Creating a capsule wardrobe is easier than you might think. Studies have shown that we only wear about 20% of our clothes. The other 80% sit in our closet taking up precious space and creates decision fatigue. (That’s a real thing, but alas a topic for a different post.) Having a capsule wardrobe simplifies your morning routine by taking the frustration and stress out of getting dressed in the morning.
A capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing that you change or supplement each season. You start with a core set of essential clothing items that do not go out of fashion. Each season you add in some seasonal pieces to round it out. Don’t worry though, we will go through it step by step below.
The very first time I went through this process I was amazed at the amount of clothing that I no longer wanted in my closet. I had kept many of these items out of guilt. I had spent money on those pieces and I felt that I should get at least some use out of those pieces. Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. If the clothing no longer serves you, let it go. By doing so, you will create more space in your life for what does serve you. The money you spent on those items is gone. Nothing you do can change that. Letting the unwanted items go allows you to move forward and not stay stuck in the past.
I have gone through this process several times. Each time I take less out of my closet. Now I just mostly look for things that have stains or holes in them or things that I really won’t wear anymore. Just because I’ve had a capsule wardrobe for years doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes when purchasing clothing. However, admitting that the item of clothing doesn’t work for me and let it go is much easier.
Since creating my first capsule wardrobe, I have spent some of the time that I use to mindlessly shop learning what styles look good on my body type. I have learned what colors and styles I enjoy wearing. This process will help you in the same way. Be honest with what you like and don’t like. I hate how certain things look on me even though no one else does. I just won’t wear certain things. Honoring that is an important part of this process.
Things I don’t include as part of my capsule wardrobe: sleepwear, shoes, jewelry, a winter jacket, exercise clothes, and handbags. Whatever categories you choose to exclude are fine. Just make sure that you don’t have an excessive amount of them. Three to five exercise outfits are fine. Twenty isn’t.
Creating a capsule wardrobe will take some time the first time you go through the process. Each time afterward, it gets progressively easier. Trust the process. You can do this and you will love the results.
Step 1. Ask yourself how you spend your time.
How much of your week is spent at work, at home, running errands, etc. ? Your clothing should be functional as well as stylish. Knowing how you spend your time will ensure that you have outfits for every part of your life. If you spend 60% of your time at work, then your closet should be about 60% of work clothes. Don’t feel rushed to do this step. If you need, track your activities for a week. Getting an accurate picture of your life and your clothing needs will make the tasks ahead easier.
Then decide on how large your wardrobe is going to be. That’s right, there is no official number of items in a capsule wardrobe. Some people do 33, some do 50. Do what works for you. If this is your first time creating a capsule wardrobe, you might start with a higher number if it makes you feel more comfortable and next time lower it.
Break down your number of items that you want in your wardrobe into the categories of your life: work, casual, etc. Keep the percentages that you created when you broke down your time for the week above.
For example: Let’s say I want a wardrobe of 30 items. I spend 60% of my week at work and 40% on exercise and casual living. (I’m not including sleep). So my wardrobe should have 18 items of work clothes and 12 items of casual clothes.
Step 2. Pull all of your clothing out of your closet.
Pull everything (all of your clothing) out of the closet, your dresser drawers and wherever else you are keeping your clothes. I know it sounds scary, but trust me. Just do it and don’t stress about it. Toss it all on your bed. All of it in one great big pile. Wow, that’s a lot of clothing. I bet you found some items you forgot you even had.
Ok, take a deep breath. Grab a glass of water. Just relax for a minute before diving in.
Step 3. Sort and evaluate.
Let’s dive in and sort your clothing into these three categories: Love, Donate, Trash. Getting some boxes, bins or bags and labeling them can make this process a little easier.
You are going to look at every piece of clothing you own. As you do, think about these questions:
- Would you buy this today?
- When was the last time you wore this item?
- Does this item fit and look good on you?
- Does this item need to be repaired or does it have stains or holes in it?
- Do you like it?
Don’t worry about if it fits into your lifestyle yet. Don’t worry about do you have enough pieces to make outfits with it. Just think about the questions above.
I tried on many pieces of clothing while I was doing this exercise. I also had a friend with me to tell me what they thought of how the items looked on me. I only wanted to keep pieces that looked really good, not just ok.
We will talk later about what to do with the clothing in your donate and trash piles. For now, we just want to sort through everything.
Love/Keep Box: You should place items that you love, look good on you, fit properly and are in good condition into this box. When placing items in this box, think about if you would buy this again today and when was the last time you wore it. In a later step you will go through these items again.
Donate Box: If the clothing doesn’t fit you or doesn’t look good on you, it should immediately go into this box. Don’t overthink it. Your first instinct is probably correct. On the few items I was on the fence about, I asked my friend. Usually those items ended up in the donate box. Remember, you only want to keep items that are awesome on you. Any guilt you are feeling about how much you spent on the clothing should be forgiven. Maybe at one point that item added something to your life. Now it doesn’t and that is perfectly fine.
