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Before I get into today’s post, I want to start with this: not everyone needs a capsule wardrobe. There are some times when it can be a really great tool to use, but if you go your whole life without every having one, you’ll be fine.
Now, if you’ve reached a time in your life when a capsule wardrobe can be helpful or you just want to understand what the heck it is, this post is for you.
What a Capsule Wardrobe Actually Is (And What It Isn’t)
Before we actually talk about how to create a capsule wardrobe, let’s quickly go over what it is. A capsule wardrobe is a small collection of pieces that all work together to make multiple outfits. The point of it isn’t to give you a daily uniform, but instead make your life easier by limiting the number of pieces to choose from. It’s not about having a minimalist wardrobe and in fact, there is NOT a specific number of items that you should have. It’s also not about making you wear the same daily uniform or restricting you in any way.
The goal is actually to make life a little easier. A capsule wardrobe can give you a versatile collection of pieces, and subsequently outfits, that all go together. The goal is to simplify getting dressed.
Why Most Capsule Wardrobe Advice Doesn’t Work
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about why so many capsule wardrobes don’t work. If you’re chronically online or you’re always looking at fashion-related articles (like me), you’ve probably seen thousands of capsule wardrobes at this point. In fact, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve seen a few here. But I bet that you look at the majority of them and think “those are super cute, but it doesn’t work for me.” And you’re right! Using capsule wardrobes created by other people aren’t going to work for you for so many reasons. (I should add that I still love looking at other people’s capsule wardrobes and finding inspiration and pieces from them.)
First, the list isn’t based on your lifestyle or location. They don’t know if you’re primarily at home or if you have to go into an office. They also don’t know what the weather is like where you live. Is it rainy every day? Dry weather? A little chilly all summer? Second, they don’t reflect your personal tastes! Maybe you prefer to wear long pants in the summer or you never wear dresses. Someone else’s capsule wardrobe won’t reflect that. Finally, so many of these capsule wardrobes are aspirational, not functional. Why? Well, again, the person creating them is creating them for an “ideal” scenario. And how often do things turn out exactly how they expected them? Literally never.
Start With Your Life, Not a List
So instead of starting this post about How To Build A Capsule Wardrobe with a template, we’re going to start by thinking through your life. Well, okay, maybe not your whole life because that sounds exhausting, but let’s think about what a typical week looks like.
Here are some questions you need to answer:
- What do you typically do in a week? Are you going into an office and then running the kids to different activities? Do you have to work during the day and go to networking or social events in the evening? Or do you spend your day chasing a kid around?
- How many days are you at work (this could be in office and/or remote), at home, or doing something social? It’s important to be real and factual with yourself here. You might hope that you’re doing something social four nights a week, but realistically, it’s only one day a week. Or you would love to work from home, but you actually have to go into the office three days a week. Think about what is happening in your current life, not the life you want to have.
- For each of those settings, what will you feel comfortable in? This question is a mix of your personal preferences and what the actual setting requires. Obviously we would all feel comfortable in leggings and sweatpants, but that’s not always what a situation requires.
How Many Pieces Do You Actually Need?
I’ve mentioned this before, but let me say it louder for the people in the back: THERE IS NO MAGICAL NUMBER OF PIECES THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE. And if someone tells you otherwise, run away from them. (Or just politely say “no thank you.” Your choice)
Start by evaluating what works in your closet right now and, if appropriate, for this season. How can you figure this out? Well, you may want to revisit this post. Essentially, if you don’t wear it and you don’t want to wear it, it probably isn’t working right now. Now, it could not be working for a number of reasons, (again revisit this post), but that’s not what we’re focusing on. We just want to focus on the pieces that do work.
