What's a Capsule Wardrobe and Why You Need One

Hey guys! It’s Hannah back on the blog today!

I have a confession. I hate shopping. Well, let me rephrase that… I hate spending money. I have to really really love something to drop some $$ on it- even at Zara or H&M. Yet for some reason, my closet is still overflowing and I constantly run out of hangers. Not to mention I really only wear the same few pieces on rotation. So what’s the deal?

In efforts to slim down my wardrobe, I did some research on a ‘Capsule Wardrobe.’ I’d heard about it before and it always sounded interesting to me. If you don’t know what a capsule wardrobe is, basically it’s a small selection of clothes where everything can work with everything. It focuses on pieces made with quality, personality, and versatility.

So here’s how I created my Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe:

1. Analyze

Think back to the last month of outfits you wore. (Disregarding anything you wear when you lounge around in your house, or anything crazy formal. Also your Halloween costume.) Are there any repeat- pieces? Congrats, those are now a part of your capsule wardrobe. Everything else is either a great add-on or you probably don’t wear it.

2. Clean Out

Step two is to clean out. Like I said before, I have an overflowing closet. I run out of hangers constantly. I finally set some time aside one weekend to clean out my closet. AND my chest of drawers. I think the last time I did a solid clean out was maybe two years ago when I moved into my apartment and let me tell you I have found a way to accumulate a lot of shit.

I threw stuff out that I forgot I even had! Out of sight out of mind is a real thing, and you can either rediscover some great pieces or realize you didn’t miss them at all! If I knew I hadn’t worn it in 6+ months, if it wasn’t on trend anymore or if it flat out didn’t fit me, I folded it up into a trash bag to be donated. Let me tell you it felt GREAT to finally shed all of that.

3. Find Your Happy Number

So in the research I did about capsule wardrobes, there’s a lot of different numbers thrown around for the ~perfect~ wardrobe. Anywhere from 10 pieces all the way up to 37! Some of those lists include accessories as well as clothes, but that’s just way too rigid for me. It works for some people but the thought of literally condensing my closet to just a certain number of things stressed me out.

I like structure with wiggle room, so instead of tossing everything, I built a BASE capsule wardrobe of classics that I can work with.

4. Shop Mindfully

So now that you have a base wardrobe in your head when you DO end up going shopping- always try to relate what you buy back to it. If you can’t find a way to fit in the new piece into at least 2 outfits, you might want to reconsider. If you really want to challenge yourself, do the one in one out rule. If you buy one thing, then you have to get rid of/donate something you already have.

5. My Perfect Base Wardrobe

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I don’t do much color save a red lip every once and a while. So it makes sense that my perfect base wardrobe is all neutrals! To be totally honest I was really surprised at how easy it was to put together my base capsule wardrobe, considering I had been doing it without realizing it for a while now!

I ended up with:

• two bottoms (skirt & jeans)
• two sweaters (camel sweater & oversized grey)
• one t-shirt  (white top)
• one dress (sweater dress)
• two jackets (a trench coat & leather jacket)
• three shoes (tennis shoes, statement mules, & boots)

x Hannah

Photography by Karla Ticas