How many times have you stood in front of your closet cursing that fact that you have nothing to wear? Try building a smaller, well-curated selection of essential and versatile items that can be mixed and matched to create variety, otherwise known as a capsule collection. This concept focuses on quality over quantity and creatively making the most out of your favorite pieces in order to save you time, money and overwhelm.
There are a million ways that you can go about creating a capsule collection, some much more structured than others. Customize a collection that functions best for you based on career and lifestyle, climate type, etc, This could be simply rotating your closet seasonally rather than keeping it all out at once, or choosing a specific number of items you want to focus on wearing for a specific number of days (search “30×30 closet challenge” for examples). If you want to dabble without feeling fully committed, try utilizing this premise on your next trip to make your packing quick and luggage lighter than ever!
After a good decluttering session to remove whatever is obviously no longer serving your wardrobe, you’ll want to begin building your capsule collection with basic, neutral pieces that you wear every day. Based on career and lifestyle, this exact mix will look a little different for everyone, but be sure to include a variety of separates, layering pieces and maybe a dress or jumpsuit if you like. Here are a few more examples to get you started:
BOTTOMS: favorite pair of jeans, dress slacks, black leggings, khakis, skirt
TOPS: tank, t-shirt, blouse, button-up, sweater
LAYERING: cardigan, blazer, denim jacket
Next, pick a color story and add visual interest. This is the most important step in ensuring that all of your pieces work together cohesively and provide you with the most styling options. Pick out a few of your favorite patterned pieces that share similar colors and overall “vibe.” This is your capsule collection’s color story! Search your closet for solid pieces within the same color story or that compliment what you already have. Go for at least a few interesting or trendy-but-versatile items to keep you from getting burnt out on basics.
If you are in need of a piece or two to complete your capsule collection, go prepared and choose wisely. Look through Pinterest or social media for any particular style or piece that continuously catches your eye. Also, ask yourself a few questions to ensure you’re not making an impulse purchase. Is the piece seasonally appropriate? How does this fit in with the rest of your wardrobe? If one item can pull together at least three new outfits, it’s a solid investment.
At this point, your daily styling should come much easier because you love all of the pieces, and they all work together. If not, feel free to tweak as you go—this is meant to relieve stress rather than adding to it! Don’t be surprised if you actually start to enjoy the process of getting to know your wardrobe and self a little better—you look great doing it!
