My Reluctancy and How It Has Totally Won Me Over!
So, I have to admit that when I heard of a capsule wardrobe a long time ago I didn’t understand what it was. There is a lot of inspiration to minimize one’s wardrobe lately, so I thought this was derivative, indicating a “40 piece” wardrobe in totality! I’m not quite that minimalistic. I didn’t think that was practical, especially as a "creative."
Just recently though, I realized that a capsule wardrobe is a curated set of clothing from your “whole” wardrobe for a specific season. Wow! Amazing huh? I have been trying to pare down my wardrobe for the past few years, replacing un-wore things with better-suited, more quality pieces. So, at this point I still didn’t think that I needed to create a “capsule” because hey, I loved all of my clothes!
However, I got the inspiration to pull one out last week and I love it so much I want to share it with you...
The C O N C E P T
A select number of clothes chosen for one season, or a 3 month period (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall).
The S P E C I F I C S
- # - I have 42 pieces in my Winter capsule wardrobe including tops, bottoms, dresses, shoes, and scarves. There is not a specific amount that you need but I’d recommend between 30-50. This, following the continuity rule, would provide more than enough outfits! Grabbing pieces from your other seasons when you like is totally not against the rules in my book. It depends what your main purpose is - minimalism or inspiration and making better use of your clothing.
This is the # of each category I have in my capsule:
- 12 Tops
- 2 Vests
- 6 Cardigans/ Jackets
- 4 Sweaters
- 4 Bottoms
- 4 Dresses/ Skirts
- 5 Scarves
- 5 Shoes
(There were pieces added after taking the above pictures, in case anybody's counting :) The final # is 42 though).
Not Included in the Capsule Wardrobe – Workout-wear, sleepwear, outerwear, casual clothing you wear at home
- Cohesiveness – Your pieces should have a similar style and color scheme so it is easy to coordinate and make multiple outfits! I follow my skin's color assessment for color (picture below). See here to find yours. 40 pieces goes a looong way with this concept. For me, it is important to have a variety of shapes and cuts of clothing which add pizazz to my wardrobe without the number of items!
- Seasonal – This is really up to you. Choose the clothes that you like for the season you are picking for which are also weather specific.
- Placement/ Inspiration – It is important to place the items chosen for your capsule together because this is the major inspiration factor! I chose an old ladder for mine that I had in my room already and left the rest of my wardrobe in my closet. However, if you live in a small space or don’t have the extra room, you could store clothes that are out of season and keep the capsule in your closet. If you have room in your closet simply separate this season from your other clothes. Hopefully minimizing will help you accomplish this!
- Minimalism– Choosing a capsule wardrobe as apart of an effort to minimize is your choice. If that appeals to you, here are some tips. Before choosing a capsule wardrobe, or throughout the year, clean out your closet of things that you don't wear, aren't in good shape, or just aren't you (shape, design, color). Keep what you love and fill the holes in your wardrobe by shopping for quality pieces that you love and are cohesive with your style and other clothes. After you have created a wardrobe that you love (at least for one season) and you are trying to cut down on shopping, I recommend committing to not shop until the last two weeks of each season for the next season. Also, hit unsubscribe from your fashion store emails or auto-direct them straight to a folder in your email and not your inbox! When it's time to shop you can see if there are any deals. The items you choose for a season can most definitely be apart of your other seasons capsules as well, hopefully a number of them are!
T I P S – If creatively putting outfits together in the morning, even with a capsule wardrobe, doesn’t come naturally to you, you could pick out several outfits ahead of time and take pictures of them for memory. Your friends may be a great asset as well. If you live locally, contact Rhoda at RIG and Co. for absolutely amazing advice on style. She will help you “shop your wardrobe,” give you recommendations on your size, shape, and hue, do a color analysis on you, and even go shopping with you. She’s amazing.
This is my color assessment (Warm Spring)
I’m Sold!
The major factor for me is that I can now see all of my clothes for this season together. Instead of staring into my closet full of every seasons clothing and colors and ending up choosing my same 2 favorites, I now have a TON of options. I needed to see the choices together for the creativity to spark. I may feel a bit more stylish now too. ;)
I am getting much better use out of my clothing this way and it seems very practical to me now. I plan to continue for each season.
I hope this inspired you! Let me know if you decide to create a capsule wardrobe too. I would love love to see pictures!
Are there any other topics you'd like to hear about lifestyle, faith or creativity?
Let me know below in the comments and I'll see what I can do!
See my post on minimalism here.
Thank-you so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed it.
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