Hello all- I hope you are all doing well. I have heard some great feedback about the capsule wardrobe post that I wrote several weeks ago, and a lot of people have decided to try it out- hooray!! For some, the beginning of the capsule wardrobe will be easy. But for others, looking into a full closet will feel very overwhelming, both because of the task of trimming it down and the fear of doing it wrong. But let me just ease your mind and tell you that you will make mistakes. See, don’t you feel better (wink, wink)? But as you learn more about your signature style and your clothing preferences through those mistakes, you will gain more confidence in your decision making processes, and eventually the mistakes will be fewer and fewer. I heard one of my favorite “capsule experts” say that each piece you choose for your wardrobe is a case-study; some will not wear well or shrink after washing, some items you just won’t wear much, and some items you will wear quite a bit but you will realize that they don’t, after all, reflect your true style and they should be donated. I have had all of these things happen.
I think one of my biggest mistakes to date with the capsule is when I stray from my comfort zone to try the latest fashion trends. Let me just say, boyfriend jeans are super cute on some, but really not made for everyone. Also, women who wear a larger-than-average shoe size may feel like pointy-toe heels will make your feet look even bigger. And the combination of the two, which is a super-hot trend right now, is probably (um, ok, definitely!) not for me. But these are lessons you will want to learn about yourself, and it’s great- everyone is different, and that is a beautiful thing. These lessons are learned by making mistakes, so be encouraged.
Another lesson I’ve learned is that stores that I used to love may not have what I am looking for anymore. I used to love Anthropologie…like LOVE it. Now, I can’t find anything in their current selections that will work for my spring/summer capsule. That is so strange to me, but I love knowing exactly what I want and not settling for something different. I still plan on shopping at Anthro- they have great quality clothing and their selection is always changing. But I find that I now favor the stores that I used to consider “boring.” So know that if you are starting out with your capsule, it might be helpful to “forget” what you think you prefer and you may be surprised at how much more there is to choose from out there in the retail world that suits your true style and body type better. I am also still a big advocate for second-hand clothing stores- they carry so much variety, they cost less, and it’s like recycling clothing- win-win…win.
Now let’s talk about a topic that I hear most minimalists/capsule wardrobe enthusiasts talk about: minimalism looks different for everyone. This carries beyond the closet. What’s minimal for you and your family situation will be completely different than what is minimal for someone else. What your minimalism looks like will be dependent on your lifestyle, where you live, your hobbies and interests, family size, if you work or not, and even sometimes gender. Here’s what you need to remember: if you have things in your wardrobe or in your home that you use daily, weekly, monthly, etc, then keep it. Don’t feel like you need to get rid of something because your friends/family have less in their home. That is not what minimalism is about. It is about living with YOUR minimal. So if you need more in your capsule wardrobe than what I have or what your friends have, then you’ll have more. And that is just fine. As time goes on, you may even find that you can trim down- and that is the beauty of it; minimalism is a continual process.
An example of how minimalism looks different for everyone is my husband’s capsule wardrobe. He has two capsules: a Fall/Winter/Spring and a Summer. Some people will have one for each season. I fall somewhere in the middle, with what I like to call “Capsule Overlap.” I do not have four distinctly separate capsule wardrobes, but rather, I have pieces that I wear through two or more seasons, or even year round. For example, my layering tanks and my utility jacket are worn year-round, while my down jacket and sandals have specific seasonal capsules that they fit into. This, again, will look different for everyone, but it is nice to know that if you are on a budget, you can have overlap and get more use for your money. Moment of total transparency: I have 77 capsule items, including shoes, in my current and off-season capsules (most of those items are in a storage bin because they are off-season). I have a handful of items to get for spring and summer when that time comes, but I hope the number of items in all four of my capsules never exceeds 90. If my limit for each capsule is 40 items and there are 4 seasonal capsules, (40x4=160) you can see how much overlap there truly is. Ninety is a number that I am very happy with, especially if that is 90 items of clothing/pairs of shoes that I actually wear and love. But 90 may be way too high for some people, and it may be way too low for others; it is all dependent on your personal needs.
I mentioned above the topic of getting more use for your money, and I don’t know that I have discussed my long term capsule goals. My goal is to stop creating new capsules each season after I have completed one full year, and just maintain/tweak the core that I have on hand already. This will probably take a lot more mistakes as I discussed above, but I have hope that I can get to a point where I love everything in my closet each season, and the only time I shop will be to replace worn out or damaged items. I am hopeful that I will be able to trim down to my necessities, but also have enough good quality and well-fitting clothes to be really happy with that minimum. To say that I will never shop again would be a total lie- I know I will age and my figure will change, and so will my tastes. But I hope by that time I will know my signature style well enough to shop smart, and keep considering quality, fit, style, and longevity of what I purchase. I feel hopeful that I am on the right track. And having a great core that only needs maintenance instead of total overhaul will be when the capsule wardrobe really starts working for me, instead of the other way around. To love your clothes and only spend a small amount of time and money on your wardrobe? I’d take that any day!
I hope your transitions to a more minimal wardrobe are going well, and please let me know if there are any specific questions you would like to discuss on the topic (or other topics, for that matter). And as always, thank you for reading!
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