What is a capsule wardrobe? Who is it for?

Many of you have asked us to explore the topic of capsule wardrobes in a bit more depth. On the one hand, this request didn’t come as a surprise, as after consultations many of my clients feel uncertain about how to start building a conscious, well-thought-out wardrobe. On the other hand, I must admit that this is one of my favorite topics, and honestly, I’m not even sure why it hasn’t come up before—at least not in the form of a blog post.

This current lockdown has turned out to be the perfect opportunity to gather everything you need to know about capsule wardrobes in one longer post—from the history of the capsule wardrobe, through the planning and creation of my own spring version, all the way to showcasing the outfits I have put together from it. I hope you enjoy it!

The history and concept of the capsule wardrobe

In today’s fast-paced and diluted world, everything seems to serve consumer society. The endless yet increasingly low-quality offerings of fast fashion stores, constantly changing trends, and clever marketing tactics encourage us to make impulsive, thoughtless purchases—which, let’s be honest, are completely pointless and unnecessary. I believe the only way to say no to the globalization is through conscious choices. And where better to start (or continue) than with our own wardrobe? For this, the best solution is creating a capsule wardrobe.

The concept of the capsule wardrobe dates back to the 1970s, when Susie Faux, the owner of a boutique in London, introduced a smaller collection of clothing made up of pieces that could be mixed and matched in many different ways. Today, the concept has become widespread around the world—and not without reason, as it offers numerous benefits.

A capsule wardrobe represents a perfectly functioning wardrobe that:

• consists of timeless classics;

• is made up of high-quality pieces;

• is environmentally friendly;

• is budget-friendly;

• is sustainable;

• contains fewer items that are highly versatile and easy to combine;

• fully reflects the wearer and their personality;

• makes getting dressed stress-free;

• simplifies and speeds up morning routines;

• takes up little space;

• and last but not least, includes only pieces that the owner truly loves and enjoys wearing.

I would like to note here that a capsule wardrobe is not for everyone. However, if you feel that the points above resonate with you, it might be worth considering bringing one to life in your own wardrobe.

The purpose of the capsule wardrobe

I find it very important to emphasize that a capsule wardrobe means something different for everyone—that is, it will contain different pieces for each individual. You can only make use of it to its full potential if it is completely tailored to you. You’ll find many capsule wardrobes online, but they are often overly simplified and generic, meaning they are not personalized at all. They fail to take into account who the wearer actually is. As a style consultant, I consider this a major shortcoming. After all, as we know, it matters a great deal which colors, cuts, fabrics, and styles suit someone—and it also matters what they do for a living, what stage of life they are in, and what their own individual style and personality are.

A capsule wardrobe should always be built around a specific theme—based on your personal needs. The most common approach is seasonal capsules, but you can just as easily create an occasion-based, playtime, or even workout capsule wardrobe.

(If you haven’t had a Color and Style consultation yet, I strongly recommend starting the process there. A comprehensive color and style consultation will help you enormously in understanding yourself, your features, and what truly suits you—and what doesn’t. Without this foundation, you won’t be able to create a well-functioning wardrobe. If you’d like to explore my one-on-one, couple, small-group, or even online services, you can do so here.)

The color palette and patterns of my capsule wardrobe

Since I know my colors very well, the first step—selecting the color palette for my capsule wardrobe, including which colors and patterns to include—wasn’t difficult at all. I chose one base color (brown) and three neutrals (navy, beige, and cream) as the foundation, complemented by a single accent color, which is green.

(My color wheel or mini swatch matching your color type can be incredibly helpful when putting together the colors for your capsule wardrobe.)

Let’s not forget about patterns, because without them the overall look can easily become boring and monotonous. My wardrobe includes stripes and checks—whether on tops or accessories—and, of course, my all-time favorite: leopard print.

The most important elements of a capsule wardrobe are the frequently mentioned basics and accessories. For the next step, I selected these according to my own features and lifestyle.

My lifestyle

Another important factor is that I don’t work in a traditional “office,” so I didn’t need business suits or high heels. Still, I like to wear comfortable yet slightly dressier clothes during the weekdays for work, as well as on weekends (depending on the occasion), so my choices reflected that.

The contents of my spring capsule wardrobe

Based on all of this, here is my spring capsule wardrobe, consisting of the following 24 pieces:

Coats/Jackets:

• 1 medium brown leather jacket

• 1 beige trench coat

• 1 dark blue denim jacket

• 1 army green canvas jacket

• 2 cardigans: 1 camel; 1 leopard print

Tops:

• 1 medium blue denim shirt

• 1 striped long-sleeve top

• 1 muted green thin knit top

• 1 dark blue patterned long-sleeve blouse

• 1 white short-sleeve T-shirt

• 1 taupe short-sleeve T-shirt

Pants:

• 1 dark blue skinny jeans

• 1 medium blue mom jeans

• 1 white jeans

• 1 army green paperbag trousers

Shoes:

• 1 pair of white sneakers

• 1 pair of dark brown slip-ons

• 1 pair of leopard print loafers

• 1 pair of nude loafers

• 1 pair of beige ankle boots

Bags:

• 1 dark brown backpack

• 1 medium brown crossbody bag

• 1 sand-colored crossbody bag

Total: 24 pieces

Capsule Wardrobe Outfits

Believe it or not, from my 24-piece capsule wardrobe, I was able to put together at least 100 different outfits. I only stopped experimenting because I got tired of changing clothes—but there are many more possibilities hidden within.

Here are some the outfits I have put together:

The Capsule Wardrobe in Numbers

And finally, a bit of math: If we consider that each season lasts about 3 months—roughly 90 days—and from this 24-piece collection I was able to put together over 100 outfits, that means I coveredall 90 days of the season, and then some!

Incredible, right? And yet it works! Even I didn’t expect to be able to create so many variations, but I did—and along the way, I even came up with new combinations beyond what I originally planned.

Not just for me, but for many capsule wardrobe owners, I can honestly say there’s nothing more liberating and carefree than being able to get dressed every morning from a wardrobe that fully reflects you, where you love and wear every single piece!

Do you want to own a capsule wardrobe too?

If you’re inspired to start dressing from a capsule wardrobe but feel that doing it alone is too much, there are several services and products you can choose from:

• If you feel ready to try on your own and just need a little guidance, sign up for my Your Own Capsule Wardrobe online course!

• If you’d rather leave the planning to me instead of experimenting alone, check out my Capsule Wardrobe Design service!

• If you want to start from scratch and prefer a full package, try my Capsule Wardrobe Coaching program!

• And if you want help creating a more harmonious color palette for your capsule wardrobe, get a color fan or mini swatch based on your color type!