Here’s how to create a fun and inspired personal capsule wardrobe based on everything you love about fashion.
Capsule wardrobes do not have to be boring. They can – and should- be expressions of your personal style, because they are made up of items you love to wear. Most of us wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time, and many of us have bulging closets that are un-inspiring to us. We often have the thought that we have nothing to wear!
Capsule wardrobes can actually solve the problem of a closet full of things you don’t wear, and help you create clusters of “mini” wardrobes that inspire you to mix and match creatively.
A capsule wardrobe begins with 5 – 9 wardrobe staples. These items will be pieces that can take you from day to evening and from season to season. They will interchange with each other to give you lots of function of your pieces with many mix and match variations.
The advice most often found is to begin with classics that include jackets, trousers, shirts or blouses, twin sets, and skirts. That’s what sounds boring to some people!
My advice is to pull out the pieces in your existing wardrobe that you wear the most and love. You will then begin to build and add to those items.
You can create many capsules, because you have many different roles you play in life – so you might have a work capsule, a sport capsule, casual capsule, a Mom capsule, a special occasion capsule, etc. Begin with a capsule that is the biggest percentage of your lifestyle right now.
When I began my journey as an Image Consultant, I had to do some serious looking into my personal style, my closet, and my philosophies about how I dress. I found the exercise of creating capsules in my existing wardrobe to be eye opening. It helped me define my style so that I understand what I’m drawn to and why I choose what I buy.
And a surprise benefit was that it helped me clean out my closet! Once I started pulling out the pieces that I love the most and started building around those pieces to create capsules, I could easily see what needed to go. When I created my capsules, it was fun, and I started to see that there were a lot of variations that created new outfits – things I had never thought to wear together before.
To begin the journey of creating an inspiring wardrobe of pieces that you LOVE – and that will give you more outfits than you ever thought you had before – make sure each capsule is made up of base items that fit you well, look great on you and are quality pieces that will last.
Also, build capsules in your most flattering colors. Then, add the fun pieces that you might only wear for one season, but they work well with your base pieces. If this concept intrigues you, I suggest the following steps:
- Pull out 5 of your favorite base items. These will be the jackets, trousers, skirts and tops that you love and wear the most. In order to be things that interchange, you will need to group the base items by color. A neutral color works well, and you can add accent colors that coordinate. The neutral color you love and wear the most can be navy, black, white, off white, tan, brown, olive, or bronze to name a few.
- Then you begin to add your accent pieces in colors that complement your neutral base pieces, and this is where the fun begins! Denim works well with any color and can work with casual as well as casual elegant styles. Dark denim jeans can be dressed up beautifully with silk blouses and beautiful jackets. A great fitting jean jacket layers over many things, so definitely incorporate your favorite denim pieces into your capsules.
- Spice up your capsules by adding fun pieces that are seasonal or that are trendy if you are a Fashionista who loves to be wearing what is current. These items may only stay in your wardrobe for one or two seasons. The idea is to refresh your capsule wardrobes with new items that work back with the pieces you love.
- Purge the mediocre items in your closet you aren’t wearing. As you are looking at the pieces you are purging, see if you have any insights as to why you are not wearing them, so you don’t keep making the same mistakes when shopping.
When I did this, I came up with 3 capsules.
My favorite is with olive as my base color, and my accent colors are brighter shades of green – including lime green, navy, purple, and gold.
My other capsules are navy with copper, orange and off white, and a smaller capsule of bronze with black that I need to work on and add to. I discovered that I love prints and beautiful, luxurious fabrics like satins, jacquards, and metallics. I now have a closet of things that I love and that coordinate well. I’m creating new outfits by pairing together things I’ve never worn together before. A few people have commented that I look like I have elevated my style, and it’s because I am dressing in my preferred signature style now that I have identified what I love, and worked out color schemes that look great on me.
You can easily add on to your capsules to be 25 – 50 pieces. Your handbags, shoes, and accessories will be in the colors of your capsules, and when it is in a color scheme that you love, and is made up of pieces that you enjoy wearing with lots of mix and match variations, you will want to build on it. You don’t have to quit shopping if it’s something that you love to do. The goal is to LOVE everything you buy. You will find your style and be happier with your clothing choices by creating a wardrobe that inspires you.
Connie Sims is a Certified Image Consultant and owns Wildflower Boutique in Naples, Florida. You can visit the shop directly at:
Wildflower Boutique
4222 Gulf Shore Blvd North
Naples, Florida 34103