Capsule wardrobes are becoming more and more popular, and with good reason! They help you develop your personal style, ensure you have an outfit you love for every occasion, and they help save the environment. What’s not to love? I knew all about capsule wardrobes, in theory. I even had a Pinterest board for capsule wardrobe ideas, but I never managed to follow through with creating one in real life.
Fashion isn’t exactly my area of expertise. I tend to throw on one of my five favorite shirts, my dark-washed jeans and call it good enough. One shirt, five different ways? Not happening. I wore one shirt one way, without fail! I would open my closet up to my 100+ items of clothing and complain that I have no clothes to wear. Sound familiar?
However, all of that changed after I had a session with a local closet stylist, Martine from Martine A La Mode. I knew right away that working with her would be a good fit for me. I could see from her Instagram feed that she was sustainable-savvy and knew all about capsule wardrobes. If you’re new to the world of sustainable fashion, I highly recommend checking out this brief introduction before reading on. There are many ways to participate in sustainable fashion, with a capsule wardrobe being one of them.
Martine and I started with a closet full of well over 150 pieces. In a two hour session, we easily slimmed it down to a 50 piece seasonal capsule wardrobe. This doesn’t include undergarments, pajamas, or yoga pants/leggings. We boxed up summer clothes (more on that below) and separated comfy/PJ clothes so that they didn’t count in our final count.
I learned 13 distinct lessons from my two hour session with Martine. I jotted them down to share with you, so that you can gain from my capsule wardrobe experience too! Here they are.
Disclosure: Martine gifted me with this capsule wardrobe session, but I am sharing my personal experience with you because I wholeheartedly loved the session and want to share it with my readers.
1. You need less clothing than you think.
Martine helped me sort through my clothing to decide what didn’t fit with my style (which by the way, is officially boho casual). Having someone else there to help me sort through my clothes helped hold me accountable for all the clothing I own but don’t love or don’t wear. Donate anything you own that you have duplicates of, clothes that don’t fit into your style, or anything you haven’t worn recently.
2. Shop with intention.
Developing a capsule wardrobe helped me see what holes exist in my wardrobe. Martine and I made a list of the items of clothing I should keep an eye out for, that will help pull together everything I already own. That list is short. Denim jacket, long flowery dress, plain black sweater. Those are the only three items on my shopping list. Shop for clothing with intention and don’t make impulse purchases.
3. Your personal style matters.
Style? I didn’t realize I had a style. Do I WANT to have a style? Of course! Martine immediately pinpointed my “boho casual” style and we were able to clean out any clothing that didn’t fit into that style. Your style tells the world who you are without you ever having to say a word. Before my session, my style wasn’t telling anybody much of anything.
Decide what your style is and start a Pinterest board dedicated to it. A quick Pinterest search of “style icons” will get you headed in the right direction. Having a hard time figuring out your style? Ask a few friends and family members. Sometimes it’s easier for other people to see than it is for you to recognize it.
4. Let go of clothing that has rips or stains.
I know, this should be a given. I had quite a few shirts I decided to let go of that I had dubbed my “comfort” shirts. Yes, they have holes but I’ve had that shirt since high school! Martine brought up a good point though. If you hold onto a shirt that’s stained, then you’ll never replace what needs to be replaced. If you want to have a minimal capsule wardrobe, every piece in it needs to be able to be worn in multiple ways. A stained or ripped shirt? It’s just not making the cut.
5. Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale.
Living on base, I have access to a LOT of free or cheap clothes. With the circular economy of living on an overseas base, there are so many secondhand options. We literally have two thrift stores on base, one where the clothes cost and one where everything is free. I’m constantly grabbing clothes from the thrift stores because they’re free, cheap or on sale.
This goes back to shopping with intention. Don’t fill your closet up with clutter just because it was on the sales rack. No matter how cheap it was, it’s not worth it if you’re not going to wear it anyways or if it doesn’t fit into your capsule wardrobe!
6. Take better care of your clothes.
I was stunned when Martine gestured down at the black sweater she wore and said “This has never been in the washing machine once. I hand wash it every time.” I absolutely don’t have a track record of taking care of my clothes that carefully. Now that I own significantly less clothing, I am less overwhelmed and can take better care of what I do own.
When you own less clothes, you can care for them better. When you’ve shopped with intention for pieces that fit your style that you truly love, you will want to take care of them so they last forever. Take care of your clothes and they’ll take care of you.
7. Wear one shirt, many ways.
Martine taught me how to wear one article of clothing many different ways. For example, this cardigan below I only ever wore when I dressed up. With one specific dressy shirt. Other than that, it never made it out of my closet.
