Have you heard of capsule wardrobes? I was introduced to the idea by reading
Unfancy, a blog about fashion minimalism. I really recommend reading it and getting an idea about
Caroline's quarterly wardrobe capsules that she displays so beautifully on her blog. Capsule wardrobes empower you to display a more cohesive style and nix impulse buying. Those were two things I wanted to work on. And let's be honest, I moved into a bedroom with no closet and really needed to control what went into the children's sized wardrobe I bought.
Caroline's definition of a capsule wardrobe is a 37-piece wardrobe that includes 15 tops, 9 bottoms, 2 coats, 2 dresses and 9 shoes. If you think about it, that is a pretty generous amount of clothing to wear for a 3-month period before switching out for another season. All off-season clothing can be put away in storage. The best part is Caroline is very open about this being a creative process that can be individualized for each person. If 37 pieces doesn't work for you, you can adjust it to work for you.
My first capsule was October-December, and let's just say it was a trial run.
It included:
26 tops
13 bottoms
3 coats
11 pairs of shoes (1 not pictured)
All of this (and more) fit in my closet! Even though accessories are not part of a capsule wardrobe, this process inspired me to pare down my purses and scarves to only have out what worked with my fall wardrobe, which was a space-saving bonus! As an FYI, since this capsule included the holidays, I still had out plenty of options to wear to holiday parties. I just didn't count them in my capsule wardrobe, which is totally ok. Also not counted are workout clothes, sleep/loungewear, etc.
Here's why I liked it:
- allowed me to guilt-free choose whatever I wanted to wear without feeling bad about the things that have been hanging in my closet for years without being worn. All that extra stuff was put away in storage, and I'll be working on getting rid of some of it throughout the year.
- helped me create a more cohesive style. Even on frumpy-feeling mornings, I always managed to put together a decent looking outfit.
- saved time getting dressed everyday.
- made packing for travel easier.
- helps me see more clearly what I don't wear that much, so I can consider getting rid of those items.
- I actually like wearing several of the same articles of clothing frequently. I don't think there is anything wrong with having a signature sweater or pair of jeans or boots. And as the seasons change, so will my signature items.
Things that made it challenging:
- For my future capsules, I need to put more effort into creating and solidifying my wardrobe before the season starts. I continued to shop throughout the fall capsule and even now into the winter capsule, which is a big no-no! My winter capsule is not really solidified, so I'm still wishy-washy about what I'm wearing.
- Caroline works from home, so her wardrobes are full of jeans, sweaters, and t-shirts. That doesn't work for me all of the time. I also need plenty of options for church clothing each Sunday. That makes for larger capsule wardrobes for me, but I'm ok with that!
- The no shopping aspect of this is going to be REALLY hard for me. Basically, I'm kind of ignoring that rule right now, since I'm still working on building the types of wardrobes I want.
- I also need to work on actually getting rid of things instead of just throwing them in storage. The whole point is to minimize!
So would you try this? I found it liberating and life-changing in a lot of ways. Definitely read
Unfancy to get a better idea of how all of this is done. And keep in mind, this is a flexible idea that you can alter to fit your needs. I'm going to keep working on my approach and try to improve every 3 months.
