What Is A Capsule Wardrobe?  | Who Is Capsule Wardrobe For? |  Benefits Of Capsule Wardrobe  | What Budget Do I Need?  | 6 Easy Steps To Create CW 

When I first heard about a Capsule Wardrobe years ago, I wasn’t sure what it was, how it worked, and why anyone wanted one. So, I dived into researching and learning more about it. Soon enough, I realized that I’d been living an “unofficial” Capsule Wardrobe lifestyle for years. I had a color-coordinated wardrobe already, and I often would wear the same clothes over and over again. The only difference was that I (pointlessly) kept space occupied with garments I rarely wear to realize that it was a “wow” moment for me, and it didn’t take long before I created an “official” Capsule Wardrobe for myself.

If you already read the article 6 Easy Steps To Create A Minimalist Wardrobe Customized To You! You may find that this article has a lot of correlations. This is because concepts of the Capsule Wardrobe and Minimalist Wardrobe are very similar.

It is common for a Capsule Wardrobe to be a subsection of a Minimalist Wardrobe. So, the reasons why we would want to create one are very similar. Benefits and misconceptions are the same. Also, the process of creating and maintaining these wardrobes is almost the same.

What Is A Capsule Wardrobe?

A Capsule Wardrobe is a small collection of versatile, timeless essentials you love and can rotate throughout the seasons. Chosen pieces are usually harmonized in color and personal style preferences, making it easy to mix and match to create outfits suitable for any occasion during the season, set of seasons, or a specific timeframe without owning an excessive amount of clothing.

The term Capsule Wardrobe was used since the 1940s but wasn’t well known until wardrobe consultant Susie Faux, the small boutique owner in London, revived it in the 1970s. She suggested creating a Capsule Wardrobe of only a few essential, good-quality, timeless pieces that could be mixed and matched and last for years.

Later, in 1985, American designer Donna Karan popularised this idea by releasing a capsule collection of seven interchangeable work-wear pieces, which became popular in British and American Fashion. From there, it took off to a broader world and is becoming increasingly popular today.

Who Is Capsule Wardrobe For?

A Capsule Wardrobe can be adapted to suit anyone who appreciates simplicity and efficiency in their clothing choices. It is generally suitable for those who value a minimized and clutter-free closet and maximized outfit options with a smaller collection of clothes. Yet, it is a flexible concept that can be tailored to individual preferences and lifestyles for a wide range of people, including:

Busy Professionals

A Capsule Wardrobe can make getting ready for work easier by simplifying the process, saving time, and reducing decision fatigue.

Minimalists

People who embrace minimalist and prefer to have a smaller number of high-quality clothing items rather than an overflowing closet.

Travelers And Nomads

A Capsule Wardrobe allows light packing while still having a variety of outfit choices.

Budget-Conscious Individuals

A Capsule Wardrobe is a great way to save money and invest in better quality pieces that will extend durability and reduce shopping needs for longer.

Sustainable Fashion Enthusiasts

Adopting a Capsule Wardrobe promotes intentional shopping and a more sustainable approach to fashion. Choosing quality over quantity while shopping reduces the amount of clothing and waste that comes with it.

Benefits Of Creating A Capsule Wardrobe

While decluttering your wardrobe and limiting yourself to a minimal closet may seem too constraining at first, you will find that creating and maintaining a Capsule Wardrobe is enriching, liberating, and therapeutic once you’ve done it.

Capsule Wardrobe Helps To (Re)Connect With Personal Style

A Capsule Wardrobe helps to (re)discover and learn more about your Style Personality. While chasing current trends, we may make wrong choices for our closets and purchase something that is in trend rather than suits us. Wrong choices for our lifestyles and personal preferences lead to filling our closets with unsuitable things, and then we again say, “I have a wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear!”.

Weeding out unnecessary items and shortlisting only what you need and love wearing will help you discover your TRUE style.

So, if you would like to (re)connect with YOUR Style Personality, creating a Capsule Wardrobe can help you (re)discover your style preferences.

Saves Space And Organizes Your Closet

Removing unworn, poor-quality, ill-fitting items declutters the wardrobe and creates a spacious and easily manageable space.

A Capsule Wardrobe is usually built with items of favorite colors. When items are color harmonized, it’s easy to coordinate your closet by color scheme. It is the simplest thing to do when you need to find something. If you return items where you found them, your wardrobe stays orderly, spacious, neat, and tidy.

A Capsule Wardrobe Reduces Decision Fatigue

Deciding on what to wear requires mental energy and time. Instead of starting your day with an eternal dilemma of “what to wear?” Capsule Wardrobe leaves your mind at peace. Dressing is easy when you have a wardrobe only of your favorite clothes that mix and match effortlessly. Everything you pick will suit you, make you feel great, and save time and hassle.

Saves Money

The idea of a Capsule Wardrobe is to own a small collection of clothes while reducing unnecessary shopping.

You may be paying a higher price for better quality while shopping for a Capsule Wardrobe, but if you focus on investing in better quality, timeless pieces, it is undoubtedly worthwhile as it will save you money and time and last longer.

