Guest Post by Jennifer Mapp Bressan: Why Don't You Fake Your First Capsule Wardrobe?
Jenn Mapp Bressan is the brainchild behind MappCraft | Tiny Closet Tons of Style. She helps women find their personal style from the clothes in their existing closet. This week, she's taking over Urban Girl's Closet where she shares how to fake a capsule wardrobe by "trimming the fat" from your closet.
Fake It Till You Make It
Intrigued by the idea of a capsule wardrobe but paralyzed at the thought of chucking most of your clothes? Try a Tiny Closet “practice purge” instead. Take a few hours to weed out questionable items (I suggest starting with the closet fat listed below) and simply store them out of sight for 3 months. If you really miss something you can grab it back. After your practice purge is over you’ll feel empowered to gift, donate or resell your closet cast offs with confidence.
5 Types of Closet Fat
There are several easy to trim areas where you typically store "closet fat." Practice purge these items first and you'll quickly cut your closet weight in half - or more.
1. Off Season – Nearly 50% of the closet clutter I confront is visual distraction. Start simple: remove every off season item (clothes, outerwear, footwear and accessories) and store in a secondary closet.
2. Ill Fitting – If it doesn’t fit, don’t front. Box it up!
3. Lifestyle Lapse – Life, jobs and circumstances are always changing. So often we hold on to garments that don’t reflect our current lifestyle. If you used to work in a law office and now you’re at home with the kids you don’t need a bevy of blazers. SAHM re-entering the work force? To the bin you go, LuLaRoe!
4. Denim Dungeon – Let me guess. You have 25 pairs of skinny jeans. Keep the 3-5 pairs you actually wear and pack away the rest.
5. “But It Has Tags!” aka Impulse Purchases – It has tags because you bought it on impulse and it matches nothing or fits funny. Return it. Too late for a refund or exchange? Commit to wearing it in the next 10 days or pack it up.
Man, You've Got a Tiny Closet!
After your dead closet weight is packed away take a good look at what’s left. I’m guessing it’s the clothes you actually love – clothes that fit, flatter and make you feel fantastic. Challenge yourself to wear only these garments for a season. If there are glaring wardrobe gaps (typically, my clients need to add more neutral basics) make a list and shop slowly, with intention.
Or, if you are in the Washington DC area, you can always call me and we can tackle your closet together. I’ll even make you outfit formulas and teach you how to accessorize. But don't take my word for it! MappCraft | Tiny Closet, Tons of Style® was named Best Service to Pair Down Your Closet by Washingtonian Magazine.
Your Turn!
Show me your tinier closet! Join MappCraft | Tiny Closet, Tons of Style® Survival Guide FB group for daily style challenges, outfit shares, live #OOTD videos and lots of capsule chatter and inspo. Plus, everyone is so nice!
Personal style consultant and branding expert Jenn Mapp Bressan is a reformed shopaholic who whittled her own enormous closet—spanning four dress sizes and filling three rooms—to between 35 and 40 core garments she loved and actually wore. Now a big believer in this kind of “capsule wardrobe,” she rehabs closet junkies such as WRC-TV’s Angie Goff and The Walking Dead’s Ann Mahoney by applying her “Tiny Closet, Tons of Style®” editing philosophy to their wardrobes.
MappCraft | Tiny Closet, Tons of Style® started as a capsule wardrobe blog and quickly morphed into a closet coaching business and vibrant online community. Every weekday Jenn delivers style challenges and live outfit videos to over 1K women in the MappCraft | Tiny Closet Survival Guide private Facebook group, inspired by her capsule wardrobe e-book of the same name. You can find Jenn at www.mappcraft.com and @tinyclosettonsofstyle. Join the Tiny Closet, Tons of Style® community at https://www.facebook.com/groups/tinyclosettonsofstyle/