What is a Capsule Wardrobe?
I've been a "lean closet enthusiast" since my old college days when I also had a very lean wallet. At that point in my life, even buying items at a consignment shop was a lot of money to me, so I just kept a "thin" closet and didn't throw anything too trendy or crazy in my wardrobe. Fast forward to a few months after I had my son, and I still wasn't able to fit into my pre-pregnancy clothing. I needed to buy all new sizes of everything, but I was really hoping to fit into my ridiculously tiny items of clothing I had before I got pregnant. Because I was banking on getting back to my old size, I bought a bunch of clothing on sale that I thought were good deals to get me through until I got back to my so called "normal" size.
Unfortunately, these clothes didn't last long and I was still hoping to fit into my old skinny jeans. Not only did I have a bunch of cheap new clothing in my closet that didn't look good on me anyway, I also had all my old clothes that I was saving in hopes I would eventually fit back into them. In addition, my life style had changed. Prior to having my son, I worked in a corporate office in Silicon Valley, I went to weddings and parties at least once a month, and my husband and I had weekly date nights. After having my son, I never went anywhere and I barely had time to make decisions about what I was going to wear for the day. To sum it all up, all of my clothes in my closet, old and new, didn't make sense for the new life I was living. I literally had nothing to wear.
I started googling ideas on how to transform my current wardrobe until I landed on a site about the capsule wardrobe. From there, I found tons of articles and blogs based on having a minimal wardrobe or a capsule wardrobe. It was exactly what I was looking for. In short, most of the articles described it as having between 30-40 pieces of seasonal clothing (not including workout wear, pajamas and undergarments). The term was coined by Susie Faux in the 1970s. She suggests you should have a small amount of high quality clothing pieces rather than buying a ton of cheap clothing items, and every piece should be able to be worn together with any other item in your closet for that season. Furthermore, you need to get rid of the clothes you already have that don't fit your current lifestyle.
So I tried it out, loved it, and haven't looked back since! Overall, the capsule wardrobe has made my life simpler. Getting dressed in the morning isn't stressful and if I need some special holiday outfit like an ugly Christmas sweater, I just borrow it from a friend. Maybe having a minimal closet isn't for everyone, but I'll tell you it's working for my current lifestyle. In addition, it's sustainable and better for the environment, which is a whole other blog topic in itself that I don't want to get into right now. I'll save that rant for later.
By the way, here is a guide for you if you're interested in starting a capsule wardrobe. It's a short read so it will only take a few minutes of your time.
Alright everyone, I'll have more on the capsule wardrobe in the next post this month. Until then, let me know what you think about the capsule wardrobe! Is it for you? Would you be interested in purging your clothes in order to have a simpler closet? I'd love to read your feedback! Also, please don't forget to subscribe to this blog if you haven't already and to follow me on my Facebook page.
Ciao, Shelbi