Rule-breaking Chambray Dress

I mentioned on Monday that the striped dress I was wearing shrunk significantly after I dried it (even though the tag clearly stated it could be dried…grrr). Although I hadn’t planned on buying another dress for this capsule, I couldn’t pass up this chambray shirt-dress from Gap when I went there on Friday. It’s a good work-appropriate length, and as much as I wear my chambray shirt (ahem, all the time) I know it will become a go-to.

With this dress and the pants I wore on Tuesday, I’m deviating a little from the rules of “the capsule wardrobe.” I say that somewhat facetiously, because really, who makes the rules for these things anyway? I do appreciate what I’ve learned from the whole experience, but I’m not going to pass up a dress I know I’ll wear for years because of an arbitrary rule that says since I didn’t plan on buying these things, I shouldn’t. However, I can credit creating capsule wardrobes these past few seasons for developing a better understanding of what I like and what I’ll wear, so that I can be smarter about my purchasing.

Even before I started doing capsules I’ve always made a list and tried to stick to it when shopping. Do you plan your purchases and shop from a list, or do you wait to see what’s out there first? 

Chambray dress: Gap | necklace: c/o eNVe designs | sandals: Old Navy