How To Start A Capsule Wardrobe

I have mentioned many times about needing to declutter. In fact, it’s an ongoing yearly aim for us. We own a lot of stuff! But, recently, I have become much more aware of just how many clothing items I own. In fact, I take up the majority of the wardrobe space in our house. I mean, just how many pairs of jeans does one person need? It is clear that the clothing situation needs sorting.

 

The more I think about clothes and how I use my wardrobe, the more I keep coming back to a capsule wardrobe.

 

What does that mean?

 

According to Susie Faux, who is said to be the person who came up with the idea, it means:

a capsule wardrobe is a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces.

 

One of the key words here is essential. A few essential items that don’t go out of fashion. Well, straight away  that would mean me having to do something.

 

So, how do you start a capsule wardrobe?

 

Choose a colour scheme.

Almost all of the capsule wardrobe advice I have read suggest starting with a colour scheme. A colour in which to base all of your other clothing choices around. A lot of them seem to suggest black as your base colour, but I am a little apprehensive of this. The more I think about this, the more I’m inclined towards blue. I wear quite a lot of blue and it suits my colouring. Along with your base colour, you are to choose a couple of contrasting colours, which would fit well with your base colour. For me, I think one of these might be grey. Blue and grey go together, right?

 

Choose high quality fabrics.

The idea of a capsule wardrobe is that all of the pieces you do own get worn regularly. This means that they have been to be of a decent quality to begin with. It is no good buying lots of cheap tops for them to fall apart after a month because they’ve been worn too often. This might mean spending slightly more than you would normally on clothing, but it should last longer.

 

Take into account your body shape.

There are certain items of clothing that look better on certain body shapes. I’m quite short so I struggle to wear things that are long, for example, a maxi dress. You need to buy your clothes depending on your body shape. Therefore, your capsule wardrobe might be different to someone else’s. That’s fine! That’s you being savvy about your clothing choices.

 

Have a clear out first.

When was the last time you actually sorted out your clothes? Do you know what is lurking at the back of your wardrobe? I certainly don’t! The best place to start is to have a clear out of your own clothes first. Be honest about what you need to keep. If you can’t remember the last time you wore something, then you probably don’t need it. If there’s something in there that you bought for a special occasion but haven’t worn again, do you need to hang onto it? Remember, the point of a capsule wardrobe is to own less!

 

Enjoy it!

Your capsule wardrobe should be full of items that you love and would wear most days. Sure, there might be some work clothes and some lounge clothes, but everything should make you feel good. The clear out should not be stressful either; it should be sort of a cleansing experience.

 

I am in the process of doing this for myself. Like I said earlier, I think my base colour is going to be blue. I wear a lot of blue so that makes sense. The list of things that are going to definitely key pieces in mine so far are:

1. A pair of blue skinny jeans
2. A pair of grey skinny jeans
3. A long grey cardigan
4. A grey jumper
5. A blue jumper
6. A blue striped tshirt – I own something similar to this
7. A pair of work trousers
8. 3 smart tops (again, for work)
9. A blazer
10. A pair of leather boots – I own these
11. A pair of work shoes
12. A dark coloured scarf
13. A light coloured scarf
14. A pair of flats
15. A bobble hat
16. A smart “going out” top

 

There are lots of other things I need to make decisions on. I have sold a few dresses recently that I no longer wear and have some more to list on eBay. I need to go through all of my t-shirts and make decisions about those.

 

In the long run, having a capsule wardrobe and owning less should mean saving a lot of money. You can’t impulse buy lots of clothes when they don’t fit in your wardrobe! Also, it should stop the thought of going to your wardrobe and not having anything to wear. Does anyone else do that? You go and look and can’t find anything you like. Having a capsule wardrobe should stop this!

 

Do you own a lot of clothes? Have you tried a capsule wardrobe? What works for you?

 

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