Overwhelmed by the morning rush? Capsule wardrobes will re-invent your morning routine so you can look and feel good all day.
What is a capsule wardrobe?
Do you often spend your mornings one step behind, tired and stressed, frustrated over finding the perfect outfit while wading through piles of clothes? You aren’t alone. In fact, recent studies have found that the average woman has a hundred and three, or more, items of clothing in her wardrobe. That is a lot of items to sift through in the morning. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you’re more likely to go out and impulse shop. This starts what feels like a never-ending cycle of buying clothes you think you need and hoarding them away, never to see the light of day. Enter the capsule wardrobe, a minimalistic way of expressing yourself minus the morning stress. It also saves you money while fighting fast fashion and unnecessary clothing waste. A typical capsule wardrobe will contain about 25-50 pieces, but the less the better. The goal is to have a couple of options of each type of clothing, with colours that you can mix and match together, to help you curb impulse spending, free up your mornings, and ultimately make you feel like you are in control of your fashion.
How to get started
Let’s say you’d like to try and build a capsule wardrobe of thirty items of clothing. Excluding underwear and active wear, this list will help you find the right ingredients to build a sustainable and functioning capsule wardrobe.
- TOP TEN TOPS
Find what colours speak to you and compile accordingly. Whether it is neutral, natural tones, or bright and funky, find your style and collect tops that embody that. A good rule to go by is to have at least five of your tops to be base colours, like white or black, that can go with anything while still looking stylish. - FIVE WAIST-DOWN ESSENTIALS
A good pair of jeans, a nice pair of dress pants, and a flowy skirt can go a long way. - FIVE FULL BODY FAVES
Either for a party, or just a casual outing, it’s a good idea to have some dresses in your capsule wardrobe. The classic LBD – little black dress – is a wardrobe staple for a reason, and consider what you might need for summer occasions. - FIVE CORE COATS
Find jackets that pair well with your base shirt colours, so you can mix and match accordingly. Earthy, neutral colours will go with most outfits. Remember to mix up the material weights so you have something appropriate for each season. - FIVE FOOT FASHIONS
Keep these neutral enough that they can go with any of your capsule wardrobe outfits, and bear in mind the season. A good pair of sandals, white sneakers, and black dress heels are classic staples that will go well with any outfit.
What comes next
Of course, these are all changeable to suit whatever your style is. If you don’t like to wear dresses, for example, you can add five more jackets, or add an entirely new category. It’s up to you. Find the base of your style and build on top of that. If you do need to buy new clothes, invest in quality over cost.
While it may be more expensive in the moment, that item will last you longer than any cheap material will. But soon enough, you’ll have a capsule wardrobe that will last you a long time, and have you feeling stylish every day.
