I know capsule wardrobes get a lot of heat for being boring or too small, or how can one possibly get along with only two pairs of jeans or one black t-shirt?
But here is the thing that I think people may miss: a capsule wardrobe can have however many pieces you want. There is no arbitrary rule stating you must have X number of pieces or you get kicked out of the capsule wardrobe club. They don’t take away your minimalism fan club identification card, if you have more than one striped shirt.
A capsule wardrobe can have however many pieces that make sense for you and your lifestyle.
A few weekends ago, I did a massive wardrobe clean-out of my closet. You can read more about that here.
When I was done, every single item that I had placed on a hanger, was indeed a piece I would wear and wear often. Gone were the “just-n-case” clothes. Out the door went anything that I didn’t LOVE. Yes, the word love is in capital letters because that is how I had to feel about the item. I wanted to be able to get dressed in the morning effortlessly and seamlessly. No more hemming and hawing in the a.m. trying to figure out what fits and what doesn’t.
Every piece in my closet fits me and I enjoy wearing them.
I also realized that living in Southern California does not require two separate seasons of wardrobes. I don’t need to have separate winter and summer clothing because our weather here just really requires a healthy affinity for layering.
For example, in the winter it can be in the 60’s during the day. But we will also have random days during winter where it can be 75F or 80F outside. And then at night, it can drop down into the 40’s. So being here just requires layering of clothes for when it is cold. No layering required if it is warm 🙂
Now that may not be the exact definition when it comes to capsule wardrobes but the beauty of the thing, is that it works for wherever you live, whatever climate you are currently habitating.
My learning of capsule wardrobes and how to utilize then came from the blog of Jessica Rose Williams and her printable helped me do my sorting! 🙂
I also learned quite a bit from blogger Sarah Anne Hayes. She has this super informative article, Slow Fashion For a Simple Life, which I found to be super helpful.
“We associate comfort with things like yoga pants and oversized t-shirts and convince ourselves we just have to deal with pants that dig into our waist and shoes we can barely walk in. The truth is, you can look amazing and be comfortable if you choose to be. You don’t have to sacrifice function for fashion”. -Sarah Anne Hayes
For me personally, I guess I would call my style “California Casual”. My every day outfit is jeans and a t-shirt, and a pair of Converse. If it is chilly outside, I throw on a cardigan or a sweater/jacket. In the summer, my converse are still worn, but I also wear flip-flops. My jeans make way for shorts, and occasionally I am rocking a tank-top.
That’s it. No other bells and whistles.
I also tend to wear the same colors over and over again. I have reached an age where I know what colors go with my skin tone and which do not. I am also not a big color person to begin with, so neutrals have always been my go-to.
When I sorted out my closet, I stuck to a specific palate to make it easier to get dressed. I stuck to four colors as these are the ones I tend to wear over and over again:
• Grey
• White
• Blue
• Khaki or Olive Green
That’s it. Those are my four main colors. I do own a black cardigan as well a black skirt and even though those two items don’t fall into my main four colors category, that is okay. The skirt is an all-purpose skirt which can be worn to just about anything, be it church or a night out. I have owned this skirt for over 15 years and that baby has held up all this time! I am not going to get rid of it just because it isn’t a specific color that I normally like. I don’t like wearing dresses or skirts to begin with, so having just one skirt to fit all my needs, works perfectly for me!
My closet is functional and it actually is nice to have a bunch of empty hangers!
I know this post is super long, but if there is anything that I missed that you have questions about or are curious and wondering just how many pieces of clothing I actually own, please let me know in the comments! 😉
Chucks! You can’t be a SoCal girl without a pair! I agree that layering is key because the temps can really fluctuate so much during the day, which was something I wasn’t used to in Minnesota. When it’s cold, it stays cold, same with when it’s mild and when it’s hot and humid. I’m trying to pare down my wardrobe, although not necessarily turning it into a capsule wardrobe but not opposed to it either. But I’m holding onto some clothes that don’t fit, too small, as a point of pride. Bought ages ago, and likely not really in style, but I bound and determined to at least wear them once. To say I can. And I also have some too big clothes too. I didn’t keep them as fall-back clothes, per se, because I know that can tempt bad behavior, but the are my former office clothes. I go back-and-forth about returning to Corporate America so I keep them just in case I need them.
For at least a year or two, I kept my “office attire” after giving birth to my oldest daughter, even though I was staying home with my baby and not planning on going back to work at all. I realized that even if I did go back to work in an office environment, these clothes were faded and had been dry-cleaned one too many times, and were altogether just uncomfortable. I get it about holding on to them, though 🙂
And yes to Chuck’s!!!! My favorite shoe to wear! 🙂