why An All-Neutral Capsule Wardrobe?

There is just something about neutral colors that I myself love! I enjoy wearing clothes in a neutral color palette because they can mix and match so easy. Amy from fashionjackson.com is a top fashion blogger and she wears neutrals beautifully! Other fashion bloggers who wears neutrals are Hannah from Cocobeautea, Crystalin Marie from crystalinmarie.com, Anna from somethingwhite (Instagram) and Ewelina from ewelinakanty (Instagram).

You can use this same capsule wardrobe for your closet! From time to time, some readers will write to me asking, “Will I get tired of wearing neutral colors all the time?“, or “How can I add color to my neutral outfits?” Since neutral color basic essentials are the core items in your closet that we use in all our outfits, chances are you may not get tired of wearing them, but if you want to change things up a bit, you can add some color by adding colorful handbags and accessories, like jewelry and scarves! For more on this, see the blog post, “4 Ways To Add Color To Neutral Outfits“.

What Did I Buy For This All-Neutral Capsule Wardrobe?

Nothing! I mostly shopped my closet for everything in this capsule! I did buy this Anine Bing Vintage Bing Tee, Blue Striped Shirt, Beige Linen Shorts, black slide sandals and white slide sandals (Hermes designer dupes! – both on sale). The Grayson white short sleeve Artist linen shirt and Grayson Blue Shirt were gifted to me for being a Grayson Ambassador, but I love the brand and their shirts so I chose to include these shirts in my capsule! I have been wanting an Anine Bing tee and the Steve Madden slide sandals since last year, so I finally bought them! I have needed a blue striped shirt and a blue solid shirt in my closet and they are considered classic and timeless pieces.

How Did I Create This Neutral Capsule Wardrobe?

I created this neutral capsule wardrobe based on the capsule from my eBook, Simplified Style®: The Dressy & Casual Collection. I also followed the 4 steps in my blog post, How To Start A Capsule Wardrobe: An Easy 4-Step Visual Guide.

Here is my color palette for my capsule wardrobe…

I chose BLACK as my base color. I thought about using NAVY as my base color, but I enjoy wearing black a bit more. If you were to use this capsule for your closet, you could substitute the black shorts, black ankle pants, black tee and black split neck top for navy ones. As I was creating my capsule, I selected a few tops and bottoms in gray, white and beige. Since I included blue denim, which is a neutral, the blue tops and chambray shorts blend in with the capsule, so the blue isn’t a color, but works as a neutral. I included only 4 pairs of shoes, which are all sandals. They are my most favorite shoes that I enjoy wearing and are all super comfortable too!

What’s In My Neutral Capsule Wardrobe?

Here’s everything in my Summer 2021 All-Neutral Capsule Wardrobe…

Every time I create a capsule wardrobe, I select my tops first, I guess maybe out of habit, but you can start choosing your bottoms or shoes first! There are so many styles of tops, so selecting tops that are all unique is an important step. I almost always dress in solid, neutral bottoms in classic and timeless styles, so I included several of those. Then, I added just four pairs of shoes to complete my capsule. We have had lower than normal Summer temps with lots of rain, so I included a few pairs of long leg bottoms and a few long sleeve shirts (which I will I style by rolling up the sleeves). I omitted layers from my Summer capsule since the weather is warm where I live (in Alabama). I did include three long sleeve shirts, but two of them are cotton and one is a cotton/linen blend so they are breathable and with the sleeves rolled up they are light and airy.

Tops

I used only two tops with a pattern: the striped short sleeve tee and the blue striped button-down shirt. All the other pieces are in solid, neutral colors to easily mix and match which will create lots of outfits.

I used mostly core closet essentials, which are classic and timeless basics, to build my capsule wardrobe! I included just a few trending pieces in neutral colors according to my personal style. You can use similar pieces to mine OR you can “shop your closet” too, including your favorite neutral pieces in your capsule!

Left To Right:
(I noted the brand of my items in my capsule. I linked “similar” items if any of my exact ones are sold out)
Loft white flutter sleeveless top (similar)
Target Universal Thread white v-neck tee (exact)
Grayson white brushed cotton shirt (exact) (I wear size 03)
(use code “LEANNEBLACKMON” on Grayson.com for $25 off at checkout)
Grayson white short sleeve Artist linen shirt (exact) NEW at Grayson.com! (I sized down to a 02)
(use code “LEANNEBLACKMON” on Grayson.com for $25 off at checkout)
Gap beige tie front top (similar sleeveless style)
Halogen gray crewneck tee (exact)
Anine Bing Vintage Bing Tee (exact)
J. Crew black crewneck tee (exact)
Vince Camuto black split neck top (similar)
Boden striped short sleeve tee (exact)
Gap Factory blue striped button-down shirt (exact)
Grayson blue cotton shirt (exact) (I wear a size 03)
(use code “LEANNEBLACKMON” on Grayson.com for $25 off at checkout)
Madewell chambray short sleeve shirt (similar)

You may also like:

How To Create A Carry-On Capsule Wardrobe (Spring Edition) + Outfits
How To Create a Core Closet
How To Create a Classic Wardrobe
How To Dress Like a French Woman

Bottoms

I have 8 bottoms in this Summer Neutral Capsule, all are classic and timeless pieces. Even though they are all neutral colors, the color tones vary and include white, light beige, chambray, black and denim.

Left To Right:
Talbots black twill shorts (similar)
J. Crew white twill shorts (exact)
Karen Kane beige linen shorts (exact)
Talbots chambray shorts (similar)
Madewell denim raw hem shorts (exact)
AGOLDE blue slim straight jeans (exact)
Wit & Wisdom black ankle pants (similar)
Wit & Wisdom white ankle pants (exact)

Shoes

Left To Right:

Avarcas Pons Sandals in the “tan” color (exact)
Madewell Liane Woven Sandals in the “english saddle” color (exact)
Steve Madden black slide sandals (exact)
Steve Madden white slide sandals (exact)

Shop My Capsule Wardrobe:

I’ll be sharing the outfits I wear from this capsule on my Instagram @classyyettrendy!

Here is my neutral capsule wardrobe on a clothing rack with my YSL Lou Camera Bag in the “dark beige” color and the Madewell Packable Straw Hat.

A Bit Of Inspiration For Your Day:

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” – Isaiah 12:2