How do I create a minimalist/ capsule wardrobe??

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Louish

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Dec 28, 2014
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I'm doing the same thing with my jewellery- I want to strip it right back & actually wear everything I have in my wardrobe (so much just sits there taking up space).

How do I go about creating a capsule wardrobe?
 
I'm doing the same thing with my jewellery- I want to strip it right back & actually wear everything I have in my wardrobe (so much just sits there taking up space).

How do I go about creating a capsule wardrobe?

I love these questions....

Here are my thoughts!

Full disclosure, I have a uniform but not a capsule. The difference is I buy similar shapes in different fabrics, colors (as long as it is black[emoji16]) and weights and so I have a distinct look or uniform. A capsule collection in my definition is buying to maximize the utilization of a certain set or subset of pieces.

First, do you know what you wear most often and whether you have a uniform or distinct look? Your capsule should be based on that. I use a closet style app to assess what I wear a lot of and how I put outfits together.

Second, consider parameters - do you live in a four season climate or single season? You may need climate specific options

Third, consider why you want to build a capsule... if the psychology is misinterpreted or falsely stated for you then you might not keep to the capsule. Remember your prime objective as they say in Star Trek

Four, I would build around a core look and then consider how many variations I wanted to make on the same set. Remember I start with a goal of varying my uniform rather than maximizing my outfit utilization

Ex. Long black skirt plus oversized black sweater plus shoe or boot plus bag plus accessories can become multiple factorial options depending on, for example, if you have two black skirts; four sweaters and 6 shoe options.

It adds up really quickly.

Five, recognize few people but you will truly know how often you wear something. When I graduated from school decades ago and got my first job I wore all black all the time. Even if the outfits had variation I wanted people to get the vague impression of whether they had seen me in xxx Monday VS Wednesday and limit the visual memory hook [emoji3]

Six, decide what can be excluded - I think socks, under garments and t shirts are excluded

Have fun!
 
I'll probably never be "capsule" or "minimalist" but I do buy much less now, make a point to wear what I already own, and only buy an item if I really love it. For basics I only buy those when my current model is worn out or close to it. Like black pants, I just wear the same ones multiple times a week and buy a new pair when it is looking worn. Easy to do for bottoms, tops I like more variety, but I do have a lot already so again, just buying if I really love it. If I only liked simple/plain things I'd hardly ever buy anything, my problem is I love cute/pretty/decorated things.
 
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We are building a new walk-in wardrobe & I really want to take this opportunity to purge my clothes- too much just sits there not worn because I don't love it or it's lost it's shape. I'm fed of of buying a jumper which only lasts one season so I would rather buy better quality but less. I know the colours I like (black, grey, off white, burgundy, emerald green), I know I like skinny bottoms (jeans or patterned leggings), & flowy/baggy tops. I prefer crossbody bags because I have a toddler & I only need to carry a couple of things since he has his own bag. This needs to be my starting point I think
 
Well, I'd start by getting rid of anything that doesn't fit, is worn out, or you don't like it and will never like it. See what's left and then you can determine what you might need to buy to fill in gaps. Even if something is expensive and made of good fabric, it still might wear out if you wear it a lot and/or wash it a lot. I'd make sure to have a nice quality, well fitting pair of pants in each main solid color you like to have (like a black pant, grey pant, off white pant, basic skinny jeans, etc), this way it's easy to pair with any top in your closet.
 
I love these questions....

Here are my thoughts!

Full disclosure, I have a uniform but not a capsule. The difference is I buy similar shapes in different fabrics, colors (as long as it is black[emoji16]) and weights and so I have a distinct look or uniform. A capsule collection in my definition is buying to maximize the utilization of a certain set or subset of pieces.

First, do you know what you wear most often and whether you have a uniform or distinct look? Your capsule should be based on that. I use a closet style app to assess what I wear a lot of and how I put outfits together.

Second, consider parameters - do you live in a four season climate or single season? You may need climate specific options

Third, consider why you want to build a capsule... if the psychology is misinterpreted or falsely stated for you then you might not keep to the capsule. Remember your prime objective as they say in Star Trek

Four, I would build around a core look and then consider how many variations I wanted to make on the same set. Remember I start with a goal of varying my uniform rather than maximizing my outfit utilization

Ex. Long black skirt plus oversized black sweater plus shoe or boot plus bag plus accessories can become multiple factorial options depending on, for example, if you have two black skirts; four sweaters and 6 shoe options.

It adds up really quickly.

Five, recognize few people but you will truly know how often you wear something. When I graduated from school decades ago and got my first job I wore all black all the time. Even if the outfits had variation I wanted people to get the vague impression of whether they had seen me in xxx Monday VS Wednesday and limit the visual memory hook [emoji3]

Six, decide what can be excluded - I think socks, under garments and t shirts are excluded

Have fun!

What about dresses that arent for everyday. Such as when you go to weddings, birthday parties, NYE, etc. How does this fit into a minimalist closet? I have so many items I purchased wore once and never again. I want to revamp my closet as well and just have items I actually use and am having such a hard time!
 
