Captivated by a Capsule [Wardrobe]
Anyone that knows me knows I have a serious clothing and shopping addiction.
I have worked since I was old enough to get a job, and that financial freedom immediately opened the door to a problem that would follow me for the next 12 years.
It's no secret that I didn't exactly grow up wealthy, but we ALWAYS had what we needed. I have an amazing family that made sure that I was provided for, but that also meant that maybe I didn't get the clothes I wanted. So, when I started working I started buying the clothes I wanted, even if I didn't need them.
This began a slippery slope that I have struggled with since. I would spend an insane amount of money on clothing, but they weren't good purchases. Maybe it was on sale so I bought it even though it didn't fit right, or I loved it, but it didn't go with anything else in my closet. Even worse, sometimes I bought things just because of the brand name, and I didn't even like the piece I bought that much.
It's honestly embarrassing.
I was so concerned with having what everyone else had, or dressing the way I had seen other girls dress, that I literally had no clue what my personal style was back then, or even is now.
At the ripe old age of 28, I decided I needed to do something. I was tired of staring at a closet filled with 100s of pieces of clothing constantly saying, "I have nothing to wear!".
I was fed up with buying things and having no clue how to style them or incorporate the pieces into what I already owned.
I was also done with spending insane amounts of money just to have a closet full of nothing to wear.
Most of you know I'm focused on paying off my debt right now, and shopping has been the biggest roadblock to my goal. I knew I needed to make a change, so I stopped making excuses and started doing something about it.
Thus began my journey to the Capsule Wardrobe.
If you haven't heard of a capsule wardrobe let me give you a quick rundown.
Basically, a capsule wardrobe is 30-40ish pieces of clothing that are comprised of items you already own and love to wear, as well as a few pieces that you pick up prior to every season. The theory is that these pieces work together and fit so well that an endless number of outfits can be styled from them. It also focuses on not purchasing items during the season you are currently in because the theory is you already have everything you need when you build your capsule.
There are literally 1000s of articles to be found from a "capsule wardrobe" Google search, and Pinterest has an unlimited number of pins and boards dedicated to the concept. Even if you have no desire to create your own, taking some time to read about the concept is definitely worth it. Needless to say, I used my resources to learn as much as I could before I made the commitment to create my own capsule wardrobe.
I spent about a week reading articles and talking to girls I already knew had a capsule. This was helpful because I came to the realization that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to this, and it is ultimately what works for you. Un-Fancy helped me get started and focused, and I have linked her blog here. I highly suggest using her wardrobe planner workbook! It helped me create a clear plan as well as determine the good and bad about my current wardrobe.
Ultimately, I decided I wanted my capsule to have around 40 pieces with shoes and accessories not included. That was a personal decision, and also because I work in a business casual environment I need pretty different clothing from work to play. I knew my tops could work for both, but the dresses, skirts, and pants I wear to work aren't as functional for my evening and weekend activities. I am hoping that maybe I can develop a style that is more versatile so this won't always be the case.
I also required multiple blazers for this season because we are required to be business professional for the next three months of daily presentations.
I also came to the difficult realization (thanks to Un-fancy's capsule workbook) that I spend a minimum of 40 hours a week at work, at least 6 hours a week working out, and the majority of my leftover time in lounge clothes, so my wardrobe should NOT be focused on pieces that don't fit into those categories.
For instance, I had 12 pairs of shorts. Not workout shorts, but shorts for daily wear. Why on earth did I need 6 pairs of denim shorts? I can literally only wear one pair at a time, and it would take me 6 weeks to wear every single pair if I wore a different pair each day of the weekend. That's ridiculous, especially because I have the favorites that I wear basically every time.
Needless to say, I was ready to make a change.
I set aside an entire Saturday for my project and was extremely excited to get started. I took every piece of clothing out of my closet and dresser drawers, piled them on my bed, and got to work deciding what I wanted to keep and what I could live without.
I had multiple piles: keep, sell, donate, maybe, and out of season.
The maybe and out of season pile were one pile in the beginning. This is because every single item in that pile was tried on. If it didn't fit it didn't make the cut and ended up in the sell or donate pile. If it fit but was out of season it was moved. There were a few pieces in the maybe pile that I really liked and fit, but when I realized I was going to have to give up something from my keep pile, more often than not that item didn't make the cut.
The hardest part was narrowing down my keep pile. I knew I wanted to be around 40 pieces, but I also wanted to have a consistent color pallet in those pieces. The majority of my wardrobe was already comprised of black, grey, navy, and olive, so pieces that didn't really fit into those categories got the boot.
Yea, my orange pencil skirt is cute, but it isn't practical and wouldn't get much wear, so it didn't make the cut.
In the end, I had 42 pieces. I was fine with going over because two pieces were vintage that belonged to my mom. Again, since there are no set in stone rules I was able to make this concept work for me! I also kept my work polo and that was not included in the final number. It's not required to be worn often, but it is expected to be kept if needed. Definitely won't get much wear, but it's a necessary piece.
I have around 75 pieces in my closet that are for spring/summer or winter pieces I thought I might want or need, or belong in my special event capsule (I will cover this in a later post). As time goes on this number will decrease, but I definitely have a good start for next season's capsule.
The thing that I gives me equal parts pride and shame is the number of items I was able to purge.
Check out my break down:
Dresses: 54
Skirts: 27
Pants/Jeans: 17
Tops: 114
Shorts: 6
THIS IS WHAT I GOT RID OF, NOT INCLUDING THE ALMOST 100 PIECES I KEPT!
To me this was humiliating. 114 tops! What on earth can I do with 114 tops? The even worse part of all this is that I had already purged over 200 pieces of clothing previously this year due to a leak in my closet. In the last six months, I rid my wardrobe of almost 400 pieces and while I am proud of myself, I'm also ashamed that I had that many pieces to rid myself of. This project forced me to come to terms with my shopping and clothing addiction and has pushed me to focus on quality, not quantity. It has also pushed me to discover my own style instead of trying to recreate what I see on Instagram on Pinterest.
The <strong>Capsule Wardrobe</strong> was one of the largest and most important projects I have attempted to date, and I am so glad I did. I still have a lot of work to do as far as my personal style and closet compilation, but I have cleared one of the largest hurdles.
The next one to keep it up.
If I go out and try to replace all of these items then I have defeated its purpose. Instead, I need to figure out how to make what I have work, and if it doesn't, only get what I need and replace an item I don't.
It's a journey, but I am looking forward to it and will use a series of blog posts to keep me accountable.
Keep an eye out for the "My First Capsule" post!
For those of you interested in a Capsule Wardrobe, do some research and see if it's for you. It's a scary project to undertake, but it's pretty dang satisfying.
Drop a comment with your thoughts or experiences! I would love to hear from you!
Love,
Lilly
