Whittled Wardrobe

by nance In Writing 7 Comments

I’ve never been known as a very fashionable person.  I don’t live under a rock or anything but in all my various groups of friends, I would never be known as “the fashionable one.”  Maybe the funny one.  I’ve always been the loyal sidekick sort.  Sometimes the brainy one.  Depends on which friends are around me.    But fashion has never been my forte.   So when I mentioned my wardrobe idea to Jason, he literally laughed in my face and told me it was a terrible idea.  We actually had a fight about it.  Which of course meant that I had to do it.

I wanted to make myself a “capsule wardrobe.”   According to wikipedia, the term is widely used in British & American fashion media.  I had never heard of it (please see preceding paragraph) but saw this pin on Pinterest and the capsule part piqued my interest.   Wikipedia also tells us that “the term has come to refer to a collection of clothing which is designed using only interchangeable items, in order to maximize the number of outfits which can be created. The aim is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing.”  Ever since I overhauled the playroom, I’ve been intrigued by the idea of simplifying and ridding our house of excess.  My wardrobe sounded like a great place to keep the momentum going.

Jason’s concerns were valid.  He thought I was (a) planning to purchase a lot of new clothing, (b) going to get rid of most/all of my current clothing, and (c) perhaps a wee bit overambitious since I’m not, you know, “that into the fashion thing,” as he put it.  He told me I should run the idea by some friends first.  Which I dutifully did.  And then I set to work.

The only problem was that I had NO idea how to do it.  I didn’t want to buy a bunch of new stuff (kind of defeats the purpose, right?) and I wasn’t sure I had the right types of things to make a small wardrobe with interchangeable pieces.  I researched and read up and in the end used this blog post to get the ball rolling and give me a rough guide of what to do.  I combined some steps, skipped some others, and managed to make my Fall/Winter Capsule wardrobe in about 4 days.   I now have a wardrobe that consists of 40 items, including belts, scarves and shoes.   Everything else is boxed up and tucked away.  Check it out.

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Here’s the breakdown:

  • Belts: 3
  • Shoes: 5
  • Pants: 6
  • Dresses: 2
  • Outwear: 6
  • Layering long sleeves: 2
  • Cotton shirts: 4
  • Button downs: 2
  • Other tops: 4
  • Sweaters: 2
  • Scarves: 4

Other details:

  • Everything in “the capsule” meets the following criteria: I like the look, the fit, the color, and the details.  And most are interchangeable.
  • Although I did not count my jewelry in the 40 items, I did box up about 2/3 of my jewelry and I don’t think I’ll miss it.
  • I also decided that the turquoise pair of shoes would be an “interchangeable” pair (I just made that up).  Just in case I need to wear tennis shoes or something.
  • I did not include workout clothing or loungewear.

I’ve now been dressing from my capsule wardrobe for a little over a week and here are my initial thoughts…

  • 40 items is still an absurdly high number of clothing items.  Who needs 6 pairs of pants?  I mean, really?   This is definitely something that only a person of privilege would do.
  • Jason heard a podcast (of course) about how decision-making is stressful.  If you can minimize the amount of decisions that have to be made “in the moment” in your day, the less stress you will feel.  Having fewer choices makes deciding what to wear a lot easier.  I’ve been picking out my outfit the night before and it’s been a game changer for me in the morning.
  • I have a TON of space in my closet now!  I really like a de-cluttered, tidy, well organized space and my closet now fits the bill.
  • I am more motivated to take good care of my clothing because there isn’t as much of it.
  • I have a list of items that I would like to upgrade or change about my current capsule.  A white button down, a new pair of brown flats – that sort of thing.  So when I find myself shopping (an admittedly rare occurrence), I won’t just buy things willy nilly.  I’ll look for those specific pieces that will go with the capsule.   I was home visiting my family last week and it worked.  I went out with my mom and sister for an afternoon and I only looked for those specific pieces to purchase.
  • Speaking of going home, having a whittled down wardrobe made packing MUCH easier.  Again, fewer choices.

What do you think?  Will I regret this?  So far I don’t think so.   Even if I do, you know I won’t be admitting it to Jason!