Before you delve into the piece let me state that I am not a blogger, or a writer, neither am I a fashion stylist. I am a Professional Organizer and in this capacity I help my clients navigate most of the topics you will find in this blog. With the rise in popularity of the “Minimalism Trend” other topics are being introduced and talked about in blogs, articles and various medias. Topics like the concept of living with less, consumption reduction, or environmentally unfriendly fast fashion and in general the move toward simpler living. Minimalism also introduced the term “Capsule Wardrobe”, but what is it? BACKGROUND NOTES The term “Capsule Wardrobe” was coined by by Susie Faux, a boutique owner in West End, London back in the 70’s and referred to a collection of basic and classic clothes that would not go out of style and could be paired with seasonal items for multiple seasons and accessorized for various occasions, without having to buy lots of clothing. The concept was further popularized by Donna Karan in 1985 with her “7 easy pieces collection” although her aim was to create a stylish and practical wardrobe for the working woman, with interchangeable pieces that would aid in creating outfits with minimal spending. Nowadays is it routinely featured in blogs, magazines, and even on TV shows, with the rise in expenses, especially in urban areas where space is limited, people are looking for ways to live in a smaller space and a condensed wardrobe is ideal. This is what will be covered about Capsule Wardrobe: WHAT IS A CAPSULE WARDROBE? WHY CHOOSE A CAPSULE WARDROBE? THE BENEFITS THE RULES WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED WHAT IS INCLUDED HOW TO START ONE WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF MY CLOTHES? THE CATEGORIES BASIC PIECES So read further below to find out what is a Capsule Wardrobe and how to start one. WHAT IS A CAPSULE WARDROBE? A capsule wardrobe is a limited, curated collection of articles of clothing, shoes and accessories used as your wardrobe for a certain amount of time, usually 3 months (1 season). Normally it consists of 25-50 pieces of clothing, including shoes and purses, per season. There are rules to adhere to but they are a bit flexible, and not everyone follow the same ones. WHY CHOOSE A CAPSULE WARDROBE?
These are the struggles you face when there is a lack of simplicity and streamlining in your wardrobe, these in turn create a lack or order and organization which leads to the above mentioned struggles. It is a vicious cycle. A capsule wardrobe can help you address those struggles and improve your quality of life. THE BENEFITS OF A CAPSULE WARDROBE They might not be limited to the ones I mention below, but these are the ones I feel affects most people.
THE RULES OF CAPSULE WARDROBE I have visited multiple blogs and sites and there are not RULES set in stone, everyone seems to follow a slightly modified version of rules that works for them, depending on their lifestyle and fashion sense. In my opinion it is best to have and follow Rules in order to keep you from straying, rules give you parameters, so find and apply what works for you. You can modify and create stricter rules as you move forward, get used to the concept and progress on your minimalist journey. With time it will get easier to identify what works for you. With this said here are some basic rules for a “CAPSULE WARDROBE”
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED These items are not included in your Capsule Wardrobe:
I think this is helpful at the beginning of your journey, as you progress and get better at it you might chose to incorporate some of the above into your capsule wardrobe. Some people already do. The idea is to adjust and reduce as you go. WHAT IS INCLUDED
Again this is up to you and flexible, the idea is to do with less and simplify your closet and life, so go with what is comfortable for you but try to include as much as possible. If you notice items from the excluded categories are being used with your daily pieces you must then include them as well. Leggings are a good example, people use them for exercise but on a daily basis as well. HOW TO START A CAPSULE WARDROBE
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REST OF MY LOVE/KEEP PILES? Obviously you will have left over garments after picking your 50 allowed pieces. So what do you do with them? A lot of people mistakenly assume they have to discard them all but it’s not the case. What is left over is stored away. At times you may need to switch items if you identify something does not work for you, especially toward the beginning when you are still adjusting, or you may need to replace an item that got damaged or stained. So your leftover items are where you can shop for new items as long as you keep it below 50. You will also store your out of season clothes, you will need them to assemble your CAPSULE for the other remaining seasons. If you have a large closet you may assign a certain area for your CURRENT CAPSULE and the rest of the closet for storage. It all depends on your space configuration and size. THE CATEGORIES The categories for your Capsule Wardrobe in general are:
BASIC PIECES FOR CAPSULE WARDROBE Blog posts and fashion articles list different versions of the Basic pieces of a Capsule Wardrobe and you may not even need all of these, but here I compiled a list of what is commonly accepted as basics:
Footwear depends on the season but you should have at least one of each:
What a lot of people misunderstand is that the 50 items limit applies to 1 capsule per Season, which means you will have a max of 200 items in your wardrobe in total, plus there are those categories not included like pajamas, underwear, work wear, all in all not a small wardrobe, and although you should try to adhere to the rules there is always room for flexibility. Ready to give it a try? Let me know in comments if you did, and what do you think about this concept? |
AuthorHello, my name is Vicky and I am a Professional Organizer in NYC. I am passionate about anything related to organizing and most of all I fully believe in the benefits of it. Archives
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