How To Create A Capsule Wardrobe

This blog post has been a long time coming, but I wanted to thoroughly sort though my closet first, see what I loved about the capsule wardrobe concept and what I didn’t love about it, and then formulate a plan to make this work for me and my lifestyle before getting it all down on paper (or the web).

Brian and I had decided to switch closets so I could have the closet in the room set up as my blog office or as the internet has coined I could have a “cloffice.” So it was the perfect time to purge and refine my wardrobe since I would be taking everything out of my closet for the move.

I want to make it clear:

First, I am not into limiting myself to a certain number of items. I want this to be an organic process and I want it to be enjoyable. Limiting the amount of items I can keep sounds like an opportunity for stress.

Second, undergarments, sleepwear and activewear are not included in my capsule wardrobe. You can absolutely create capsules for each of these, but we are focusing on what to wear for day-to-day activities.

Lastly, the point of this to find your style and what speaks to you. If a step or something with the process does not work for you, skip it. There is no right or wrong way to capsule.

So grab your coffee, get comfy and settle in because this is kind of a long one.

how to create a capsule wardrobe

1. Take EVERYTHING (seriously, EVERYTHING…it is in all caps twice for a reason) out of your closet and divide into four piles: Love, Maybe, Must Go and Seasonal.

   • “Love” items are things you reach for ALL. THE. TIME. These are the items you would wear right now.

   • “Maybe” items are things you like, but for some reason you aren’t wearing them.

   • “Must Go” items are the things you can part with immediately without a second thought. Donate these items for others or sell to find new purchases for your closet.

   • “Seasonal” items are things specific to winter or summer that you love, but don’t work with the current season. You won’t get rid of these staples, but you can’t wear them right now.

   • Be sure to ask yourself these questions:

     • When was the last time I wore the item?

     • Does it bring me joy?

     • Does it fit my current size?

2. Review items in your “Love”, “Maybe” and “Seasonal” piles for fit, stains, mending, pilling, etc.

   • We all know we won’t wear that thing we have to constantly adjust or pinches our feet. Time to get rid of it.

   • If something doesn’t fit or is stained or has holes, evaluate if you can fix it. If not, place it in the “Must Go” pile.

3. Pack away your “Maybe” pile for to review at another time and pack away your “Seasonal” items for their intended season.

   • Your “Maybe” items can be placed in storage somewhere for a later review. If you’re truly missing something you can always take it out of storage.

   • Your “Seasonal” items can come out when appropriate, but let’s not take up precious closet space for items we cannot wear right now.

4. Evaluate what is in your “Love” pile (You’ll want to keep the answers to these in a place where you can easily access them when adding items to your wardrobe).

   • What colors, prints, textures do you gravitate towards?

     • Most Capsule Wardrobes will be navy or black based with coordinating neutrals — white, grey, beige - with one or two other color options. BUT this does not ring true for everyone and that is okay!

   • Does your love pile represent your lifestyle?

     • What is the dress code at your place of work?

     • How active are you?

     • What do you need to wear to accomplish your day-to-day activities?

     • What activities fill up your weekend?

   • Write down the descriptive words that come to mind when reviewing your “love” pile.

   • Do your research and create a vision board.

     • Create a Pinterest Board using the words and colors that describe your style.

5. Put the items you “Love” back in to your closet.

   • Does this item go with at least three other things in my closet?

   • How many outfits can I create with this item?

   • Does the item work with my descriptive words?

   • Does this item work with my lifestyle?

6. Take stock of what holes you might see in your closet.

   • In the same place where you are keeping the answers from number four, keep a list of items (and in what color) you would like to add to round out your wardrobe.

   • What items are in the photos on your Pinterest board, but you don’t currently own? Would this item be a piece to add to your wardrobe?

7. Enjoy your refined wardrobe.

Let me know if you end up refining your wardrobe and what are your successes and failures below in the comments. This is a process, and I know I will fail or make mistakes throughout the years, but that is okay. And as a reminder, this is not giving up style. It is refining your style and hopefully a chance to make getting dresses easier.

If you have any questions on how I handled certain items feel free to sent me a message or leave a comment.

All my love on your journey to a capsule wardrobe.

Xx,

Linds

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