I am very excited to share how I did a capsule wardrobe for summer and how you can do it too. First, I’m going to answer the question I had when I first saw this floating around instagram… “What is a capsule wardrobe?”
A capsule wardrobe is a way to minimalize and streamline your closet. The goal is to limit your daily clothing options to 35-40 pieces. This includes tops, bottoms and shoes. It makes it easier to get dressed when you only have your absolute favorites in front of you (don’t you just wear the same favorite things most of the time anyway?).
Why it’s awesome:
1. A capsule wardrobe makes it faster to get dressed and ready for the day. You know that you LOVE the way everything in your closet looks AND it all fits well. (I tend to keep things around because they cost a lot or I like them, but they don’t fit me or are unflattering so I never wear them. This just adds clutter to my closet and doesn’t help me get dressed at all.)
2. It saves money! You are not supposed to shop for clothes for about 3 months (or until you are changing seasons/capsules). As you start to plan for your next season/capsule plan ahead the things you want/need. Incorporate them into your next capsule and just shop a few times to get ready for that.
I am really bad about mindlessly shopping – so this will help me avoid spending money for things I don’t need. You don’t have to stick with this rule. I’m not your mother (if you think I am, I demand a DNA test!). If you want to shop, do your thang. But you should take one item out for every one item in.
3. The clothes that are out of season or you want to pack away may seem new when you pull them out of storage for your next capsule. Score! Vintage Leather offers classic leather handbags that have a timeless appeal. Browse our collection and discover the perfect addition to your wardrobe. It’s like finding money in your pocket, but it’s money in your closet in the form of other clothes you forgot you had.
4. I feel like minimalizing ‘things’ takes some stress out of the day to day. When you’re not focused on what to wear/shopping you can spend that extra time doing something else you love or with people you love.
I have come to realize I go shopping (online and in stores) when I’m sad or lonely sometimes. It gives me something to do and some stimulation. This is important because I work from home and do seek that out. But, I can find other ways to get fulfillment that don’t hurt my bank account. And this whole thing made me realize I shop as ‘something to do’, which is not a good habit.
That being said, if I do invest in fashion, I focus on high-quality, timeless pieces. A Chanel bag USA purchase, for example, is an iconic staple that elevates any capsule wardrobe and retains its value over time. I also have a few pieces of replica designer bags. Investing in key designer accessories makes it easier to stick with a minimalist approach while still having standout pieces that pull everything together.
There are a lot of fashion blogs and minimalist blogs online that talk about how to do a capsule wardrobe. I think the original idea was from Unfancy, but there are a lot of fashion blogs that are highlighting this and tons of resources on Pinterest.
But here is how I did it…
How to do a Capsule Wardrobe
Step one: Take everything out of your closet. Throw it on the floor and yell at the cat for getting fur on it.
Step 2: Separate clothes into piles =
A.) Fits and you love it (Keep)
B.) Fits and you like it (Maybe)
C.) Doesn’t fit or You don’t like it (Toss out)
Go through your ‘like it’ pile and determine if each item can be worn right now or should be stored for another season. Do the same with your love pile.
Your KEEP pile should end up with only clothes that you LOVE and would wear right now this week (are appropriate for your current life and this season).
Bonus: The items left in your LOVE pile tell you your style (if you don’t know it or don’t know how to describe it right now). I am pretty preppy and a little romantic/girly. I could live in maxi dresses so those made up the bulk of my capsule.
Your STORE pile should be clothes you LOVE but are not appropriate for your life or the season right now.
I used a big tupperware and plastic storage bags to pack my winter clothes away for a while.
Step 3: Par down your KEEP pile to 30-40 items. This does NOT include workout clothes, workout shoes, pajamas or bathing suits.
Depending on the season it can break down to something like 5-9 bottoms / 9-15 tops / 2-3 top layers / a few dresses / 4 pairs of shoes.
The examples I saw of capsule wardrobes were somewhat muted to me. They had a lot of neutral colors, but that is not really my style. I feel like I look best in greens and blues, but I love pink, stripes and polka dots so I have that too. That doesn’t help a ton with being versatile, but a capsule wardrobe has to work with your style or you won’t stick with it so I kept those pieces.
