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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Purdue chapter.

This year, especially once the fall fashion season started, I have not been able to escape the “capsule wardrobe” trend. I have seen countless YouTube videos, blog articles, and explore page posts pop up, all urging me to adopt this closet concept. Finally, I gave in. And so far, I am beyond satisfied that I did.

So, what is a capsule wardrobe? Essentially, it entails sizing your closet down to a minimal number of timeless fashion essentials each season. There are debates as to whether 37, 27, or even just 5 (?!) items is the ideal wardrobe size. While these guidelines can be helpful in getting started, personally, I think the most effective and worthwhile option is whatever best suites your lifestyle and taste in fashion.

For me, I decided to go with 25 items for fall/winter – 6 pants, 3 skirts, 3 sweaters, 3 blouses, 6 shirts, and 4 layers (shackets and thicker cardigans). While some capsule wardrobe templates include shoes, outerwear, and even sometimes accessories in their item limits, I decided to exclude those from my 25. It was important to me to not feel restricted, so having free reign over those additional outfit details gives me the freedom to actually be able to sustain a 25 clothing item wardrobe. I also excluded limitations on things like underwear, workout clothes, and pajamas.

How did someone with a sprawling, hoarder-like closet (me) manage to curate a minimalist wardrobe? Here are some of the considerations I made:

  1. Does it fit me comfortably?
  2. Is it something I can see myself wearing frequently, in terms of style and material quality?
  3. Does it fill a gap in my wardrobe, or is it similar to another piece I have already selected?
  4. Can it layer well?
  5. Does it match all, or the majority of, the other items I have selected?

Through this process, I have found that the ultimate key to a versatile capsule wardrobe is layering. Besides being perfect for the colder season, layers create way more possible outfit combinations. For example, if you do the math, 2 pairs of pants and 6 shirts yields 12 potential combinations. If you change those 8 items to 2 pairs of pants, 3 under layer shirts, and 3 over-shirts, it now yields 18 outfits. As you can see, layers can quickly multiply the potential of your minimalist wardrobe.

My main motivations for trying this out were to improve my closet organization, and to help define and establish my personal style. Adopting a capsule could also be a worthwhile option if:

1. You struggle finding something to wear in the mornings. When almost everything in your closet matches and fits you well, you’ll probably be safe going with any random combination.

2. You have considered overhauling your wardrobe using other concepts, such as a color-palette closet, but have found that intimidating/impossible

3. Your closet is simply too small to comfortably store all your clothes for the season – this would have been game changing for me in the dorms freshman year.

4. You want to stop binge shopping. Wearing timeless, long-lasting pieces and carefully considering each item’s utility in your wardrobe can eliminate impulse purchases. While you may need to purchase a couple essential items to complete the capsule wardrobe of your dreams, I managed to select everything from clothes I already owned.

5. You frequently fall victim to fluctuating, short-lived trends, especially unsustainable fast fashion items.

6. You have several items in your closet that you neglect wearing – this is your sign to box up and donate any fall/winter pieces you haven’t worn in the past 3 months.

Whether you decide to fully plunge into a small capsule wardrobe or not, at least becoming more conscious of how much you shop and how frequently you wear the clothes you have is a step in the right direction. Cleaning out your closet at the change of the season and donating the clothes you haven’t worn is a huge improvement in terms of sustainability and organization, even if you still have 50+ items in your wardrobe. While I like to make things an overnight process, the capsule wardrobe transformation can take quite a bit of time for some people – but it is a tremendous way to reduce your waste and explore your personal style.

Katherine Raykova is the President at the Her Campus at Purdue chapter. She’s been a part of Purdue’s Her Campus chapter since fall of 2020! She oversees chapter meetings, brand partnerships, a monthly chapter newsletter, and general maintenance to keep her chapter afloat. Her favorite areas to write about are fashion, books, plants, and all things witchy. Katherine is currently a senior at Purdue University, double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and English with a minor in Intellectual Property Law for Engineers. She has completed a year of industry experience working in aerospace consulting and is currently an undergraduate research assistant for the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue. Outside of classes and Her Campus, Katherine is also a writing tutor at Purdue’s On-Campus Writing Lab (OWL) and a mentor for the Women in Engineering program. She hopes to attend law school next year to become a patent attorney. When she gets the chance, Katherine reads and spends as much time outside as possible. She loves listening to music and going on long walks around campus and nearby nature centers – even in the winter. Most days, she practices yoga, plays with tarot cards, and drinks multiple cups of tea. When she feels inspired, Katherine writes fiction or takes on a sewing/knitting project.