Winter 2023/24 Capsule Review

This is a photo heavy review of my Winter 2024 Capsule.  This season I bought a new cool red coat, bordering on red violet — I have had so much fun with it. I also purchased a pair of faux leather jeans and a lilac pink duster cardigan. 


 I experimented with black for the first time in years after being told I couldn’t wear it anymore. But I like dark moody colors so I thought I would give it a try again. Let me know what you think, if black is too dark for me or if I’ve made it work with the light additions.  

Photos 1 through 5 are my planned capsule pages which I enjoy putting together but I never follow it exactly. I keep doing capsules because I like to have a focused color palette for shopping and I’m looking for clues to why I wear some things and not others, what works and what doesn’t and generally I like doing the geeky analysis.  Plus it’s like playing with virtual paper dolls. I did 3 sub-capsules: casual for daily stuff, date casual, and athleisure although they do cross over into each other with some items. I made sure I had outerwear that worked well with most everything.

Photos 6 through 22 are some favorite outfits. 
Photo 11 is my version of gothic romance with a Devore blouse, purple velvet coat and a velvet bag.  Velvet overload!  
Photo 16 is what I wore at home on New Year’s Eve: wrap top, faux leather jeans, pewter boots and faux fur collar.  

Overall it’s worked very well and I plan on wearing these outfits through February. We’ve had such weird weather in North Carolina! Below 20 some days then 65 to 70.  I’m ready for Spring!  

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This post is also published in the youlookfab forum. You can read and reply to it in either place. All replies will appear in both places.

25 Comments

  • Angie replied 9 months ago

    Great to see you, Lana! Looking KILLER fab, and better than ever :) 

    Your silver inverted bobbed hair is GORGEOUS.

    To my eye, you wear black well when it's accented with light colours. I LOVE #14 and #17. 

    #16 with the scarf is a sensational way for you to wear black too! 

    #19 is another favourite - and we are boot twinsies! I wore those today, too.

    Please carry on!

  • Dee replied 9 months ago

    Love your colour palette, so many pretty combos filled with luxe colours and fabrics, you look glamorous and feminine.

  • Lana replied 9 months ago

    Angie those are my favorite boots! So comfortable and light. Thanks for your thoughts on the black.

    Dee thank you so much! I like both those words: glamorous and feminine. I wish I had more opportunities to dress up!

  • Helena replied 9 months ago

    you look terrific in all of these! So vibrant and pulled together. I think you wear black beautifully! Ok I have a bias as do love it, but with the contrast with your gorgeous hair, I think it looks really great on you.

  • Jaime replied 9 months ago

    Agree with Angie - #14 is one of my favorites, and the faux fur scarf is another great way to wear black. But the colorful outfits are great too. I love the pinks and reds especially. 

  • Suz replied 9 months ago

    Wow, amazing! Thank you for putting this together. I am in love with your combinations. The colours are gorgeous. New red/ violet coat is brilliant on you, and like Angie, I think you wear black well when it is mixed with light elements, especially that dramatic scarf in #14. Overall, that outfit gives an almost ombre effect, with your light/ bright hair and dark glasses followed by the dark top, dark/light scarf, the light pants, textured mid tone boots. It's fantastic on you! 

    Your wardrobe is so cohesive and appealing. And the outfits are feminine, and at times casual, at times dramatic, at times arty. 

    In love with your new backpack, by the way! 

    And I want to know how you make those paper doll pictures. Not that I will probably invest the time to do it myself, LOL. 

  • Indigoprint replied 9 months ago

    Who said you cannot wear black?
    So Fab. All your colors are spot on. I love the pink and burgundy along with the black...All Fab! Well done

  • rachylou replied 9 months ago

    My favourites are the plums (especially 11) and the blues and then the pinks. My favourite black is 14; I like the way the scarf bridges to the shoes.

  • Brooklyn replied 9 months ago

    Great to see you! Beautiful outfits! I love the gothic romance outfit in particular. And the duster cardigan is a great addition. I think you wear black very well. But I think colour tends to photograph better than black, so don’t get discouraged by comparing photos. YLF!

  • Lana replied 9 months ago

    Helena, thank you! The key must be adding some light too.

    Jaime and Rachylou thank you! I’m having a love affair with this red violet right now! #14 seems to work well with my hair.

    Thank you indigoprint, I know it’s not my best neutral, but sometimes it just feels good to wear it! I try to go for more charcoal than black if I can.