What about dresses that arent for everyday. Such as when you go to weddings, birthday parties, NYE, etc. How does this fit into a minimalist closet? I have so many items I purchased wore once and never again. I want to revamp my closet as well and just have items I actually use and am having such a hard time!

Well what I would do is take out all of those pieces, put them on and even take a few pieces pictures. If you are like me you will realize that a bunch looked good in your imagination but not in real life and can be consigned, donated or binned. This is at least a start.

Then put the rest in categories aka little black dress for winter, little black dress for summer, etc., and get rid of lesser duplicates.

Finally phone a friend and get them to accompany you in doing this. Their eye is more dispassionate
 
it really takes time and skill to get to the ideal capsule wardrobe.
but 1st thing you should do and do it regularly...purge.
if the clothes that you haven't touched in over a year, it's probably the time to let it go.
clothes that you forgot you have, let it go.
clothes that don't fit anymore, let it go....i don't like having the mind set that you'll gain/lose # pounds work.
clothes that have holes in it, let it go.
keep the one that you like to wear....
the biggest part is the ones in between....give yourself a week and go back and look at them. and do it all over again.
once you limit the quantities of your clothes...you can think better to build your capsule wardrobe.

the reason i suggest this, it's because i moved 5 years ago....OMG it was so horrible when i realized i had a lot of clothes. and once i moved in to this apt...i had the rules of one in one out....and i constantly purge. i just purged last month and felt great. i kept a few expensive pieces that don't suit my age anymore...will give them to my niece when i visit my sister next year. i could sell them but i rather hand them down to someone who likes fashion.
i like the fact that i have a small wardrobe and i can see what i can wear and never had an incident that i forgot what i have since i moved. that's a great feeling.
 
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The majority of clothing is black or white. As an example, all pants and skirts and even running clothes are black. All shoes are black. Heels, combat boots, sneakers etc. That creates a uniform line. It’s slimming and heightening. Tops are variations of white. (Certainly color can be added in tops.)
Black Jacket......leather and another wool fitted blazer type.
Color comes in at the assessory level.
If you had a small black H Kelly, it could do everything. Casual as well as dressy. You could get away with one bag.
 
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i think the key is finding shapes that work for you, then limiting your colors.
I have two main shapes that work for me: a long fluted skirt with a relatively fitted top (a turtleneck, v neck sweater, etc.) or slim pants/jeans with a fitted jacket. Most of my seasonal separates are these pieces. These shapes work with almost any shoe that is close to the body (sock or stretch boots, ankle boots, pumps) - because I am petite I keep the line as sleek and monochrome as I can.
For me, for fall/winter/cold spring, I focus on black, dark blue, dark green, and occasionally burgundy/dark red or browns. This keeps me from complete head to toe black and lets me put some color next to my face, but makes it easy to coordinate. If I were going true minimalist I'd try limiting to two main colors.

I find that working from the shape makes it easier to buy pieces that fit in; it's relatively easy to dress in the am; I can vary with a bright piece if I get bored.
 
Well what I would do is take out all of those pieces, put them on and even take a few pieces pictures. If you are like me you will realize that a bunch looked good in your imagination but not in real life and can be consigned, donated or binned. This is at least a start.

Then put the rest in categories aka little black dress for winter, little black dress for summer, etc., and get rid of lesser duplicates.

Finally phone a friend and get them to accompany you in doing this. Their eye is more dispassionate

Besides separating wardrobe by season, how do you divide it by occasion? I have different clothes for work vs going out vs gym/causal running errands. I'm going to be purging my closet this weekend but want to make sure it doesnt over-fill again because of all these different categories of clothing.
 
Besides separating wardrobe by season, how do you divide it by occasion? I have different clothes for work vs going out vs gym/causal running errands. I'm going to be purging my closet this weekend but want to make sure it doesnt over-fill again because of all these different categories of clothing.

I wouldn’t worry about parsing too much to start. First cut should be what looks great and makes you feel awesome when wearing. Second cut should be for things you wear the most. For example, I wear leggings and an oversized sweater, sweatshirt, top 75% of the time so give myself more leeway in those categories.

If you still want to do lifestyle, think about how much time you spend and where - work, casually coach potatoing, parties, teas, or sports and whether your wardrobe is roughly proportional. This is what I would do
 
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I wouldn’t worry about parsing too much to start. First cut should be what looks great and makes you feel awesome when wearing. Second cut should be for things you wear the most. For example, I wear leggings and an oversized sweater, sweatshirt, top 75% of the time so give myself more leeway in those categories.

If you still want to do lifestyle, think about how much time you spend and where - work, casually coach potatoing, parties, teas, or sports and whether your wardrobe is roughly proportional. This is what I would do

Never thought about how much clothes I need in relation to the amount of time I spend there, thats genius!!! I'm pretty excited to purge my closet, aside from things not fitting right I know theres things in there that I dont wear because they just arent my style anymore. I usually have a hard time letting go of clothes but I'm in a this mood to completely reorganize so no better time to do this!
 
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