Hi fashion forward friends! I recently shared this post over at Organizing Junkie and I wanted to share the post here with you as well. It’s more about my process of moving to a (relaxed) capsule wardrobe.
It’s been a journey friends. If you (like me) often find yourself just staring at your closet and feeling stuck in a rut with how to put together an outfit, you’ll want to read on and learn how you can change that!
About a year ago I decided to move towards more of a “capsule” wardrobe concept. Really ever since I read Jen Hatmaker’s book Seven I’ve been on a continual purging focus, especially when it comes to my clothing. By moving to a relaxed Capsule Wardrobe concept I now have less clothing to choose from yet more outfit options. Win, win, right?!?
While organizing my Capsule Wardrobes I have focused on these three rules:
- Only clothes that I love (and wear).
- Tops and bottoms that GO together.
- Overall less clothing, but more outfit options, with quality pieces.
Before I jump into the three organizing rules, I want to mention that there are many ways to organize a capsule wardrobe. You can do four seasonal (3 month) capsules, two (6 month) capsules, or any variety that works for your lifestyle, climate, and/or clothing needs. You can determine how many capsules and how many items. This is going to be largely dependent on your life. Just remember, less is more.
I personally have created two (flexible) 6 month capsule wardrobes, one for Spring/Summer and one for Fall/Winter which has been perfect for where I currently live and how I need to dress. So start by asking yourself what approach from a timeline perspective you should take when it comes to organizing a capsule wardrobe. Now onto the rules!
Rule #1: Have only clothes you love (and wear).
I don’t dress up for the office, instead I need a variety of clothing, from teaching yoga to cleaning house to going to work functions with my hubby. And honestly, I’m less concerned with being fashionable and more concerned with being in clothing that I like to wear, fits well, and makes me feel “put together.”
So start by deciding which categories of clothing you need. You don’t need to consider your jewelry, accessories, workout clothes, pajamas, underwear etc. If you need to purge within these categories do so, but they shouldn’t be considered as part of your core capsule(s).
Then purge! Pull everything (every.single.thing) out. Have someone help you by telling you what looks good on you too. Your clothes need to fit well and they need to feel good when you wear them. Commit to only keeping the clothes you love and wear.
Rule #2: Have tops and bottoms that go together.
A common challenge with putting together an outfit is having the right top to go with the right bottom. For example: skinny pants need a pair of boots or flats, a flowing skirt requires a fitted top, and leggings look better with a looooong shirt.
So…..after completing Rule #1, see where you have “holes” when it comes creating outfits. Commit to having tops and bottoms that have coordinating partners, no singles allowed!
What pair of shoes do you need to add in order to complete outfits within your closet? What style of shirt do you need to purchase to finally create an “outfit” with a certain skirt? What pair of bottoms (pants/shorts) do you need to add to go with a specific top?
Plug the holes by completing more outfits and shopping with intention. Work to keep a running list of specific clothing items you need to purchase which will help you to create more outfits.
Rule #3: Have overall less clothing, but more outfit options, with quality pieces.
In reality, you and I probably only wear a percentage of our clothing on a regular basis. This percentage varies from person to person, but I’ve read it can be as low as 20%!
Let’s flip this around and get you closer to wearing 80% of your clothing. Commit to having less in your closet but more outfit options, rule #2. Then as you add more clothing to your closet consider investing in quality and more traditional pieces. Pieces that will provide you with versatility and allow you more outfit combinations. Commit to quality over quantity.
Are you inspired to weed out your closet? I dare you to be a little ruthless. Turn that percentage around! Start wearing more of what you have and love by creating an intentional Capsule Wardrobe(s).
I’m still tweaking things and will be back in May with a full new post covering my new and improved Spring/Summer Capsule Wardrobe. Stay tuned…
Happy Organizing!!!
Want to stay in the know? Never miss updates from MWM by subscribing to my monthly newsletter now!
[mc4wp_form id=”17201″]
