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What if I told you that you can save a lot of time and money—while being on trend—and get more use out of your wardrobe by doing a simple thing each season? You can do all this by creating a capsule wardrobe for each season. Focusing on key pieces that work well together lets you get much more mileage out of your wardrobe and be prepared for any fashion occasion.
What Is a Capsule Wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is a minimal collection of clothing in which each garment works well with the other to create fun outfits. If you have thirty shirts, the capsule wardrobe focuses on maybe ten. Each will work well layered or with other elements, so you have a different outfit each day. There’s no worrying about whether you have something to go with that floral shirt in the capsule; you know, every item in that capsule works together. Some people create a new capsule each month; others make them for the seasons.
How Do You Create a Capsule Wardrobe?
First, you start with what you own that is in good condition, fits you well, that you love to wear, and that is in season. Save your wool pants for winter. For this step, you’re going to declutter your closet. If things work well for a different season, keep them, but set them aside. Donate or plan to resell anything you’re not keeping that’s still in good condition. Anything that you would love if it would fit better, set to the side. Then, schedule time to take it to a good tailor to get that fit right.
Next, look at what you have left. Think about what you dress for – do you work in an office? You’ll want to focus on a work capsule and a smaller weekend one. You probably have some tops and bottoms that work well together. Try grouping 3-4 shirts with 2-3 bottoms and a pair or two of shoes to start putting together your capsule. Add 1-2 outerwear or layering pieces appropriate to the season. Create 2-3 groups like this, and you will have a capsule. If you need an item or two to fill things out, you can shop for it, but once you’ve created your capsule wardrobe, you’ll wait to shop until 2-3 weeks before the next season, when you create the next season’s capsule.
Why Capsule Wardrobes Are More Sustainable
Capsule wardrobes are much more sustainable (and save you more money) than traditional wardrobe shopping habits. There are two reasons for this. First, they slow down our rate of shopping for new items. Second, planning your wardrobe makes you more intentional about your purchases. When creating your capsule, you must be honest with yourself about what you will and won’t wear. Don’t include things in your capsule that you wish you would wear. It should be built around what you love to wear and what you feel good wearing.
How Capsule Wardrobes Help You Be On-Trend
When you’re getting ready to plan your next season’s capsule, that’s when you research the current season’s trends. Plan to add one or two items to your wardrobe. You can also embrace accessories when adding trends. By knowing what you wear and love to wear most, you can avoid those purchases of trendy items that collect dust in your closet. Instead, you’ll be better able to select the items that will work best for the real you and your real wardrobe. If you never wear shorts, you’re not going to start wearing short shorts right now while they’re a big trend. Instead, if you love layering during the summer, look for a cute crochet pullover – bonus points if it’s in a classic shade that will also take you through fall.
How Capsule Wardrobes Help You Wear More of Your Closet
Once you start creating your capsule wardrobe, you’ll become much more familiar with what you wear–and avoid wearing–in your closet. This helps you weed your closet better to make room for items you really do love, but it also helps you make more use of what you already have. The point of a capsule wardrobe isn’t to purchase a bunch of garments to fill up your closet and then continue wearing your favorites. The point is to have a closet where every item in it is something you love.