If you’re interested in minimalism or sustainable fashion, you’ve most likely heard of a capsule wardrobe. Rather than having a closet full of clothes that you hardly ever wear, a capsule wardrobe involves picking out a few staple pieces that are versatile enough to make several different outfits.
Although a capsule wardrobe isn’t for everyone, it works well for people who want to make their closet more organized and sustainable. This article will explain what a capsule wardrobe is and give you advice on how to start your own.
What Is A Capsule Wardrobe?
As I mentioned above, a capsule wardrobe is a way of organizing your closet so that its less cluttered and more functional. While some people may have tons of clothes that are hard to pair together, this system focuses on simplifying your closet and choosing pieces that you can easily make cohesive outfits from.
There’s no set number of items you have to have in your closet for it to qualify as a capsule wardrobe, but most of the information I’ve read suggests that you attempt to stay under forty items of clothing, accessories, and shoes.
Even though this may seem difficult, you can switch out some of the clothes throughout the year to better suit the weather as seasons change. For example, I keep my shorts and t-shirts on the top shelf of my closet during winter (while they are stored I don’t include them in the “total number” of clothes) and bring them back down when it starts to get warm again.
What To Do Before Buying More Clothes
Because capsule wardrobes are made up of easy to pair pieces, you may end up having to buy more clothes depending on what you already own (although the goal is obviously for it to be comprised primarily of items already in your closet).
Before you buy new clothes the first step is to clean out your current wardrobe. Go through everything in your closet and make piles of clothes you think can be used in your capsule wardrobe, items you want to donate, and items that need to be thrown away or repurposed. While it may be hard to let go of clothes, try to only keep the pieces you know that you’ll wear frequently.
Which Items Should Your Capsule Wardrobe Contain?
After you’ve successfully cleaned out your closet, the next step is to make a list of the items you want your wardrobe to contain. The numbers of items will be different for everyone depending on your job and lifestyle, but here are a few categories to consider when making your list:
- Work Clothes
- Formal Attire
- Dress Shoes
- Loungewear
- Athletic Clothes
- Sneakers
- Outerwear
- Hats
- Swimsuits
- Jeans
- Sweaters
- T-shirts
- Sunglasses
- Tank Tops
- Purses
Like I mentioned previously, capsule wardrobes are meant to be personalized to fit your needs. For instance, some people have a uniform for their job, while other people work from home or require business attire. It doesn’t matter how many of each item you have, as long as you’re keeping it simple and only have clothes that you wear on a regular basis.
How Do You Create Outfits From Staple Pieces?
As I talked about before, one of the primary functions of a capsule wardrobe is being able to easily make outfits, because of the versatility of the clothes. But how do you pick pieces that go well together and pair them to make cohesive outfits?
My first suggestion would be to scroll through Pinterest or any other source to find outfits you like. Once you’ve done that you can find what they have in common, there’s probably a color scheme or specific style you tend to gravitate towards.
After you’ve found your style you can start looking for staple pieces that match your preferred look and will work well together. Ideally all of your tops and bottoms will have the ability to be worn together, so that you can mix and match to make several outfits out of only a few items of clothing.
I hope this gave you some helpful advice on how you can minimize your closet. If you want to read more about this, you can also check out my article on benefits of having a capsule wardrobe. Thanks for reading have a lovely day!
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