Look at all the different ways this cardigan can be worn! Not to mention, I’ve also been wearing it as loungewear (no more ripped sweatshirts, guys!).
If you’re having a hard time figuring out how to wear one piece of clothing many different ways, check out this post I found on Pinterest. Seriously, Pinterest is your best friend for getting started with a capsule wardrobe! Even a quick Google search “denim shirt many different ways” has so many suggestions. You can do it!
8. Box up clothes that aren’t in season.
We boxed up all of my summer clothes. They don’t count in my 50 piece capsule wardrobe count. When warmer weather hits Japan, I can take the box down and take out all of my beloved summer clothes! Instead of being tempted to go out and shop for new clothes, I’ll have a whole box of clothes that are season appropriate, that I already love, that fit me, and that I haven’t thought about in months! When clothes are carefully folded in a box instead of hanging up or being crumpled in the bottom of a drawer 365 days a year, they will absolutely last longer. Take care of your beloved clothes!
9. Shop your own closet.
If you have a special event coming up, shop your own closet instead of shopping at the store. Nine times out of ten, you already have something you can wear. Sometimes you may need a second set of eyes to help you out. Call up a more fashion-inclined friend, hire a closet stylist (Martine does virtual consults if you don’t have anyone local!), or ask your roommate. If you’re like me, you tend to see one outfit as belonging to one category of events. Going back to the cardigan example, I only saw it as a piece that I could wear to dress up in. Now I’m wearing it all the time!
10. Buy timeless pieces.
Invest in clothing that won’t go out of style. Some examples for women are: a little black dress, a button down shirt, a trench-coat and a blazer. While there used to be four fashion seasons in the year, there are now 52 “micro-seasons” in a year. New trends come out every week. Avoid getting pulled into this toxic cycle of consumerism altogether. By following timeless fashion instead of fast fashion trends, you’re guaranteed to always be in style and on-trend.
11. A capsule wardrobe saves you time.
This is one of the pros of a capsule wardrobe I noticed immediately. Instead of trying on tons of different outfits, I already know I have an outfit that matches my style and the occasion at hand. Instead of needing to sift through piles of clothes to pick out an outfit, you already know what outfits are in your closet. You know that you can wear that black sweater with a) a pencil skirt for date night, b) with slacks and a necklace for your work meeting, or c) with sweatpants if you’re lounging around the house.
12. Don’t wear it if you don’t love it.
If it’s not something you absolutely love, it doesn’t belong in your capsule wardrobe! That’s the beauty of it. With such a minimal clothing selection, each item of clothing should fit well, make you feel incredible, and give you all the confidence in the world. There’s no space in a 50 item (or 40, or 30 item) capsule wardrobe for something you don’t like.
13. Buy high-quality clothes that will last years.
Not all clothing is made to last. In the fast fashion world we live in, the quality of our clothes is in rapid decline. Check the label before you buy something new. What’s it made of? Opt for natural fibers such as wool, cotton, and linen. Look at the price tag too; you get what you pay for.
Good quality clothes will cost you. If a garment is cheap, either the fabric or the labor was cheap. In most cases, both. Either way, it’s best to steer clear of those. Shop secondhand or be willing to pay a higher price tag for clothes that will last. Here are some more helpful tips for choosing sustainable fashion.
My Experience with a Capsule Wardrobe Designer
I honestly would not have been able to accomplish what I did without Martine’s help. There are lots of resources available for you to start your own capsule wardrobe, but I just didn’t have the time, motivation or fashion know-how to do it on my own. This session with Martine was an actual life-changer for me. If you want more capsule wardrobe info, secondhand shopping tips and other basic styling tricks, definitely follow along with Martine on Instagram or Facebook!
I learned so many valuable lessons from working with Martine and am so grateful I’m able to share them with my readers! I’m now on a quest to eliminate even more clothing from my closet, shop secondhand for a few key pieces, and perfect my own style. Feeling good in the clothes you wear is so important. When you have an amazing outfit on that you love, you feel like you can change the world. And trust me, you can!
It’s great that you touched on being held accountable for the clothing that needs to be thrown away. My sister is moving to a home that won’t have closets in the rooms. She needs to buy some wardrobes and clear out her clothes to make sure everything fits in the new home.
Yes, that’s a really important piece of the puzzle to keep in mind. I remember when the Marie Kondo faze was sweeping the world–I can’t even imagine how much clothing ended up in dumpsters!
[…] been able to use twice now (for my first experience, check out the article I wrote a year ago: 13 Lessons I Learned from Working with a Capsule Wardrobe Designer. Even better, Martine also takes clients virtually, so there’s your […]