The Top 3 Misconceptions of the Capsule Wardrobe

I've been talking a lot about the capsule wardrobe with other friends and bloggers lately, and there seems to be this misconception that all the rules of the capsule wardrobe are meant to punish us.  Punishing us from looking trendy, punishing us from shopping, and punishing us from having all the material possessions we want in life.  Another misconception is that all of our clothes can only be in black, white and gray.  All the other minimalist's are promoting these colors. Does that mean we should do it too?  The last misconception is that we can only have winter clothes in our winter capsules and summer clothes in our summer capsule.  This part is very confusing, but I'll explain this gray area here in a minute.

You can't shop or look trendy when you have a capsule wardrobe

Just because you have a capsule wardrobe doesn't mean you can't shop again and you can never wear trendy pieces.  However, I have mentioned that it's better to look timeless rather than trendy, but that doesn't mean that some trendy pieces won't last you several years.  I've literally had the same  off the shoulder dress for three summers and I've worn it to wineries, date nights and even the beach.  Obviously, I'm wearing it as a part of my wardrobe, rather than something to wear for an Instagram picture.  

You can be trendy, but just make the pieces are of good quality in order to get 30 wears or more!

As far as never shopping again, that's so wrong.  You'll definitely shop less, but because you have great quality pieces rather than low quality pieces that lose their shape or fall apart, you won't need to shop as much.  If you have a functional wardrobe already, you'll probably have less impulse buys and only buy things that you really think are essential to your wardrobe.  Looking timeless is a reward, not a punishment.

All your clothes should be black, white and gray

Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of clothes in these colors.  Especially when I first started my own capsule wardrobe, it definitely made things a lot easier for me.  I'm finally stepping out of my comfort zone now that I understand color coordinating by season.  It's still a challenge and it's still my biggest weakness!  This is why I want you to not be afraid to step out of the box and to wear your favorite brightest colors, and assign a color palette for your seasons.

For example, I'm attracted to cool colors and tend to be attracted to blues, greens and purples. This summer the colors I wore in my capsule wardrobe were cobalt blue, turquoise, purple and violet.  In the winter, I would probably wear cool winter colors such as navy blue and burgundy, in addition to black and gray.  However, just because I chose these colors for my color palette doesn't mean that I can't add a warm color such as red or marroon that looks great with these colors.

Only wear seasonal items that match your current season

I've drilled you countless times about putting away non-seasonal items, and now I'm here to tell you that there are some gray areas.  First off, the season in your region might not be the same as what the commercial fashion industry is marketing to you.  They might be marketing summer dresses and shorts, while your region's climate still feels like the dead of winter.  It's not as cut and dried as I made it sound before, but you have to remember that you can create your capsule wardrobe that makes sense to you.  If you live in San Francisco and you still need your winter coat in the dead of June because it's cold outside, then keep your winter coat out until it's time to put it away.

Yes, I wore a dress and a long sleeve chambray at the beach in Mid-August because it was effing cold!!!

Because I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and our area has a lot of microclimates, sometimes the East Bay is in the 80s, San Francisco is in the 60s, and the valley is in the triple digits.  I know, it's craziness, which is why I still keep one cardigan, light jean jacket, thin sweater and hooded sweatshirt in my summer capsule wardrobe.  For those of you who have seasons that are less confusing and you know winter is cold and summer is hot, you won't have to do this, but if your region's seasons have more gray areas, plan it out and include those essential pieces as a part of your seasonal wardrobe.  Basically, let the weather tell you what to wear, not the fashion industry. Obviously, you can prepare yourself and buy for the upcoming season, but remember to look at your current wardrobe to help you decide what you need.

Alright, I hope this has helped you understand that your capsule wardrobe doesn't have to be boring and that the rules are not always set in stone.

If you would like a guide to help you create your own capsule wardrobe, click the link here for my guide on how to kickstart your capsule wardrobe.

Cheers! Shelbi