How many times do you wake up in the morning only to be struck by the horrifying thought that you have nothing to wear? Strictly speaking, you have plenty that you could actually dress your frame with; however, nothing in your wardrobe is singing to you. You have old tatty tops, an endless supply of denim and dresses still with labels attached to them that looked great in the flattering light of a changing room but that you haven’t worn since you brought them home. Your wardrobe is bursting at the seams, so why is it such a mission every morning trying to figure out what to wear? The truth is you may have too many designer and high street pieces adorning your racks and rails.
The concept of a capsule wardrobe is relatively simple. You try and hone your range of attire to a maximum of fifty pieces. This sounds like a lot, but must include all tops, shirts, jeans, blouses, trousers, skirts, prom dresses and jumpsuits! And you can’t merely choose a random selection of items – they must be interchangeable, mix and match and have usability across a range of occasions. Take a look at how you can master the art of the capsule wardrobe and make your mornings just that little bit easier.
First Things First…
Before you can start compiling your newfound capsule wardrobe, you need to have a clear out. Be ruthless and throw out those pieces of clothing that haven’t seen the light of day in the past twelve months. For those of a more sustainable nature, think about putting your wares on eBay to claw back some extra cash or donate your pieces to charity.
When you go through your wardrobe, lay out ten pieces of clothing at a time onto your bed. Hold each piece up and make a quick decision as to whether it’s worth keeping or not. That oversized shell suit was the height of fashion in 1992, but won’t be seeing a resurgence anytime soon. At the same time, those items that you forgot you even had that may have got stuck at the back of your wardrobe may come in handy for your new slimmed-down range of clothing. Black skinny jeans go with anything – keep them!
Take The Seven Day Challenge
If you’ve never attempted any sort of capsule wardrobe lifestyle before, test yourself before you head out shopping to buy a whole new set of outfits. With the items of clothing that you have remaining from your clear out, choose twelve or so that you could swap and change to make a range of outfits. See if you can wear only these twelve items over the course of a week. This doesn’t mean wearing the same outfit again and again – you need to start thinking in a ‘capsule’ way. You could pair your oversized shirt with your stonewash jeggings. The next day, you might be venturing to a more formal soiree so could layer up with a pair of kitten heels and a blazer. The possibilities are endless.
Shopping
If you pass the test with flying colours, the chances are that you found the notion of a capsule wardrobe freeing and exhilarating. Gone are the days of cogitating over your two hundred pieces of clothing every morning to have a more basic, minimal yet still fashionable range of attire to choose from. Now comes the fun part; shopping for your new capsule wardrobe.
Fifty items of clothing shouldn’t be bought discretely. You need to venture onto the Pinterest boards and seek out the ensembles you like the look of. Once you have three or four that suit your lifestyle, you can then begin to purchase individual items that will fit into the outfits you’ve already acquired. Consider getting hold of a couple of sunny weather sundresses that can be accessorised up for more formal events or kept casual for a picnic in the park. Denim never goes out of fashion in the same way as black leggings, a crisp white shirt and a blazer or two.
Once you have the basics that tend to be greys, whites and blacks, consider adding splashes of colour. This is what will keep your capsule wardrobe looking fresh and vibrant. Your black pair of skinny jeans will go with an array of different tops, blouses and shirts. Don’t forget the all-important accessories. Think about a chunky belt, a clutch bag, wedges, heels and sneakers. One ensemble can look radically different depending on the accessories you match it with.
Organisation
If possible, try and organise your capsule wardrobe into seasons. The heavy knits and thick jeans that you wear in the winter may not be touched again during the balmy summer months. By making the rail in your wardrobe chart your clothing over the course of a year, you’ll clearly be able to see the sorts of ensembles you can create. The neatness and efficiency of your wardrobe will prevent you from becoming stressed over what to wear for work, to your friend’s dinner party or to that summer wedding.
If you don’t fancy organising by season, you could choose to keep your attire by colour groups or split them into formal and casual pieces. However you decide to organise your wardrobe, simply make sure it is a system that works for you. When you open your wardrobe first thing in the morning, you want lots of exciting, simple and fresh ideas for outfits to pop into your head rather than a state of panic to emerge.
The capsule wardrobe is almost a state of mind. The temptation to add and make bigger will always be there. However, if you follow the capsule wardrobe law of one piece of clothing in, one piece out, you shouldn’t need to worry about becoming overwrought with clothes ever again. Enjoy compiling your wardrobe and have fun with it. Before long, you will have mastered the art of the capsule wardrobe.
Ann-Marie x
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