    Hi Suz, I should probably make #14 an outfit formula! I do the capsules on Pages on my iPad. The background removing function is outstanding, so it’s really pretty easy, especially when I have most of my clothes in Stylebook already. By the way, I saved some of your navy tulle skirt outfits as inspiration!

    Brooklyn, I was thinking about you when I put this outfit together, I knew you would love it! It has that dark romance that you look so good in.

  • Chris987 replied 9 months ago

    Wow, this is totally FAB! You mix and match YOUR colors and silhouettes so well! I think black is terrific on you, but agree with others that it's best when something light is added to the outfit. I also love the way your "paper dolls" method gives you a very clear wardrobe for a given season. It sounds like you used StyleBook and Ipad Pages to put that together ... off to research. If I get anywhere I'll report back. I have always adored paper dolls or anything vaguely reminiscent of them :-) 

  • RobinF replied 9 months ago

    I love the pinks and plums on you the most. I agree that the black works too, especially with other light pieces. I also have some new black faux leather jeans but haven't worn them yet because I can't decide what length to hem them!

  • Star replied 9 months ago

    I love the drama of these outfits.  Pinks and blues seriously love you.

  • replied 9 months ago

    Looove #11 and 13 especially and That Floral Bag!!
    You're inspiring me to work on my own capsules!

  • KMM replied 9 months ago

    This is so inspiring! We have a very similar color palette, though I have trouble finding the red/violet/berry shade in retail that's so well represented in your wardrobe.  I wish I had more of it myself.  Absolutely gorgeous on you. 

  • Suz replied 9 months ago

    Thanks for explaining that, Lana. Maybe someday I will invest some time and figure it out! 

  • Cardiff girl replied 9 months ago

    You look smashing,l think youhave really figured out what colours suit you and it shows,black looks great on you.l think it does on all silver haired people.

  • Roberta replied 9 months ago

    Perfection, no notes!

    I particularly like the scarves worn long. I tend to wear my scarves up around my throat, and you have shown me a New Way. And the pewter boots are soooo good. I will keep an eye out for resale pair for ME.

  • Lana replied 9 months ago

    Chris, thank you, I hope you have fun with the digital paper dolls!
    Robin, I wasn’t sure I would ever wear these faux leather ones, but they are fun for a change.  

    Thank you Suntiger and Star!
    KMM,  I agree the berry colors are so hard to source, so I snatched up this coat as soon as I saw it.  
    Thank you Cardiffgirl!
    Roberta,
    thank you!  I got those boots on Poshmark and they are super comfortable Kenneth Cole Reaction “Salt” Chelsea boot. Last time I looked there was a size 7 1/2 available.  I love the flow of the long scarf, for movement and for elongating.  

  • SarahD8 replied 9 months ago

    Wow, this is super fantastic! I looooove the paper dolls, but also this is one of those rare cases when the actual outfits look even better than the paper doll layouts. I feel like so often capsule wardrobes look so soothing and impressive on paper but then the outfits kinda underwhelm...yet yours are even more impressive. You are really masterful at balancing dark and light, neutral and color. I am taking notes!

  • Zaeobi replied 9 months ago

    Agree with @SarahD8 - such great interplay between textures, contrast levels & colours.

    What colour are your eyes, Lana? A little difficult to tell with the glasses, but I suspect the way they play against your hair contributes too :)

  • Sal replied 9 months ago

    You look terrific. Chic modern fun! Love the remixing too. A wonderful capsule.

  • Lana replied 9 months ago

    Sarah thank you! That is so true though, many times they don’t work in real life. I refuse to have an all neutral capsule.

    Zaeobi, my eyes are brown but have lightened some over the years. I’m not sure why that happens!

    Thank you Sal!

  • Carol replied 9 months ago

    First, I love the colors of the capsule because they seem like they would work with my coloring as well as yours--a variety of people.

    Second, it all looks put together and great!

    And third, I confess I'm not really into "artistic" clothing--probably because I grew up in a town that was rampant with that kind of clothes, sold in galleries.  So stuff like the scarf in 10, or the shirt in 11. You really wear these items, as opposed to them wearing YOU.  (I guess what I'm saying is, I like these items, on you.) 

  • ANewMindset replied 9 months ago

    Wow! Talk about inspiration!! I love these outfits! You look great!!!

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