I recently had a discussion with a couple of clients that are environmentally aware, the discussion led us to possible options on how to dispose of certain items and the tons of clothes and packaging disposed of everyday. A scary thought! So I did a little research in my free time and I wanted to share with others what I found. There are great options for those that are ready to do their part in keeping our planet happy! One of those options is offered by Nordstrom, and I was pretty impressed with their website and their commitment to reuse and recycle. Nordstrom runs 2 programs: - BEAUTYCYCLE which aims to recycle tons of empty beauty packaging. - A CLOTHING DONATION program with 2 options, either visiting a drop-off donation site or mail-in option. According to their website the clothing collected in NYC are donated to Housing Works those collected in California and Washington are donated to Goodwill. This will give you the option of recycling both clothing, shoes and beauty products containers all in one location, and you can drop them off before you go shopping. NORDSTROM BEAUTYCYCLE This program aim to collect empty beauty products packaging that cannot be recycled otherwise and would end up in the landfill, like empty shampoo bottles, lipstick cases etc, items we usually discard in the trash. Think about the impact on the planet! This program is made easy by having collection bins in the Beauty Section of Nordstrom stores nationwide where you can drop off your empty containers before you shop, probably even if you don't plan on shopping. All you have to do is collect them at home and drop off when visiting a mall or store. Below you can see accepted and not accepted items, for detailed information visit the Beautycycle link above. Beautycycle is a program that partners with Terracycle, an organization that recycles all kinds of materials that are not recyclables by local entities. Here is their website https://www.terracycle.com/en-US You can visit Youtube for a video on how Beautycycle works: https://youtu.be/Dn07pPtMk6M CLOTHING DONATION BINS According to Nordstrom website there are collections bins in store in Washington, California, and New York state. All other states would have to use their mail-in program partnered with Give Back Box which allows you to ship boxes of donated clothing, shoes and accessories for free. All donated items in Washington and California will be sent to Goodwill, items collected in New York will be sent to Housing Works which is a non-profit that provides services and programs for people living with HIV/AIDS. This will not only save tons of usable clothing from ending up discarded in a landfill but it will be given new purpose by serving others in need. MAIL-IN PROGRAM
If you live in a state where Drop Off bins are not an option you can take advantage of Nordstrom Mail-In program in partnership with Give Back Box a non profit that focus on recycling unwanted goods by allowing people to use any box to ship their donations free of charge. Follow this link to Nordstrom Donation program to find store locations for drop off, details for Mail-in program, and answers to FAQ This link instead will bring you to Give Back Box website where you can learn more and print your free shipping label. I am still researching options and there is a lot of information to sift through so I will update this post with new info in the future. 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
January 2024
Categories
All
|