H&M Try-On: 8 Pieces, 10 Looks

Happy Friday! We're packing up for our spring break trip and you know what makes packing for travel so much easier? A capsule wardrobe! Just a few pieces that combine to make lots of looks is exactly what you need when on the road, right? And I don't know about you, but considering I have to pack for myself, my kid, my dog, and stay on top of my hubby so he doesn't forget something, I need all the help I can get.

Last Friday I went to H&M to pick up a few more pieces for my capsule wardrobe wish list. I had my list handy before I went to keep me focused. (Necessary measures.) Building out your capsule wardrobe takes patience and intention, y'all! Sometimes even a little willpower. And a really good color palette to keep your choices in check and to max out your mix-and-match-abilities (click to see mine!).

I got six new pieces -- two sweaters, a pair of paper bag-waisted pants, a bag, a blouse, and a t-shirt -- and created ten different looks mixing the new with older pieces I already have. So why six if my post title says eight? That's because a couple of the pieces I got from H&M awhile back are still available, and totally relevant to our purposes here today!

**Be sure to check out today's IGTV episode all about these looks! (Click to watch now!) Dishing all the deets on how things fit, styling ideas, and why these pieces are so worthy of your time and your dime. The video is clearer than these pics, too -- sorry 'bout that! Not the best lighting when I had the chance to shoot all this but oh well, better done than perfect!

H&M SCOOP TEE ($10) // MADEWELL PANTS // TORTOISE EARRINGS

H&M SWEATER ($30) // MADEWELL PANTS // RANCHER HAT //

H&M PYTHON BAG ($25)

H&M SWEATER ($30) // H&M PAPER BAG PANTS ($18) // SANDALS

H&M SWEATER ($30) // H&M PAPER BAG PANTS ($18) // SANDALS

H&M SWEATER ($30) // H&M MOM JEANS ($30) // H&M PYTHON BAG ($25) // RANCHER HAT // SUNGLASSES ($10)

H&M LEOPARD BLOUSE ($15) // H&M MOM JEANS ($30) // MADEWELL SANDALS

H&M LEOPARD BLOUSE ($15) // H&M PAPER BAG PANTS ($18)

H&M SUNGLASSES ($10) // H&M LEOPARD BLOUSE ($15) // H&M MOM JEANS ($30)

H&M SWEATER ($30) // H&M MOM JEANS ($30) // LEOPARD MULES //

RANCHER HAT

H&M SCOOP NECK TEE ($10) // H&M PAPER BAG PANTS ($18) // RANCHER HAT

Last thing: why H&M? A few reasons. One, they do a phenomenal job recreating styles of high-priced designers for a budget-friendly price. I've had several people mistake an H&M piece of mine for a high-ticket dupe. It always feels SO good to tell someone it's actually a 'save' instead of a 'splurge' ya know?

Two, H&M makes quality pieces I've grown to love. Their jeans and sweaters give me LIFE! I've saved so much money buying their jeans and sweaters instead of shelling out for bigger brand names, and guess what? They last! Now, I can't say this about every piece I get from them, and I'm pretty skeptical about pretty much everything in their DIVIDED junior's line, but yeah. I keep going back because they've gained my trust.

The third and final reason is: building a capsule wardrobe is purposeful and useful but it can get expensive if you do it all at once! It's nice to have a solid fast fashion label to get you the look you want for the price you can afford. It's all about balance y'all. Selecting a few quality pieces from H&M for not a lot of money helps balance out the higher price tags from other retailers I shop like Madewell and Nordstrom.

If you haven't already, check out my IGTV try-on video to hear all my styling and sizing notes for the pieces in this post! I even poured some wine for the occasion and made it a parrrrtayyyy!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

xxBrooke