Learning how to build a capsule wardrobe with colors and patterns takes time and patience. The guide will tell you the easiest way to build a wardrobe you will love!
When the world ushers into another new year, we all end up dreaming about making our daily lives easier. Even if anyone denies it, this very much includes sorting things out, especially in the wardrobe area. Chances are you have more items than you actually need or even wear. You may have given yourself up to the impulsive buys, or have gotten things you have worn just once, or maybe it is just time to give your style a makeover – re-doing your wardrobe is the perfect choice for that!
The attitude toward fashion and more specifically fashion has changed drastically over the past few years. One-hit wonders and ever-changing trends have always dominated everyone’s wardrobe. However, if you feel like you need stability and want to build a wardrobe that matches all seasons, while still giving you a chic, and unique look then what you need is a capsule wardrobe. Let’s move into how you can build one. But before that, let’s discuss what a capsule wardrobe is.
What is a capsule wardrobe?
If you are new to this fashion concept, you might be wondering what exactly a capsule wardrobe is. It is simply a collection of various clothing items that are thoughtfully curated. Then what is the special thing about this? Well, the clothing items are easily interchangeable and are specifically designed to maximize the number of outfits you can create and wear. So a capsule wardrobe allows you to create various looks and fashion statements, using a small number of clothing items.
If you are wondering when it all started, the term was coined back in the 1970s by Susie Faux who was the owner of a London boutique shop called Wardrobe. Faux explained that the capsule wardrobe contains a few timeless yet essential clothing items – for example, pants and skirts which can be supplemented with seasonal clothing pieces. However, it was only a concept that really took off much later, in 1985 with designer Donna Karan. She created a capsule collection called “Seven Easy Pieces” which included a tailored jacket, bodysuit, skirt, a white shirt, a cashmere sweater, something of leather, and a dress. All of the pieces were designed to take a woman from her day at the office to a night out.
As fashion trends always come back, the concept of capsule wardrobes is also coming back. This is due to the increase in public interest in decreasing the industry’s impact on the environment. This interest called for brands to create more responsible and sustainable manufacturing processes. This is why people are becoming more and more interested in buying clothes that go with every season, reducing the concept of fast fashion.
What benefits does a capsule wardrobe serve?
There are multiple benefits of a capsule wardrobe which include –
- Less decision fatigue: you might be worried about having fewer clothes and limiting your styling options. But in reality, when you have fewer options, you will be less worried about deciding what to wear. The capsule will also help you get more creative with your wardrobe and how to style it daily.
- Environmentally friendly: If you are someone who deeply cares about the planet you live in, purchasing fewer clothes will be your donation to a better, healthier environment. When you buy less clothing it means you are contributing less to your carbon footprint, chemicals in the water supply and the oceans, and clothes in landfills.
- More time in your hand: think of the time you have spent purchasing clothes over the last few years, how much time you have spent shopping, then trying them on, then making exchanges or returns. Now think of all the time you have spent organizing your closet and placing the clothes in the right places. When you have a minimal capsule wardrobe, you will spend significantly less time which will leave you with more time in your hands to do other things and a lot more energy.
- Feeling less overwhelmed: when you downsize your wardrobe, you are clearing physical clutter from your room. So going in front of the wardrobe will feel much more calming as it becomes more open. At the same time, the dressing would be much more stress-free as now you have a wardrobe full of clothes you have picked out thoughtfully, therefore the clothes are pieces that you really love.
- Nicer pieces: building a capsule wardrobe starts when you stop buying unnecessary stuff. This not only saves you time but also money which you can invest in nicer and timeless pieces. Expensive and high-quality clothing means they will last you at least a couple of seasons, or in several cases, years.
How to build a capsule wardrobe?
Step one – decluttering the wardrobe
The first step towards building a minimalist and capsule wardrobe starts with removing pieces from your current wardrobe that are unnecessary things, things that you know you have to part ways with. This will help you clear the clutter and make a place for pieces that you actually love and go with every season. You can either recycle, donate, or sell clothes that don’t fit you anymore, clothes you don’t like, don’t work with your body type or skin tone, are damaged beyond repair, or are very similar in style or color to something that you already own.
Only then you will be able to make some space for the clothing pieces you actually love and are essential for the capsule. Take what is left in the wardrobe and organize them into different categories such as bottoms that will include pants or trousers, skirts, shorts, denim that includes both long and short, t-shirts and tank tops, sweaters, coats and jackets, tops and blouses, dresses, and jumpsuits.
