:Building Your Capsule Wardrobe:

Now that we’ve established all of the awesome benefits the minimal/capsule wardrobe we get to the seemingly scary part: implementing. It feels more intimidating than it is so I’ve compiled a few guidelines and some proof that it can be done!

Step 1: Purge! It sounds scary but it must be done. I mean, when are you really going to wear those formals from college that are taking up real estate in your closet. Um, never. So take them to a resale shop or donate them! This part takes the longest but it only has to be done once. Try on every item. Yes, every item! Items that don’t fit well that you aren’t willing to have tailored need to go into a donate or sell pile. Items you love that fit well put in a keep pile, no matter the season – we’ll whittle down more in the next steps.

Step 2: Edit. Once you have tried on everything and removed your “no” pile. Take a look at what you have left sort it into 3 piles- fall/winter, spring/summer and year round piles and think about  how you spend your time. What will you need outfits for? Work? Weekends? Church? Presentations? Then start editing out pieces. Items that you love that fit but are out of season can be stored to be rotated in during the appropriate season. I also find this is where I end up adding a few more items to the “no” pile

Step 3: Plan.  Decide how many pieces you want in your capsule. Experts say 35 is a good number to shoot for. We won’t judge if you have a few more, and mad props if you have less! Just don’t go hanging 75 pieces in your closet and call it a capsule, m’kay? I like to start out writing down how I think I might like to break down my pieces based on what I’ve decided are my biggest needs clothing-wise from step 2. Remember, you can adjust as you build.

Step 4: Build. Now we build! Start with the staples- jeans, solid tops, basic dress pants, etc. then add in the stripes or prints. Just remember anything you add needs to pair with several other items to make multiple outfit options. Otherwise you will be doing a lot of laundry and finding yourself shopping to find matching pieces for those lone rangers which defeats the purpose.

Here is a capsule wardrobe I built using items I already have in my closet (or items that look very similar). This one is a 35 piece basic wardrobe followed by a few outfit ideas from the capsule. 

Here are a few outfit options I made using the above capsule. See how the 1 lace skirt can be worn 4 different ways? Once I decluttered all of the items that don’t fit or are out of season I discovered a treasure trove of options I already had without needing to go buy a bunch of new things- which is typically the route I take when I “feel” like I have nothing to wear. So go tackle that closet and let’s see what gems you find!