Step 4: Store the items that are out of season. Give away or sell the items that are not working for you anymore.
Closet before:
Closet after:
In my closet: 5 bottoms (shorts, pants and 1 black skirt), 17 tops, 15 dresses, 2 rompers.
3 pairs of my favorite Target Jean Shorts / 2 pairs of skinny jeans / 1 black skirt
Maxi dresses: striped maxi dress / halter neck maxi / a few floral maxi dresses
Short dresses: included 3 from Stitchfix and a few sundresses / 2 rompers
I did not count my shoes or jackets (or running clothes). I have a couple of sweaters and everyday shoes in a closet in the living room. I also kept 2 ‘little black dresses’ handy for random events that may arise.
I realize I may have done this ‘wrong’ in that a lot of my clothes are not versatile for several different outfits (because I chose so many dresses). But I’m okay with wearing (and eating and doing) the same thing over and over. And this will be a learning experience so I’ll do better next time!
Also note: I am a full time blogger. Yes, that’s actually my job that pays my bills (thank you for reading!). So I work from home with my cat (he thanks your for reading too). And I live in California. Hence, my fashion choices are very casual.
Capsule Wardrobe day 1:
Biggest Challenges:
1. I think the biggest challenge is to come = not shopping until Sept 1st. Whhhhat?! I shop A LOT. I shop online and in person. I really enjoy it and will have to find something else to do with my time.
Most looking forward to:
1. Actually wearing certain clothes that I always ‘save’ for a special occasion. That’s dumb. Life is short, and I should just wear what I love. I’m hoping all my clothes are nice and worn out at the end of the 3 months.
Question: Have you done a capsule wardrobe? Heard about it? Want to try it?
Let me know!
I have been wanting to do time capsule forever and just today, I said to my husband while in my closet ‘this has got to stop.’ Thanks for the great post!
Let me know if you do it and what your thoughts are – I think it’s a lot of work the first time, but not as bad the second season (or at least I hope).
I started looking into this just a few days ago. Thanks for the post. I did read quite a few of the Unfancy posts, but I like that your wardrobe has more colour and is a bit more versatile. I am going to make my wardrobe this week!
I need a full day sorting out. I’m at the in-between stage clothes wise (going down) and everything needs sorting, throwing and boxing. xx
I think the capsule wardrobe is a good way to get clothes organized, but I would not like it. Buying new clothes is one of the simple pleasures of life! I’m more of the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality! 🙂
YES! I just did this last week. I also found Un-Fancy but tracked it back to Project333 which she mentioned. I followed the Project333 “rules” and… NO JOKE … got rid of 6 lawn/leaf bags full of clothes and shoes that either didn’t fit me anymore or I just didn’t like anymore. Some of that I bought and never wore. GAH. Clothes shopping is a bad habit for me also when I’m sad or lonely – definitely an emotional habit. So I’ve got my capsule for the summer that includes the following (grad student/mom/Florida girl here):
– 2 pairs capris
– 4 pairs shorts
– 2 skirts
– 3 dresses
– 3 cardigans (a/c always gets me)
– 6 prs shoes (casual sandals, dressy sandals, in-between sandals, sneakers, flip-flops, boots – yes I wear boots in the summer in the FL!)
– 5 t-shirts
– 10 tops/blouses
Total is 35. I cheated and didn’t count my scarves, and some dressier dresses that I left out of storage in case my honey takes me out to a nice place for dinner. 🙂 I’m also hoping to get a job soon so I left a few office clothes hanging in my closet for interviews and such.
After the first few days, I’ve found that it’s kind of exciting to get dressed in the morning because 1.) I’m wearing my favorite things all the time; and 2.) I’m wearing things in different combinations than before because I have to get creative with new outfits so I don’t get bored with the limited number of items I’m working with.
Also – a very cool app for iOS called Stylebook will help you organize your capsule and make new outfits. I have Android so I use Stylicious and it’s fun!
Thanks for the details! I love stalking the Project 333 posts – just have to formalize my capsule 🙂
I’m downloading that app right now!
