The basis to a capsule wardrobe is having staple pieces in your closet that can be mixed and matched interchangeably. The key to the capsule wardrobe is minimalism. Capsule wardrobes are incredibly helpful in making your mornings go back faster, helps you focus in on your signature style and your clothes last longer. It also is better for the environment because it reduces the number of clothes you are buying and if you invest in quality pieces, they will last you longer, reducing the need to frequently replace garments. That being said, I’m going to lay out how to create a capsule wardrobe.
Color
The first step of creating a capsule wardrobe is choosing a base color. Most people choose black, navy, or a shade of brown as their base color. This is the color that the rest of your wardrobe is going to be based on. It is important that this color is neutral because it is going to have to match (in theory) all of the other garments you choose.
Next, we have to choose a secondary color. This is going to compliment the base color and provide more options for your wardrobe, so you aren’t wearing only one color. These colors should also be neutrals, such as grey, white, beige, navy, or black.
Lastly, for colors, choose accent colors. The colors need to go with your base and secondary colors, but they can be more fun and colorful. You can pick about three of these colors to add some more dimension to your wardrobe.
While this part isn’t really color related, you can also add in patterned items, such as strips, polka dots and floral prints that coordinate well with the rest of your wardrobe and go with your personal style.
Garments
For our capsule wardrobe to work, we need to have staple garments that are used for everyday wear. These parts tend to be more personalized, but most professionals recommend starting your wardrobe with a base of 30 to 40 garments separated across five event categories: formal, casual, going out, loungewear and layering. Formal includes things that you would wear on special occasions, such as dresses, but it can also include business and business casual attire for work. Casual would be garments such as jeans and t-shirts, things you would use for getting groceries, getting lunch with a friend, etc. Going out clothes would be garments that are used for night-life, dates, dinner, parties, those sorts of events. Loungewear includes clothing you wear around the house and at the gym. And finally layering, these will be the base of your wardrobe. They will be the foundation of which all your other outfits are based on. Now, this is going to vary based on the type of person you are and how you spend your time. If you spend a lot of time at home, you are going to want to invest more money into loungewear, same if you work out a lot. If you spend a lot of time at work and at formal events, more money invested in formal wear, and so on.
No matter your lifestyle, there are some pieces that are essential for all wardrobes. These are as follows:
Bottoms
Jeans – Light and Dark Wash
Dress Pants
Pencil Skirt
Sweater Dress
Denim Shorts
Tops
Button Down Tops
Blouses
T-Shirt – V-Neck, Crew Neck, etc.
Knit Sweater
Tank Tops/Camisoles
Jackets
Leather Jacket
Denim Jacket
Blazer
Trench Coats
Cardigan
Accessories and Shoes
Flats
Ankle Booties
Tote Bag
Sneakers
Pumps
Sandals
Belt
Since these are only 22 items, you can add other pieces, that you think is fun or double up on pieces that you love and wear often in different colors and different prints. You can also add a few pieces of loungewear, such as joggers or sweatpants that you use for wearing around the house and for working out, but these 22 garments are going to make up the core of your wardrobe. You can also add more formal clothes and dressier clothes depending on your lifestyle. It is important to remember to tailor your garment choices to your lifestyle and what you demand of your clothing on a daily basis. Make sure that the items you choose go with the colors you have selected and operate within your daily lifestyle. The goal of the capsule wardrobe is to be functional and decrease the stress of choosing outfits in the morning because everything is interchangeable. Happy capsuling!
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