Step two: choosing the core pieces
Once you are done with the initial edit of the wardrobe, it is now time to choose clothes that you want to incorporate into your wardrobe. While doing this, always look for high-quality basics that are not just functional, but also versatile. While a functional clothing piece is useful, practical, and suits your lifestyle, a versatile piece of clothing will be easily paired with other clothes. They can also be styled in different ways and can be worn in different contexts and events. So when you are evaluating the items for how functional they are, acknowledge the item’s weight, fabric, and physical attributes. Most importantly, you need to think about how easy they are to clean and maintain. Likewise, when it comes to versatility, think about how easily it can be mixed with other clothing items, colors, and patterns. You also need to consider whether you can wear it in different seasons, or on different occasions. If this is your first time, focus on what you need now because then you can pick your favorites, identify what is missing more easily, and eliminate duplicates.
- Bottoms-
Bottoms are always considered the foundation of any outfit. So,
- Choose bottoms that fit well, and are comfortable, and you can wear them with different tops, jackets, and blouses. However, keep in mind that neutrals will be more versatile than bold patterns or prints.
- Get different bottoms for different seasons such as flowier and lighter trousers for warmer seasons and on the other hand, heavier bottoms for colder seasons.
- Choose black seasonal trousers in cotton, wool, and linen. Keep light-colored seasonal trousers such as beige, white, or off-white. Keep cotton or linen shorts for summer.
- Keep denim jeans in handy as they also are extremely comfortable, functional, and versatile. While choosing your denim in the capsule wardrobe, keep a few different washes such as a light wash, a medium wash, and a dark wash. Adding a black or neutral color denim will maximize your versatility. Laos keeps different styles of denim such as straight-leg denim or mom jeans, colored-denim pants, and denim shorts.
- Tops –
Now that you have gotten your bottoms, let’s move on to the tops.
- Get t-shirts or tank tops that you wear alone and layered under other tops, sweaters, and jackets. While choosing tees and tank tops, short sleeves are more versatile than long sleeves. They can be worn all year in every season, alone in summer or warmer seasons, and layered under other tops during colder seasons. Consider choosing neutral colors like black, beige, white, etc.
- While choosing tops and blouses, look for those items that easily match with the bottoms you have chosen. You need to also consider whether they can be dressed up or down with shoes, jackets, and accessories. Sure, neutral colors are generally more versatile but that does not mean you cannot keep one or two bold colors or busy prints. A few pieces that you can keep are a silk or linen tank, a white button-down, a short-sleeve top, a silk blouse, and a seasonal button-down.
- While choosing sweaters, keep lighter, flowy cardigans, and sweaters for warmer seasons. Pick out thicker and chunkier pieces for colder seasons. Some key sweaters that you can consider are – light knit, everyday cardigan, chunky knit, and 1-2 midweight sweaters.
- Coats and jackets –
Having the right coats and jackets will not only keep you warm but also have the power to transform your outfit at once.
- While choosing jackets keep versatile jackets and seasonal favorites. Identify the pieces that you can wear to work in the current season, but also beyond that.
- Consider the color and weight of the outerwear as well. If you live somewhere with four very visibly different seasons, then you will need a variety of weights. You can also go for a neutral or plaid blazer. Some of the options you can keep are – a denim jacket, a versatile one, a line and midweight one, a neutral lightweight one, a heavier winter coat or jacket, and a leather and a fleece jacket.
- Jumpsuits and dresses –
Now that you summed up everything else, let’s see what your dress and jumpsuit options are.
- While choosing dresses, look for neutral ones that are either short-sleeved or sleeveless. These can easily be layered under coats, jackets, or a cardigan. You can also get the most out of them as they can be worn in every season.
- The length of the dresses is also important as mini-length dresses are flattering and can be easily worn dressed up and down than if you think of a little black dress.
- If you can wear floral or more fun prints in different styles, they can also earn a spot in your capsule wardrobe.
- Some of the key dresses that you need to consider are – a little black dress, a maxi dress, a light linen dress, a classic midi-length dress, and a sweater dress.
No matter what your capsule wardrobe looks like, you can be sure that you have taken the right step. Just remember to go for the clothing pieces that are practical, functional, and comfortable.
