I wake up every morning, open my closet and think to myself, “I have absolutely nothing to wear today?” Anyone else relate? I decided to test myself and see if I could ultimately save time and allow myself to get more creative with what I have so I don’t wake up every morning in a jumble.
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There has been a recent craze about something called a “capsule wardrobe.” Think of it as a minimalist lifestyle. A way to downsize your wardrobe to a few essential pieces that don’t go out of fashion, such as tee shirts, jeans, and coats, which can then be paired with seasonal pieces. Now this is something I never thought I could accomplish. Downsizing my wardrobe to only 15 pieces and not having everything available for me to choose from. I wasn’t sure how this was going to work.
I took a look at my closet as it was overflowing. Clothes folded on top of my hangers, jeans pushed so far into my drawers I wasn’t even sure what I had anymore. The time had come, it was the beginning of the week, a perfect time to start a challenge.
Disclaimer: This was a challenge for a week. If I was to challenge myself for a month using a capsule wardrobe, I would gather about 25 pieces to complete my necessities; baby steps guys, baby steps!
The Wardrobe:
I decided on 15 items to last me through the week at school. This might sound easy, but for someone who loves clothes, it was more of a task to say the least. I started with four tops, two tee shirts and two sweaters. Then came three pairs of jeans, one blue skinny jean, one black skinny jean, and one boyfriend jean. For jackets, it came down to my favorite denim jacket, a pop of texture with a faux leopard coat, and my trusty puffer jacket (it can get cold here at night). I picked out my favorite pair of white sneakers, my always reliable black booties, and my black loafers. I had room for two more things so I grabbed a couple neck scarves, that double as headbands.
Time to get creative!
Taking On The Week:
I woke up Monday morning to find out how easy it was to only have to select from a few pieces. The options were simple, which gave me the opportunity to get clever with my pairings. I found it inspiring to conjure up outfits throughout the week with very few choices.
One day it was a simple tee shirt, boyfriend jeans, faux leopard coat and a neck scarf. The next was creating a going out look with black skinny jeans, booties, and cropped sweater to keep me ever so slightly warmer. On Friday, it got to the point where I felt like I was wearing the same thing every day. I needed to think further into this. I decided to layer my longer tee shirt with my cropped sweater. Pairing that with my boyfriend jeans and my loafers brought a more casual, yet mod look to my outfit.
My Final Thoughts:
This week was inspiring to me. I got to continuously use my creativity every morning, but the best part was, I didn’t feel stressed, I felt more excited every day. This whole experiment was to prove why a capsule wardrobe can work for a college student, or truly anyone. Downsizing your wardrobe to only a few basic pieces can truly make your life feel less cluttered, less stressed, and more rewarding. It comes down to the little things when you are constantly trying to keep up with the rapid quarter system!
I realized that I was cluttering my life with “stuff.” Knowing that every single item hanging in your closet is something you love, will make you feel more confident walking out the door to conquer the day. Challenge yourself; I think you will be pleasantly surprised!