My Capsule Closet

Nearly two years ago I began reading about the “capsule closet,” a concept of dressing with less.  Now I’ve never been a fashionista, but I did find myself looking at my closet all the time thinking, “I hate all my clothes. I have nothing to wear.” So I poured over every word and image I could find on the topic. I lingered over photos of 40 and 30 items wardrobes and the simple but fashionable outfits created from them. I compared the how to instructions of dozens of sites, and finally I jumped in.

The process is simple.

{First} Go through all your clothes. I pulled everything I owned (which wasn’t a huge amount to begin with) and piled it on my bed and decide what stays and what goes.

• I pulled out anything with stains and anything that needed repairs that I couldn’t make myself. TOSS.
• I pulled out anything that didn’t fit me right now. This was hard because I had quite a bit of pre-pregnancy weight clothing. It’s important to note my “baby” was four at the time. DONATE.
• I pulled out anything I hadn’t worn in six months (easy to tell by tags still on them or thoughts of “oh! I’d forgotten about this”). DONATE.
• I pulled out any clothes that I either just didn’t like or that I just couldn’t figure out how or where to wear it. DONATE
• I pulled out of season clothing (which at the time meant shorts or summery skirts). PACK

 

{Second} Give it all a second look. Make sure you love every item. Make sure each piece fits. Make sure you know when, where, and how you’ll wear each item.

Whatever makes the cut is the beginning of your capsule wardrobe.

Hang it all back up, fold it into drawers. Step back and admire all the things you love. This is my favorite part. I love looking into my closet every morning and knowing that I love every single thing I own.

{Third} Optional: Fill in the holes.

When I first created my capsule wardrobe, I culled down from about 50 items to less than 20. I needed more tops and a couple new pairs of pants. This is my least favorite part (or so I thought). I had always hated shopping, but when I headed to the stores that week I found my shopping attitude had shifted.

For one thing, I wasn’t shopping for ‘the perfect outfit.” I needed a few tops (solid color tees are my go to), and one or two pairs of pants (and by pants I mean jeans). I didn’t have to search through racks trying to decide what looked good or not. I simply picked a few colors of tees I liked, tried them on, and bought them. The same went for pants. I tried on 2 or 3 different styles, found one I liked that fit, and bought two exactly alike. And I was done. No pressure.

Secondly, I wasn’t concerned about spending too much money. I knew that I needed new tops and pants, and that there wasn’t in fact a ton of wasted clothes back home in my closet. I struggle with buying things for myself instead of my kids, but when the issue is need instead of want, the decision becomes much easier. No worries.

Finally, knowing exactly what I had in my closet at home helped me easily make decisions about what to buy. I knew I had several dark colored tees so I bought several lighter colors. I knew I had blue jeans at home so I chose a gray pair and a darker wash than what I already owned. No mistakes.

No pressure. No worries. No mistakes.

Simple.

These days, nearly two years later, I still love my capsule closet. In fact just a few days ago I pulled out the few long sleeved tops I kept from last winter and added them back into my closet. I woke up to a chilly morning the next day and actually giggled out loud upon seeing my old favorites back in the rotation. Who doesn’t want to be that happy every single morning?!?

Even with that small addition I still own less than 30 items, though I’ve noticed that this number changes from time to time. What hasn’t changed is how much I love stress free dressing!

A few capsule closet notes:

• I have less than 30 items in my closet. These are the clothes I wear day in, day out.
• This doesn’t include undergarments, pajamas, workout clothes, or shoes. I also don’t count ball gowns.
• I never quite understood limiting myself a specific number of items. I just culled down to the basics, the things I loved and wanted to wear everyday. During some seasons that may be 30 items; other times it might be 45. Either way, as long as I love my clothes every day, I’m happy.