So, when my good friend Karla posted this on her Facebook wall, I was immediately intrigued, especially since I've been reading a lot about minimalism, and this seemed to fit in perfectly with the "less is more" lifestyle.
If you've never heard of a capsule wardrobe, you probably have some basic questions, which I will try to answer, but all of my information came from these incredibly addicting blogs:
un-fancy.com
into-mind.com
lightbycoco.com
Let's start with the most basic question. What is a capsule wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is comprised of 30-40 pieces of clothing (including shoes and purses) that change with each new season. Any extras should be boxed up/put away until it's time to pick next season's pieces. You'd be surprised to discover how many different combinations you can create with so little clothing.
What?! Why would anybody want to do that?
Lot's of reasons, actually:
- Less money spent on clothing
- More closet space
- Helps you develop your own personal style
- Forces you to purge items that aren't being used
- Encourages you to use old items in new ways
- Less time spent choosing what to wear
- Focuses on quality over quantity
- Forces you to analyze your spending habits
- Inspires creativity
Okay, I'm interested. How do I start?
- Think about your personal style and your everyday style needs.
- Decide on a look that will work with your lifestyle. For example, are you a stay-at-home-mom? An athlete? Do you work in a corporate setting? (into-mind has worksheets that will help you with this step)
- Choose a color palette for your capsule wardrobe. This will help to ensure that you can make many different outfit combinations using your limited pieces.
- Go through your current wardrobe. Choose 37-40 pieces that will fit your personal style and chosen color palette for the current season. Box everything else up or donate what you know you won't wear.
- Decide if you want your pieces to include shoes, purses, and other accessories.
- Make sure that you choose a variety of different pieces (ie shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, skirts) so you will be prepared for any event that may come up.
- Have fun creating different looks with your limited wardrobe. Again, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to get dressed and create a variety of different looks with only 37 pieces.
- NO SHOPPING until it's time to create next season's capsule wardrobe.
- When it is time to plan your next CW, take the time to think about what you truly need to enhance your limited wardrobe. Change your mindset to value quality over quantity. You will be spending less on clothing overall because you won't be shopping as often, so spurge on items that you know will last. For example, if you find yourself wearing black flats everyday, spend a little more on a pair that will be able to handle lots of wear.
- Enjoy the extra time on your hands and the extra money in your pocket!
One of the main reasons I decided to create a CW is to get out of my "sweat pant rut". It's so easy to just throw on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt when you know you'll be crawling after a baby all day, but I have a lot of nice clothes that were just sitting in my closet, and most of them are just as comfortable as sweat pants, but look a whole lot nicer.
I also wanted to train myself to focus on quality rather than quantity. My mindset tends to be "more is always better", but I found myself buying lots of things on sale and then giving them away two months later because I bought them without thinking about how they would fit into my current wardrobe and lifestyle. So, even if something was on super-sale, it still ended up being a waste of money.
Creating the capsule wardrobe really helped me to define my style, which I've never really thought about before now. After going through my clothes, I realized that I am drawn to plain, classic items (think J Crew T-shirts and Ralph Lauren button-ups) as well as things with fun details, such as ruffles, bows, and zippers. These two styles seem like polar opposites, but actually work quite well together. For example, my plain white button up from the Gap would be pretty boring if I paired it with my flat-front khaki shorts, but when I wear it with my denim shorts with the zippered sides, it makes the outfit much more interesting and multi-dimensional.
Even though I had a closet full of clothes, I was constantly reaching for the same items, so I was basically already working with a CW without even realizing it. It felt really good to weed through clothes I haven't worn for months/years and be left with only the essentials. Once I got rid of things I knew I wouldn't wear or no longer fit, it was much easier to choose my 37 summer pieces. In fact, I was surprised to find that I was stuck at 33 items until I realized that I hadn't included skirts/shorts.
Since I started this process a few days ago, I have worn "real" clothes everyday, even if all I do is take Rory to the park. I'm still comfortable, and I feel much more productive and confident. Even the barista at Starbucks noticed my new wardrobe. (She's basically my BFF.)
I will make sure to post a list of my 37 items and give you updates along the way. My next step is to pare down Rory's wardrobe. Not even Prince George needs 30 different onesies.
I also wanted to train myself to focus on quality rather than quantity. My mindset tends to be "more is always better", but I found myself buying lots of things on sale and then giving them away two months later because I bought them without thinking about how they would fit into my current wardrobe and lifestyle. So, even if something was on super-sale, it still ended up being a waste of money.
Creating the capsule wardrobe really helped me to define my style, which I've never really thought about before now. After going through my clothes, I realized that I am drawn to plain, classic items (think J Crew T-shirts and Ralph Lauren button-ups) as well as things with fun details, such as ruffles, bows, and zippers. These two styles seem like polar opposites, but actually work quite well together. For example, my plain white button up from the Gap would be pretty boring if I paired it with my flat-front khaki shorts, but when I wear it with my denim shorts with the zippered sides, it makes the outfit much more interesting and multi-dimensional.
Even though I had a closet full of clothes, I was constantly reaching for the same items, so I was basically already working with a CW without even realizing it. It felt really good to weed through clothes I haven't worn for months/years and be left with only the essentials. Once I got rid of things I knew I wouldn't wear or no longer fit, it was much easier to choose my 37 summer pieces. In fact, I was surprised to find that I was stuck at 33 items until I realized that I hadn't included skirts/shorts.
Since I started this process a few days ago, I have worn "real" clothes everyday, even if all I do is take Rory to the park. I'm still comfortable, and I feel much more productive and confident. Even the barista at Starbucks noticed my new wardrobe. (She's basically my BFF.)
I will make sure to post a list of my 37 items and give you updates along the way. My next step is to pare down Rory's wardrobe. Not even Prince George needs 30 different onesies.
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