To make a capsule wardrobe, divide your clothes into groups by season; then remove all clothing except the current season. Next, divide your clothing into categories; pants, tops/shirts, skirts/dresses, sweaters/jackets. Choose ten items from each category and remove the rest. You now have a core wardrobe that is concise and easy to manage.
The capsule does not include pajamas, athletic wear, or under-clothing, shoes, or accessories.
Okay, so that was a short synopsis of how to build a capsule wardrobe. Let’s do a deep dive and get a little more detailed.
Post mudslide (see my story), realizing that clothing and clothing management are a huge cause of active, daily clutter (see The Five Active Causes of Clutter), I started looking for ways to reduce my clothing and make managing my closet and laundry easier.
Capsule wardrobes turned up loud and clear as a remedy.
I’ve never been a fashionista, or paid too much attention to my wardrobe, since having kids. I know mothers can relate! I do have vague memories, however, of shopping for clothes during my lunch hour in my twenties. Oh yes, when life was just about me!
Now, I am a person who only pays attention to my wardrobe when I have a social activity. That’s me. There are plenty of different types of people with different priorities.
After researching for this article, though, and listening to other women’s points of view on this subject, I do feel like it might be fun to start to pay attention to my capsule wardrobe and even build on it.
One young woman on Youtube, Keltie O’Connor, said she likes to look at her closet like art. I love that. I never thought about getting the closet to look pretty!
Hopefully, you’ll be inspired by my discoveries too. Of course, when making your capsule wardrobe, you’ll take into consideration your lifestyle and preferences.
WHAT IS A CAPSULE WARDROBE?
A CAPSULE WARDROBE IS:
- A collection of core clothing pieces like pants, shirts/tops, skirts/dresses, and sweaters/jackets;
- Usually contains a finite number, maybe 30-40 pieces;
- Should fit well;
- Should coordinate together, or be mix and match;
- Should be items that you love or, at least, like and currently wear; and
- Be seasonal
A CAPSULE WARDROBE CAN ALSO BE:
- Fashionable
- Timeless
- Quality (over quantity)
- Organized by color or brand
- Made up of ethical brands
- For a specific purpose, like for work
Why should I make a capsule wardrobe?
EASE OF CLOTHING MANAGEMENT:
- Easier to wash/dry/put-away clothing;
This is a no-brainer. The less clothing you have to manage, the easier it will be. Since clothing is such a huge part of our daily and weekly workload, it is certainly in our best interest to create a capsule wardrobe.
- Your closet will stay more organized;
Yes, your closet will be easier to manage as well. We all know how the closet can end up looking overwhelming in between washing sessions.
- Easier to get dressed;
It should be easier to get dressed because, if you have all of your pieces mix and match, then they will be easier to coordinate.
- Get ready faster;
It should take you less time to get dressed because you’ll be able to see everything better and there will be less clothing items to choose.
- Enjoy your wardrobe more;
You might enjoy your wardrobe more because you have chosen just the items that you really like. If you fill out your capsule wardrobe intentionally, meaning you’re paying attention to it and spending the time to have clothes that you really like.
- You’ll actually wear everything;
The theory here is that if you only choose the clothes that you love, then you’ll be more likely to wear everything that is in your capsule.
- Helps you define your style or refine your style;
By focusing on your capsule wardrobe, you are creating a more intentional clothing plan. This gives you the opportunity to notice what types of clothing that you are drawn to define your style. Taking the time and attention can also help you decide to redefine or refine your style.
- Helps you see what pieces you need to buy;
Again, paying attention to the whole picture, the capsule, can help you fill in the gaps and decide what clothing pieces you need to buy.
- Shop less often;
You’ll shop less often because you will intentionally own less by having a more curated wardrobe.
- Helps you to spend less money on clothing;
You can save money by only buying the clothing that you need, versus picking up whatever is on sale or randomly buying clothing.
- Great for work environments;
Make a special section just for work clothes.
- Reduces mental load;
Reduces your stress over what to wear and worry about managing too many clothes.
KIDS: If you have young kids, a capsule wardrobe is a great idea for them. It can help you keep track of their wardrobe and gives you a seasonal plan to manage their clothing, especially since young kids grow out of their clothes so fast.
HOW TO START YOUR CAPSULE WARDROBE
FIRST, SORT THE CLOTHES IN YOUR CLOSET INTO THESE CATEGORIES – MAKE SEPARATE PILES –
- The clothes you LOVE – Make a pile of clothes you absolutely love (or like a lot).
- SEASONAL– Take out any clothes that are out of season and store them somewhere else.
- DON’T FIT RIGHT/UNCOMFORTABLE/NOT SURE– if it’s tight, consider storing away from the closet until you lose those few pounds.
- NON-CLOTHING ITEMS – Remove all non-clothing items from the closet and store somewhere else. This is a must! Only clothes go into the closet!
WHAT’S LEFT?
- Count your what’s left:
- How many pants?
- Shirts/sweaters?
- Skirts/dresses?
- Jackets?
- THE CAPSULE DOES NOT INCLUDE: athletic wear, under-clothing, shoes, or accessories.
CHOOSE TEN OF ITEMS FROM EACH CATEGORY
- Choose the clothing that you love, like, and wear.
Take stock of your lifestyle and choose items that are most well-suited to your lifestyle:
- Casual – t-shirts, jeans, leggings, etc.
- Dressy – skirts and dresses, etc.
- Office – Any separate office wear that you may have
- Work clothes – Any work uniforms
MOVE THE REST OF THE CLOTHES OUT OF YOUR CLOSET;
- If it’s uncomfortable, consider purging it.
- If you’re NOT SURE, consider purging it.
- NON CLOTHING ITEMS– remove all non-clothing items. Only keep clothing in your closet.
- Move off-season items out of the closet
- Move clothes that you’re not sure about out of the closet
Decide what you want to do with the remaining clothing:
- Give away items that you don’t want any longer;
- Donate to your favorite charity;
- Sell online
Store out-of-season and tight clothing:
- In a suitcase
- In a drawer away from the closet area
- Under the bed
RETURN THE REMAINING CLOTHES TO YOUR CLOSET
- This should consist of 40 items or less from all four categories.
- Separate clothing by type – pants – shirts – dresses
- You can further separate by type – work – casual – dressy
- Organize your clothes in a manner that works best for you!
mAKE A LIST OF YOUR CAPSULE OR TAKE PHOTOS
- Keep a list or a group of photos so that you know what you have in your wardrobe.
- Shop for items that you are missing;
- Look at your calendar to see what activities are coming up within the season;
- Plan for clothes that you will need and go shopping ahead of time. This will keep stress down to a minimum and make shopping more pleasant.
THIS IS YOUR CAPSULE WARDROBE
- Try out your new wardrobe;
- Take note of how it is working for dressing, keeping the closet and drawers tidy, and ease of doing laundry.
- Take pride in your hard work and enjoy your new capsule wardrobe lifestyle!
CLOSET STORAGE IDEAS:
- KEY RULE: Keep all of your clothing centralized inside one closet. Install drawers for underwear, socks, pajamas, and sportswear.
- You can buy portable drawers to go inside your existing closet.
- Store a chest of drawers inside the closet
- Store a chest of drawers close to the closet
- Have a laundry hamper inside your closet or close to your closet.
- Store some of your shoes in shoe boxes (for shoes only worn occasionally)
- Store daily shoes in your entry closet if possible to keep your closet clean.
comments and input:
I’m happy to hear how this method worked for you. If you have any ideas that you would like to share, comments, or questions, I would love to hear from you!