I discovered this as “Project 333” a while back when I embarked on a zero-waste lifestyle. You keep 33 items and rotate them every 3 months. There are specific rules for Project 333, such as you do have to count your shoes, coats and accessories.
In the end, I went from taking up 3 closets in my house to just half of one. I thought that alone was worth the effort.
I would LOVE to do a capsule wardrobe, and I fully intend to do that once I finish losing weight and get to a size that I’m going to be at for a while. For now, my wardrobe consists of whatever fits from the thrift store and the clearance section at the Target!
I can totally relate to your “most looking forward to” item. I was getting dressed for my office job yesterday and thought “man, this outfit looks good!” And I took it off immediately and saved it for a special day instead of just a random Tuesday. But why can’t we look our best every day?? So basically I’m loving this capsule wardrobe idea, and hopefully I’ll find myself some motivation to put mine together soon.
I think this would be really hard for me. My job requires me to be really dressed up sometimes, other times not so dressy, formal events, etc.- I’d have a hard time gettin down to so few pieces. With that said, I could definitely stand to do a closet purge and donate some (or lots of) things!
I’m with you- shopping is one of my favorite hobbies, and I certainly need to do it less often. I’m such a sucker for a good sale, even if I don’t particularly need anything!
I’ve heard of this also but I have such a hard time getting rid of clothes! Every time I try to get rid of something I think of all the times I MAY where again. And then I never wear it 🙂 Maybe this can be my project this weekend.
I’ve heard of this and keep meaning to do it. I’ve pared down a LOT already and I’m not even sure how many items I have in my closet. I am, however, guilty of holding on to some items I rarely wear – not sure why.
I love the idea of not shopping and also the 1 in / 1 out idea. I do tend to want to shop when sad / lonely as well but am trying to be aware of that and have done better over the last year. My daughter starts college this fall so not shopping would be helpful financially!
Another thing I’m trying to do is spend more on a quality item then buying a bunch of sale/promotional items just because the are “only $15” or whatever. I splurged on a pair of theory pants but wear them to work probably twice a week and they continue to look amazing so cost per wear is probably reasonable 🙂
Keep us posted – I look forward to hearing about how it goes!
Do you consider Stitch Fix to be shopping? If so, are you turning it off for the capsule? I feel like if I signed up for that I’d end up “shopping” getting more clothes than I need.
I’m not turning off Stitchfix because I love it. But, if I keep an item from the fix I am going to get rid of something per the one in/ one out rule. I’m pretty good about not keeping things I know I won’t wear so I am hope that doesn’t change I don’t keep things just to have something new.
I haven’t done a capsule wardrobe, but I do separate my clothes by season and put them into tubs. I used to call it being Type A, but now I can call it a “capsule wardrobe”!
I am seriously super not Type A so this was out of my normal life. But I have to give it to your Type A people, it feels so good to be organized 🙂
I have 17 pairs of jeans and love them all. How would I ever be able to pare down. Sigh! Capsule isn’t for me 🙂
I am the worst and had 6 pairs of basically the exact same (brand/color/size) pair of jeans. Since I do really like them I packed them for winter and will reassess how many I need at that point.
I have never heard of capsules before, but it makes total sense! I recently went through my clothes using the konmari method which got rid of a lot of stuff. I don’t know how I would do on the no shopping for 3 months deal-I kind of like to shop!
This is a great idea! I’m visiting my sister for over a month and I brought with me about two weeks worth of clothes. I guess what I brought is what should be in my summer time capsule, which I tend to wear only when I am on vacation, which like you said is dumb, since hello I should wear them all the time. Now shopping every three months? Oh no… I just ordered a dress and 2 skirts on-line and I want to get a third skirt.
I saw this a few months ago and so want to do this! I’m moving in a few months, so it’s probably the perfect time to do it. Just sounds like a lot of work and decision making :-/ and I have to dress business casual for work + my normal clothes.
Yes, it was a lot of work. It took me all day to do the initial closet clean out. But I’m hoping the switch to my next capsule is a lot more streamlined. I’m also hoping I learn from this first attempt and realize if I should have more of a certain item/color/other for next time.