“Training yourself to become more selective is the single most effective thing you can do to upgrade your wardrobe.” —Anuschka Reese
The idea of capsule wardrobes is to create a wardrobe you love, with high-quality, long-lasting pieces you’ll actually wear time and again. And the important side effect of building a capsule wardrobe is to reduce the amount of clothes going to landfills.
If you’re into luxury fashion like I am, building a capsule wardrobe can be quite fun.
Taking the time to select the pieces to be the foundation of your looks can be quite an adventure. And it’s like welcoming a new family member home.
Regardless, purchasing better quality means you’re helping our planet by buying less over time. Or if you prefer to keep your wardrobe budget relatively low, it still helps our planet because you’re still buying less by living minimally.
And today’s post is an introduction on how you can build your capsule wardrobe or start a seasonal capsule wardrobe if you love fashion as much as I do.
If you’re interested in creating a foundational wardrobe, here’s what you need to consider:
CREATE A VISION BOARD OF YOUR STYLE.
Begin with a private Pinterest board and start pinning outfits you can see yourself wearing. From full head to toe shots to up close details, pin it all. Take a look at my Pinterest boards. Any boards titled “Loved Looks” are close up shots of outfits I like. Obviously, I have to go through and clean up a ton of my boards to match my style now, but you get the idea!
When you’re pinning, take note of any similar patterns, fabrics, and styles you are gravitating towards.
CHOOSE A COLOR PALETTE.
Note that the colors you prefer will start to become apparent as you pin. And remember, just because your favorite color is purple doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll gravitate towards it when it comes to your style. The point of fashion is to be open about what might look good with your skin tone.
The key on how to build a capsule wardrobe is to be able to mix and match everything. Don’t be fooled, you can definitely mix things up with patterns and colors too.
And if this doesn’t work for you, Anuska’s guide on how to choose a color palette for your wardrobe is a great place to start. She gives 36 color palette examples you can look at to get an idea of how colors can be combined.
GET REAL WITH YOUR LIFESTYLE.
Let’s be honest. A sequin dress you LOVE is not a realistic purchase if you don’t have a ton of fancy events to attend.
Be realistic with your lifestyle. What do you do for a living? The industry you work in determines a lot of your wardrobe purchases. Are you a professor? Nurse? Chances are, you’re either in professional clothes you can move in from meeting to meeting or you’re wearing scrubs.
If your life is all about work and play, your capsule wardrobe should be able to accommodate both for your job attire and after hours drinks with the girls.
TAKE INVENTORY OF WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE IN YOUR CLOSET.
As a sustainable fashion advocate, please know that I’m always about quality over quantity. When I say investment, I’m talking about cost divided by times per wear, not if you’ll get money back should you sell your pieces later.
If you have a lot of clothes, shoes, and accessories, go through your closet section by section. For example, the categories should be tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, shoes, bags, jewelry, and accessories like sunglasses and scarves.
By breaking down your purge into smaller segments, you’ll be less overwhelmed and can see what you have or don’t have. Don’t be surprised if you have 12 LBDs (little black dresses) and no black blazer!
When taking inventory, don’t be surprised if you have a lot of clothes either. It’s amazing how much one person can accumulate stuff over time and not realize it!
And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Stay tuned because I’ll be sharing how to build a capsule wardrobe geared towards fall later on this week! Fall-elujah!!!
Looking for something in particular?
Patricia
October 2, 2019I adored this post so much, I found myself pinning more tailored looks, elegant and a hint of camel the last couple of weeks, even tho, I think I am of the very few people who don’t really like browns and camels at all. Not in my home and god not in my wardrobe. But you saying, stepping out of my comfort zone is very motivating and maybe I should just go with it.
The capsule wardrobe thing, is cute. And I think to a point, I have one with additional fancy pieces I absolutely adore. The only thing I don’t like about it is that many people take it so serious they only want like 20 pieces in the wardrobe and there must be a pair of denim, or the bicker jacket, which I think is too strikt. I like to play more, for example, I really wear jeans and only have on grey denim from 7, I think everyone should wear what one like. And make an own capsule wardrobe even if it’s all pink.
Bisou from Berlin, Patricia
http://www.missvoguevoyage.com | made with l’amour
Huong
October 18, 2019Haha! I’m the same way with browns and camels in my house, Patricia! I don’t mind it in my wardrobe though. As long as it’s not poop brown, ha! You should step out of your comfort zone and see how it makes you feel! I’m doing it here in the next few months so it should be extremely interesting!
Yeah, I can’t wear a 20-piece capsule wardrobe either because I love fashion too much. However, I believe that creating a high-quality foundational capsule wardrobe is key to looking put together all the time. That way, you spend less money, but you keep reaching for things you love. For me, my denim would have to include, dark wash, light wash, white, grey, black, and black coated…at minimum!
Thanks so much for your well-thought out comment! Let me know if you do step out of your comfort zone! I’d love to see some looks from you. By the way, your Instagram account is so pretty and aesthetically-pleasing! x