7 Reasons You Should Try a Capsule Wardrobe

We all want to feel good in what we're wearing. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a career girl, knowing what is in your closet and not being overwhelmed by it will make your life simpler.

I'm not going to give absolutes on how many items you must have in your wardrobe because all of us are different therefore our life requirement for clothing is different. I keep a super minimal wardrobe (about fifteen pieces) because I have that freedom ~ I work from home and I don't need formal work attire. BUT some of you at corporate jobs or fashion industries need what's suitable for that.

Let me give my definition for a capsule wardrobe: a set of clothing particular to your style and fit, that you can mix and match effortlessly. Every top goes with every bottom. Every outer layer compliments each outfit. (Optional: Each shoe can be worn with each combination or a good mix of them.)

You might be wondering how limiting yourself to a capsule wardrobe could help. I assume you've probably had the dilemma of standing in front of your packed closet wondering what to wear. I also bet that you have a few go-to pieces you wear as much as socially possible. What if your closet was full of only those type pieces ~ the pieces that fit you awesome, feel comfortable and make you feel amazing when you wear them? Does that sound better than trying to find that one top crammed in the middle of the closet you have to wrestle to get out?

Let me share a few more reasons:

1. A Capsule Wardrobe reduces stress. 

You go to your closet knowing that everything goes together and fits. You've chosen your colors, your patterns, your cut and style of clothes and you love them all. You pull out a top and know exactly which bottom you'd like to wear with it today. You don't have to scuttle through tons of accessories because you have a select few necklaces and scarves to choose from. It's almost like wearing a uniform, except that your uniform is culled to your preferences.

2. A Capsule Wardrobe helps you access your favorite clothes, because they're ALL your favorite. 

I know that sounds impossible but stay with me. Say you only have 20 pieces of clothing in your capsule wardrobe (don't panic I'm not going to make you only have 20, this is just an example) and all of them have been purposely selected by you because they feel good on and they accent your best features. You are no longer digging through all those colors you thought were cute but never looked good on you; or the jeans that you thought fit you well until you wore them for a day and hated how you had to keep pulling them up; or the dress that always seems to call your name but when you put it on it emphasizes your middle. Having a capsule wardrobe eliminates all this frustration because the only things hanging in your closet are your favorites.

3. A Capsule Wardrobe sets you apart; you are able to take ownership of your style. 

When you are able to weed through your mass of clothing to your favorites, you will discover your style and what actually looks best on you (without worrying so much about fads). You will understand a little more about yourself. Are you bold and colorful? Are you dressy and classic? This process will help you establish what it is you love about yourself and how you present that with your clothes. (I share more about that process next Wednesday) You will feel your best and it will set you apart from others because you will have a style all your own. When you have a style, people notice. I have a friend that always looks put together. She often wears a simple top with a jersey skirt and sometimes a necklace. When I see her, I don't think "shirt and jersey skirt"; I think "put-together". Her style is simple but sweet. Looking "put-together" is easy with a mixable capsule wardrobe.

4. A Capsule Wardrobe saves money. 

Knowing what you have and what you need are two components often missing when we go shopping. I have scoured sale racks and brought home things that were really marked down that I never wore past one time because although in fashion, it went with nothing else in my closet or it was really not my style. Having a capsule wardrobe helps you understand what types of clothing/colors work for you and what to put back on the sale rack. Saving money from "guesswork shopping" will help you have extra funds for replacing a favorite piece when it wears out with a better quality item.

5. A Capsule Wardrobe saves time. 

I can't tell you how many times I've been rushing to get ready trying on a plethora of outfits only to have nothing work, either it fit awful, one piece was in the laundry, or nothing matched. It's so frustrating to think you have an outfit ready to go only to realize there's a tear, or a button missing. With a capsule wardrobe, everything goes together so if I realize one top has a stain, it's easily fixed by grabbing the next one on the rack. My mornings are calm now and getting ready goes so fast. I love how everything fits so I'm not wasting time trying on stuff that doesn't work.

6. A Capsule Wardrobe means that buying less gives you the option to buy better. 

When I say "better" I mean two things: quality and fair trade. Since you'll be buying less and staying within your capsule wardrobe, you'll be able to save the money you might have spent on unneeded sales items to purchase great quality. Quality clothes are more durable and save you even more money in the long run. It also enables you to buy from ethical companies who have to charge more to be sure their workers are receiving a fair wage. It's good for you and it's good for others.

7. A Capsule Wardrobe reduces consumption and saves the earth. 

We are such a consumeristic society and we continue to send the message to companies to keep producing MUCH more than is truly needed because we keep purchasing crazy amounts each year. Landfills are full of our over-consumption. What would happen if we all stopped buying so much? I don't think it would take long for companies to back off production to avoid a huge loss. It may seem like a little thing to reduce your spending by reducing your wardrobe but it actually helps the world. We're not only stopping over-production but we're changing the mindset and message that "more is better". By changing our mindset, we change the future.

A capsule wardrobe may sound limiting but I've found it to be extremely freeing. Intimately knowing every piece in my closet helps me decide on outfits quickly and feel good in them. It doesn't matter that I don't have a perfect figure, I've culled my clothing and kept only those items I love that work with my body shape. Knowing everything fits and enhances my body gives me confidence for whatever the day holds.

