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For the longest time, I lived with a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear. I had all of the pieces of clothing, but nothing went together and most of it wasn’t attire didn’t really work with my day to day lifestyle. Last summer, I decided I was sick of buying clothes that were “ok” or that would be great when I found “x” to pair with it. Instead, I designed a capsule wardrobe that worked WITH my daily life, instead of my having to work my life around my clothes.
Totally revamping your entire closet is totally overwhelming. While I think it is important to get rid of things that you don’t absolutely love, sometimes real life doesn’t allot an entire new wardrobe’s budget. An easy way to start building your capsule wardrobe, is starting with one piece. It could be a perfectly fitting t shirt, the best butt hugging jeans, or a gorgeous knit sweater. Just make sure that whatever you use as your anchor, is something that you love. For this post, I am going to use my favorite, mustard yellow cardigan as an example.
Create Your Style
What helped me the most was using Pinterest to give me some ideas for outfits that I would love. Scroll through the fashion section and start pinning things to a specific idea board. Nothing needs rhyme or reason, just pin whatever looks like something that you would love wearing EVERY DAY. This is key. We aren’t working with special occasion outfits, work out wear or pajamas. This is meant to be clothing that you can pull out on any given Tuesday morning blindfolded and have work for your day.
Once you have pinned a bunch of outfits, it is time to narrow things down a bit. When you go through your board you will quickly be able to see what kind of style you lean towards. Remove choices that look out of place or don’t seem to match the majority. Once you are done, write down the key pieces that repeat themselves on your board. Here is what I ended up with. Try to be mindful of things that you can layer or pair with other items on your board. The more cohesive your choices, the more options you will have to mix and match!
- Crisp, white button down
- Warm toned t-shirts
- Striped layering tops
- Sneakers
- Scarves
(Are you following me on Pinterest? I have my boards for wardrobe ideas and items that I actually hope to purchase for the spring!)
Window Shop Away
Here comes part of the fun. Start browsing! You don’t need to buy anything right away, but start noting which stores carry clothing on your list. One store might have great denim, but not a great fit for your body. Take your time. Keep the list in your phone. And when the shopping bug hits or you need some retail therapy, you will walk into a store with specific pieces in mind. Stick to the list. Keep the Pinterest App on your phone to refer back to whenever you are at the mall.
You won’t come home with a random pink blouse when you really wanted a navy button down to mix and match. When you find that perfect shirt or an amazing dupe for the boots you had pinned, you can snag them without feeling guilty or worrying that you won’t wear them more than once or twice. Creating that capsule wardrobe once piece at a time is a lot less daunting than needing to go out and purchase everything down to your skivvies.
Line Em’ Up
Once you have a good portion of the clothes you were looking for, start building some outfits. If I am in a rush, I can feel a little paralyzed at what to wear. Too many choices, not enough time! You just need to create your own cookbook that you can reference whenever you hit one of those moments where you feel like you have nothing to wear.
- Create an album in your phone titled “Outfit Options”
- Build your outfits and take photos! – You can just lay things out on your bed and snap a pic, but putting the clothes on and taking a quick mirror selfie will make it that much easier to decide when you are in a rush.
- Be creative – If you are missing something in your capsule, dig around in your closet and don’t be surprised that you find something close enough! I had wanted a crisp white button down, but after looking at the clothes I already owned, I found a nice white blouse that did the same job.
A few things to remember…
There is not set amount of pieces you need to create your perfect wardrobe. Some people only work with ten things! Other people have five or six “anchors.” Build yourself a collection that inspires you every day. Pick things that make you feel comfortable and confident. And choose clothing that makes you happy, regardless of current trends!
Don’t forget that if you are struggling to find new things to try or want to add some variety to your capsule wardrobe, you can try Gwynnie Bee for free for 30 days! It is an amazing clothing subscription service that lets you “rent” different, trendy pieces for as long as you want. Wear once and return, or keep it for a few weeks! I totally love how much variety it adds to my capsule collection! Click the link below to give it a try, totally free! My gift to you!
Do you have a capsule wardrobe? Leave any questions you may have below!
xoxo
Maddy
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