Do you have about 30 to 40 items (including shoes)? That’s a pretty realistic range for most people. But as I just mentioned, there isn’t a perfect number. So if you’re above or below that range, that’s okay! I just want to make sure that you’re focusing on the quality items in your closet (things you actually wear and are in good condition). You do not need to add something in just to hit a perfect range. Quality over quantity people! If you only have 10 quality pieces, great, we’ll start there. If you have 60, awesome, we’ll start there.
The Categories Every Capsule Wardrobe Needs
I know that I just talked about not using other people’s capsule wardrobes, and they won’t work for you, etc, etc. So I’m not going to tell you the exact items you need. Instead, we’re going to talk about broad categories.
Tops
I only have one suggestion here: make sure that whatever tops you’re including can work in multiple outfits. If you have one top that for some reason will ONLY work with a specific bottom, it will probably not work best in your capsule. Since we’re focusing on mixing and matching, you want to actually be able to mix and match. If that means you have five t-shirts and that works perfectly for you, great, do that.
Bottoms
Only you can decide what specific bottoms you need (pants, skirts, dresses, shorts). If you need help figuring it out, go back to the lifestyle questions we started with. Which pieces will fit that lifestyle and climate? I would also suggest having at least one neutral color bottom (white, black, tan, navy, gray, etc.), but other than that, run wild. Again, just make sure that everything works for multiple outfits.
Layering Pieces
How many of these you need can vary greatly by your lifestyle. For example, a summer in DC for me means hot and humid weather and I’m going to be chasing around a toddler. So I really only need two layering pieces: one for rain and one in case there’s a random chilly evening. But, if I still worked in an office, I would need more layering pieces since it was always cold in my offices.
Shoes
Someone once told me that if you’re packing for a trip, you can almost always get away with only bringing three pairs of shoes. I’ve played around with this and I have to tell you….they were right (and I LOVE shoes, so this was very hard to admit). So for your capsule, start with three pairs and figure out if you need more from there. Those three could be casual, work, and dressy. Or casual, nicer, and workout. For a summer in DC, my three would probably be sneakers, flats, and rubber sandals (hello splashpads and pools). Or in the fall, it might be ankle boots, flats, and sneakers.
Bags and Accessories
This is really the wild card category. Almost everyone will need at least one bag (that can go with everything), but after that, it’s whatever you like. It could be jewelry, belts, hats, or more bags. Just remember to limit yourself to things you will actually wear/use. I love scarves, but I know that during the summer, I rarely use them, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to include them.
How to Know If a Piece Earns a Spot
Are you unsure about a piece? For any pieces that you aren’t sure about, go through these questions. If you answer “yes” to all of them, then keep the piece!
- Does it work with at least three other things you’re putting in your capsule wardrobe?
- Do you actually wear it?
- Does it fit your body right now? (A “some day” piece is okay to keep, but don’t add it to your capsule wardrobe right now.)
- Does it fit your current life? Not the life you want to have or the life you had. Your current life.
The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Building a Capsule Wardrobe
This list could really be a mile long, but I’ll keep it short and cute here. Most people fall into the shopping traps that make them end up with a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. I cover almost all of what I’m about to say in an earlier post, so look there for longer explanations.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Shopping before you go through what you already have.
- Keeping pieces that don’t match your lifestyle.
- Not knowing what your style is (or how to figure that out)
- Buying pieces every time a new trend rolls around.
- Building a capsule for only one area of your life.
- Never updating your capsule.
Quick note here: if you want to do capsule wardrobes year round, or for an extended period of time, I would really suggest updating or making a new capsule every season. You can carry over pieces from one capsule to the next, but it’s better to do a check in for Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.
When to Get Help
You don’t need to do this on your own. In fact, there are so many reasons you can, and should, get help putting together your capsule wardrobe. For example, if you’ve tried and keep running into the same problem. Or you’re going through a big life transition (like having a baby) and you need a reset. Or you just want it done right the first time.
For all of those situations, and any others that may come up, that’s when a personal stylist is the perfect solution. There’s a good chance that you’ve already spent way too long thinking about this. Let me take it off your plate.