Have you ever considered creating a capsule wardrobe?

Summer Capsule Wardrobe 2014

It's always thrilling for me to see how many outfits I can make from ten pieces. I get a little obsessive about it. Sooo, I thought it'd be fun this summer to let you see how many outfits can be made from so few pieces. The set above is the first capsule I'm going to work with.

This set is not all the clothes I own, but I'd like to experiment with wearing only these. In July I may switch out the jeans for another pair of shorts or another dress. But I want to play with this little group for now.

Since I'm trying to be less consumeristic with my purchases, I'll list where each item came from. While making the list, I was happy to see that most of these pieces I didn't even purchase myself. Here's the break down:

• Blue Gap t-shirt (hand-me-down ~ sister)
• Black v-neck t-shirt (hand-me-down ~ mom)
• Teal shorts (thrift store)
• Summer dress (hand-me-down ~ daughter)
• Black blouse (hand-me-down ~ sister)
• Purple blouse (hand-me-down ~ sister)
• Army-green skirt (thrift store)
• Cream long-sleeved cardigan (hand-me-down~ sister)
• Black short-sleeved cardigan (hand-me-down ~ daughter)
• Red jeans (thrift store)

Yes, I have some rather colorful pieces but I really love bright colors ~ they make me smile. I tried to stay away from too many patterns. If I had a monochromatic color palette I might add more patterns. With bright colors, I've focused more on solids to keep it from being too overwhelming.

All the tops go with all the bottoms. The only article of clothing not compatible with all the other pieces is the black cardigan ~ I don't particularly like black on black but a scarf might help it work. If the black cardi becomes a big hindrance I'll switch it out too.

Have you ever experimented with a capsule wardrobe?

(See the 25 outfits I created in this post!)

My Favorite Wardrobe Capsules

I've been a little crazed about wardrobe capsules lately and have found some really great ones on Pinterest. It's always fun to see what items others choose for their capsule. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

1. This black and white capsule is so fresh and adorable! I love the idea of a black and white capsule, but I'm also drawn to color so I'd have to have it somewhere ~ maybe in scarves.

2. This neutral travel capsule also caught my eye. I love the combinations of light and dark.

3. This work-a-day capsule is versatile and I would enjoy wearing all these outfits. They're pretty, yet comfortable.

4. This polished neutral capsule would be good for professional as well as traveling. It's got a fun blend of fabrics.

5. A French-inspired capsule is my latest obsession. It always looks so chic! And this set is especially thrilling because it's simplicity at it's finest: twelve pieces turned into twenty outfits.

What core items must you have in your closet?

Loving Lately: Wardrobe Capsule

Fall/Winter 2012 Wardrobe Capsule by wingedwriter featuring a long sleeve tee

Last week was so much fun: having my kids home for a week, birthday celebrations and Thanksgiving too! This week may be a letdown after all that excitement, but I never fear the quiet. It wraps itself around me like a blanket and fills up my soul with comforting thoughts. I'm still basking in the goodness of what this past week brought.

1. Setting up my studio in the best arrangement I think I've ever managed. My studio has a tricky layout: two open doorways (no doors) and a large window on one wall. I have to make sure there is room for walking and yet enough storage and table space for making art. I finally feel like I got it right.

2. Creating a clothes capsule. I've talked before about feeling the need to par down my amount of stuff and also just live an eco-friendly life (you might remember the Little Red Dress experiment). I have often read about a capsule wardrobe and understood that it was having a certain amount of basics to set your outfits on. But I read something about having only TEN pieces of clothing for the capsule (not including coats, accessories, shoes, or a few special-occasion dresses) to mix and match. That kind of wowed me and I decided to give it a go. It took me a little bit to figure out what I wanted in my capsule but once I did, it felt right. I boxed up the rest of my clothes and put them away. Didn't want to get rid of them completely until I'm sure this is the set I want to work with.

My capsule consists of: 1 green cable-knit sweater, 1 gray fitted sweater,  4 tops (red with ruffle front, white with pleated front, navy silky, navy pullover), 2 pants (khaki, dark jean), 1 pencil skirt, and 1 gray work dress. (I attempted to match my items to Polyvore items to give you an idea since I didn't have time to take pictures) I picked my favorite items and was honest about what I really wear. Many articles about capsule wardrobes insist on a suit-like jacket, but I rarely wear them and sweaters are more of my go-to layer. I stayed true to what is me. I'll admit, not having my closet crammed full is making me feel light.

3. A new (to us) car! One of our cars was dying. We ended up getting an incredible deal on a Toyota. I am so excited to have it! Reliable cars are a plus. We also managed to sell the dying Sidekick to a young man who felt he could save it. I hope he does! Wish I knew how to fix cars.

4. Reading, reading, reading. I got some really awesome books for my birthday, so I've been nose-deep in them. It always amazes me how full I feel when I read. It's like a fish sliding back into water and breathing easily again.

5. Reducing. Cleaning out has led to so much reduction. I think I'm finally getting it. You only have room for so much; after that, it's just weight. The more garbage bags full of stuff I set out for Goodwill, the happier my mood has become. I realize that often the reason I can't keep up with the clutter is because I have too much. I'm working hard at having a place for everything and everything in it's place.

What are you loving lately?