How to Curate a Capsule Wardrobe.
Want to have a curated wardrobe of pieces that you love and never stress about having ‘nothing to wear’ despite having a jam packed wardrobe (or two!)? Follow these steps to curate a capsule wardrobe of your own.
Choose the ‘system’ you will be using. Courtney Carver’s Project 333 which is a 3 month challenge using 33 pieces is a good place to start if you are someone that likes clear rules https://bemorewithless.com/simplify-your-closet/
I personally use and love Jennifer L. Scott’s 10-item wardrobe concept which is 10 ‘core’ pieces excluding various other items such as outerwear, t-shirts, special occasion wear etc. If you are someone that is going to be temped to have a large amount of ‘non core’ items without set boundaries then Project 333 will suit you better. https://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-ten-item-wardrobe-is-freeing.html
A good way to trial the above concepts is to designate a separate area for your ‘capsule wardrobe’. This way you can see if the concept works for you and your lifestyle and you can be ruthless when culling your items as you won’t be donating or discarding them straight away.
Collate inspiration images of styles and colours that you are drawn to that you would like your capsule wardrobe to consist of. I am personally drawn to neutrals and and find them easiest to mix and match. I am also less likely to ‘tire’ of them and end up keeping items in my wardrobe for longer - allowing me to have more money to spend on higher quality pieces in the long run. Be realistic about whether the styles you have chosen is going to suit your lifestyle (this coming from a repeat offender!)
Remove all items from your wardrobe. Go through your items and decide what you would like to include in your capsule wardrobe using your images from step 3 as your guide. As you are going through this process feel free to let go of any items that you know you will no longer wear. Any items that you are not ready to part with can be stored back into your ‘non capsule wardrobe’ area for now including any items that are not suited to the current season (i.e. a winter coat will be stored away during summer will be a ‘winter capsule wardrobe’ item)
Rinse and repeat step 4 until you have the number of items required depending on the system you chose in step 1.
Implement using your capsule wardrobe. I would suggest a commitment of at least 1 month to see if it is something that adds value to your life.
If your trial goes well, store away any future capsule wardrobe items that you will use that is not suited to the current season (e.g. winter coat scarves, boots if it is currently summer). Take the plunge and donate, sell or as a last resort discard the items that did not make it into your capsule wardrobe.
Happy curating! xx
Photo by Amanda Vick on Unsplash