Any items that need small repairs (like a button or hem) that you love, you can keep. But be realistic. I am never going to hem my pants and I probably won’t take them in and pay someone to do this. So I would put that item in the donate pile. I’ve got enough sewing skills to sew on a button and actually know where my buttons, needles and thread are – then that item can go in the love/keep pile. This isn’t meant to make you feel guilty. Just be honest with yourself. It is ok to say that you won’t sew buttons on, just don’t keep the item then.
Trash Box: Any items with stains or holes should go in the trash pile.
Whew, take a break. Grab some more water and relax for a few minutes. That step was the most difficult part of this process. Give yourself some credit for getting through that.
Step 4. Create your capsule.
Now you will go through your love box. Separate your clothes into the different areas of your life: work, casual, exercise, etc. Some items of clothing could be both work and casual, just choose where you wear that piece the most and put it in that pile.
Using the example above, we want our capsule wardrobe to have about 18 pieces of work clothes and 12 pieces of clothes that are casual. You break down the number of tops and bottoms to fit your lifestyle. Most people will wear pants twice before washing them. So having more tops than bottoms makes sense.
When deciding on what to keep in your wardrobe, keep in mind the current season. I create 2 capsules: one for fall/winter and one for spring/summer. I live in the south and we really only have those two seasons. If I lived up north, I could create a capsule for each season.
I then decide on a few colors that go well together, so that I can mix and match the items in my wardrobe to create many different outfits.
Look at each pile at a time. Decide how many tops, bottoms and outer layers you will want in each category. In the above example, if we will have 18 total pieces of clothing for work, how many should be bottoms, tops, and outer layers. Again there is no set number, it can vary depending on where you live, how formal you dress for work, etc.
I like to have 5 short sleeve tops, 3 long sleeve tops, 5 pairs of slacks, 2 skirts, 3 outer pieces like blazers and sweaters. This would make 18 pieces.
Why did I break it up like I did? I live in Georgia. It’s hot here most of the year. I hate being too warm so I prefer short sleeve tops and I can wear a top layer if I’m cold and take it off when I get warm. I prefer to wear pants over skirts. I also want enough tops and bottoms to make it a week without having to do laundry.
For the casual part of the wardrobe, our example has 12 pieces. Again I would decide what works best for my life this season. It’s just turning spring. I love shorts and sandals. So my wardrobe would probably be 5 short sleeve tops and 3 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of cropped jeans. I would also have an outfit or two to exercise in.
I am a stay at home mom, so my work and casual clothes are the same. So when I design my wardrobe, I break down my casual clothes a bit more. For tops I have 5 black tee-shirts (I love black tops); 3 graphic tee shirts, 3 tee shirts in some colors and 3 nicer tops. For bottoms I have 5 pairs of cropped jeans, 5 pairs of shorts, 3 pairs of leggings and yoga pants.
If you find you are missing a key basic piece, like a white blouse. Give yourself permission to purchase one. One. If you feel you are missing other pieces, spend some time with your new wardrobe getting used to the look and feel of it. You probably will want to add and change things but allow yourself to just be with what you have now. Enjoy the clothing that you have.
I pack up my off-season items into a clear tote and put it on the top shelf of my closet. I love clear totes because I can see what is in there at a glance. In the fall and winter, I live in jeans. But for the spring and summer they are just too warm for where I live, so they get packed up until I change out my capsule. Many of my tops stay regardless of the season. I will change out my sleeveless tops for long sleeve ones come fall.
What about that dress you keep for a holiday party? Keep it. Again be honest with yourself. If you go to one party that you need a dress like that a year, keep one or two dresses. You won’t wear more than that. If you haven’t gone to a party in 2 years, donate it. Later if you need a dress, get a new dress. You will have saved so much money by implementing a capsule wardrobe system in your life that you can treat yourself then….when you need it.
Any clothing that you have left you should donate. If you really can’t part with it, box it up and put it away for 6-8 months. If you haven’t wanted it in that time, you can live without it.
Step 5 Get rid of your unwanted items.
Take the donate box or boxes out and put them in the trunk of your car. Take these boxes to a charity where you can donate them. Get them out of your house. Don’t let your mind dwell on whether you made the right choice. You did! Trust me. I have never regret any items that I have donated.
For the trash box, you have a few options. First, the easiest option is to just trash it. Put it out with your garbage. Simple, easy, done. Second, you could cut up the tee shirts to use as cleaning cloths. Third, some places like H&M will take clothing to recycle them. Completely up to you. Not necessary, but if you are feeling bad about throwing clothes away this gives you some options. But please don’t keep it in your house. Do something with it. You just spent all that time sorting through your clothes.
One of my mistakes when starting this process is I would put my donate and trash items out in my garage to deal with at a later date. Eventually I would find those boxes and take some of those clothes back into my closet. Why? I don’t know! Because they were there I guess. I still wouldn’t wear them, so they just took up space until my next closet cleaning.
You are done! Congratulate yourself.
Having a capsule wardrobe will simplify your mornings and allow you to have a wardrobe that you love. Now when you get dressed, you know you will look good. As the seasons pass and you change out your wardrobe, make sure to evaluate your life and clothing again.
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