A capsule wardrobe is a smaller, curated version of your closet. Have you ever gone into your closet to get ready and said “I have nothing to wear!” I literally do this daily… but yet I have SO many clothes that I get overwhelmed. Most of the time I just revert back to the clean clothes bin and just keep recycling the same shirts. If this is you, you need to capsule! In your capsule, you ONLY include pieces that you absolutely love and feel good in. You need to pick items that can all coordinate and mix and match so that you can make a lot of different outfits using your selected few items.
There are all kinds of rules out there about numbers but I tried to not be too legalistic when putting mine together. I know myself, and I know that if I don’t include certain things I will find myself leaving my capsule and grabbing other things from my closet. So, do what you think will work best for you. The goal is that each season you transition to your next capsule. You will have some pieces in your collection that can be used universally year round and others you might swap out a few items.
NOTE: Your capsule does not have to include lounge-wear or athletic items. Your capsule is for when you want to look cute and want to get ready fast.
Living in Michigan, our weather can be all over the place. One day its 40 and raining and the other day its 75 and sunny so it’s important that you note your weather when deciding what pieces will be in your capsule. You want to choose items that will work with your current weather conditions.
This is an important first step. Make sure you pull everything out of your closet and drawers and try EVERYTHING on. Only keep the items that you feel good in. I suggest making three piles to start.
If you are like me, you have WAY to many shoes and you don’t even wear half of them. Use this time to really clean everything out so that you can make room for your new capsule.
I recommend trying to stay around 30-35 items maximum including shoes. I know it seems hard. Try to stick to this guideline:
Recommended |
15-20 tops |
5 bottoms |
3 jackets, dresses |
5-7 pairs of shoes |
Example of what I might add:
I recommend giving yourself options. If you wear skirts, add a skirt in there as one of your bottoms.
I tried to pick items that were a range of style and casualness so that I would have a lot of options when trying to mix-and-match for different events.
Now that you have your base built you need to add in some items that you can use to layer or switch things up. Ideas for this:
I recommend giving yourself some different options when it comes to shoes. Make sure you include casual and dressy options so that you can mix-and-match!
The best part about creating capsules is that you can change them out for every season. Here is an example of how it works:
You might pull your white jeans, a casual top, a jean jacket and a pair of wedges OR you can take the same top, pair it with a pair of shorts and throw on your birkenstocks to dress it down a bit. The possibilities are endless!
The whole process only took me about 2 hours and it was worth every second. It makes getting ready a breeze and I don’t have to spend 20 minutes trying to find the perfect outfit anymore. Show me your capsules using #ComeStayAwhileStyle on Instagram!