With a Capsule Wardrobe, you know precisely what you want to buy. You only shop occasionally, intentionally, as you only replace or add pieces you need. This helps save money on impulse buys and cheap fast fashion choices.

A Capsule Wardrobe Improves The Quality Of Your Choices

Since the focus is on quality rather than quantity, you try to invest in better quality each time you shop. So your choices improve with every shopping, and your closet improves with every new purchase.

When buying, think about quality, the necessity of the item, and options for styling it. Only if it ticks all the boxes and you love it – buy it.

Boosts Confidence

I believe that a beautiful outfit tailors the day.

I don’t know about you, but I feel fantastic wearing my favorite clothes! I want to sing, dance, love, and laugh… and when I feel great, my confidence shines!

With Capsule Wardrobe, you wear your much-loved outfits every day because you own only your favorite items. So when everything in your wardrobe makes you look and feel great, it boosts confidence in your style and inner-self.

A Capsule Wardrobe Helps To Reduce Consumption

Fast fashion has made us forget the real relationship and emotional attachment to clothes. We no longer value and love our clothes or accessories. Instead, we see them as disposable and easily replaceable, which leads to a tremendous amount of waste going to landfills each day and harming our planet.

Intentional shopping and investing in better pieces teach us to value our items more, fall in love with them and develop a “relationship”.

What Budget Do I Need To Start A Capsule Wardrobe?

I invite you to try to start creating your Capsule Wardrobe from what you already have. It is the best way to learn about your style and save time and money.

The decision on a budget is an individual preference. Only you can decide how much you want to spend, but the fact is that you can create your Minimalist or Capsule Wardrobe for as little as zero! I spent nothing when I started my first Capsule Wardrobe.

Of course, if you want to invest in some timeless, versatile pieces that will help you create your outfits easier, it is up to you on the budget size you wish to set.

6 Easy Steps To Create A Functional Capsule Wardrobe

Plan Ahead

Evaluate your current closet. What is working for you, and what isn’t? What would you like to carry on practicing? What you’d like to change? Think about why you are making changes in the first place.

Decide which season or a set of seasons you want to create a Capsule Wardrobe.

Do you want to stick with a particular number of items or wiggle without counting but only choose what you really need?

Align Your Wardrobe To Your Needs

Our lives are in constant evolution, and so is our style. It is good to revisit and reassess the existing closet occasionally.

We need wardrobes that support our changing lifestyles and serve a purpose rather than garments piling up with no use.

Establish Your Dress Code

Often, we buy things just because we like them. We think we will wear them one day, but that day never comes. It is because an item is not suitable for the lifestyle we live and life events we have. Learning and establishing what dress code your life events require eliminates many mistakes in getting items you’ll never wear!

(Re)Discover Your Style Personality

And I am not talking about taking Personal Style quizzes online, which are usually fun but very generic. Instead, I suggest you work directly with your existing wardrobe.

(Re)Discovering your Style Personality before creating a Capsule Wardrobe is crucial. Otherwise, it all could go wrong, and you could spend time creating a wardrobe that will feel alien to you, and you will not enjoy having it.

If Style Personality is a new concept to you, don’t worry! This article will help you understand what it is, why bother, and how to determine it.

Understand Body Shape And How To Dress It

Knowing your body shape and how to dress it is one of the key ingredients to a perfect Capsule Wardrobe recipe.

Since we all have different body shapes, physiques, and individual proportions, there will never be the case that the same designs fit all. That’s why, while editing your wardrobe or buying new clothes, it is essential to understand your body shape and what garments flatter YOUR physique. The rightly selected items will make you feel comfortable, flatter your figure, and boost your confidence and self-esteem. You actually will want to wear them over and over again as you feel good in them! Which is so essential to a Capsule Wardrobe concept.

You can read more about the most common body shapes for women in the article below:

Create A Wardrobe Color Palette

Creating a Wardrobe Color Palette is beneficial for many reasons: it simplifies decision-making, a well-curated color palette ensures that the items in your wardrobe can be easily mixed and matched, it helps with closet cohesiveness, and it encourages intentional shopping.

If you would like to learn more about Wardrobe Color Palette and its benefits, check this blog post:

Review and Detox Your Closet

Over time, our wardrobes can accumulate items we no longer like, wear, or need. Once you know your dress codes, personal style, and colors and understand your body shape, it will be easy to declutter and weed out items that no longer serve you.

Removing such items makes a big difference. Detoxing your wardrobe creates more space and makes it easier to see and utilize the clothes you enjoy wearing.

Select Your Capsule Wardrobe Collection

Start with essential pieces for your wardrobe. These are the items you cannot live without and wear often. See how many of those you have. In some cases, there will be enough selection already. In other, you will have to consider what is worth adding to complete your Capsule Wardrobe Collection to make it functional.

Once you have finalized your Capsule Wardrobe Collection, remove any excess clothing from the room and sell, recycle, or donate them.

Please connect and share your story! I will be thrilled to hear from you and celebrate your achievements or tackle hurdles together! Add @mstylealley in your posts, and tag #mstylealley #happywithless.

I am looking forward to hearing from you! 🤍