How to build a capsule closet in 4 easy steps
How to build a capsule closet
In a world fueled by overconsumption and mass wastage, it’s only natural that those looking to be more sustainable are shifting towards capsule wardrobes. Based on the idea that a few staple pieces of each clothing category can ensure you always look chic, a capsule wardrobe is viable for anyone. While there’s no need to reduce your closet to only a few pieces, cutting down your unnecessary items and donating them to a good cause whilst staying cute as ever sounds like a not bad choice to me!
1. Explore your style needs and wants
Whether it’s your job, work, comfort, or personal style - analyze your own closet for what you normally wear on a day-to-day basis. Look at your preferences in clothes, including cuts, colors, textures, and patterns. Knowing what you gravitate towards wearing on a night out or a day in the office will help you understand which clothes you NEED to have, which ones you WANT to have, and which ones are neither.
2. List out the staples
From there, look through your needs and sort them into categories. For office wear, blazers, suit shirts, and trousers are what’s needed and not much more. A night out turns into dresses, skirts, and blouses. A brunch date is just the same. Swimsuits for the beach days, athleisure for the gym, and maybe some casual accessories to match with every outfit. If your work focuses mainly on fashion, your staple list may look very different from that of a banker, but that’s the best part of your own capsule wardrobe - it’s your own!
3. Donate what you don’t need!
Once you’ve boiled down to those categories, use step one to get rid of the clothes you don’t need and start reducing the ones you do. If you normally stick with monochrome colors, make the executive decision to get rid of those reds, blues, greens, and more. Donate the clothes that you can only ever wear in one situation and try to keep those basic tops and pants that are actually versatile. Keep certain unique clothes as statement pieces, but donate the rest you don’t need through places like the Salvation Army, or clothing recycling bins (ex. Redressed, Zara, H&M). That jean jacket you’ve worn twice will look twice as good on someone who’s actually going to use it.
4. What are you missing? Go get it!
After the healthy cleanout, it’s time to go back to step 2 and find out which staples are not properly stocked. If you only have one blazer and ten hoodies, it’s time to cut down those hoodies, and buy some quality blazers. To get this capsule wardrobe, you’re going to want to understand that quality is MUCH more important than quantity. Find brands that are made out of long-lasting and sustainable materials to ensure that your capsule wardrobe stays a capsule, and doesn’t continue to rotate in and out with clothing tearing and breaking.
And there you have it - a capsule wardrobe completed! This process takes time and effort at the beginning, but knowing that every piece in your capsule matches the other saves you that time at the end of the day. You’ll also thank your bank account before you buy your next massive haul of clothes!