“Capsule wardrobe” is a term coined in the 1970s by London boutique owner Susie Fox to describe a collection of simple, basic and timeless wardrobe pieces that can be easily combined to create a variety of styles. The idea was then popularized by American designer Donna Karan, who created several such capsule collections in the 1980s.
In a sense, each of us already has our own capsule wardrobe, i.e. the clothes we wear most often. This is about 20% of the contents of our wardrobe. The problem is that we wear this 20% chaotically and unplanned, and some elements of this set are better replaced with more practical or stylish ones.
Step One: Critical Inspection of the Cabinet
Start by taking a critical look at your wardrobe and highlighting the clothes you actually wear regularly. Choose only those things that you wear often. Eliminate the ones you haven’t worn this season or that you definitely don’t like. Lay out what you have chosen in front of you and move on to the next step.
Step two: critical review of the selected clothes
Have fun putting together ready-made sets from different items of clothing – both already known and tested, and potential ones. Spend some time trying on and changing clothes. Record the result in a photo – this will make it easier for you to choose the most successful combinations.
Many capsule wardrobe guides suggest that it should consist of clothes in muted colors. Try choosing three main colors and add a few brighter accent colors if you like. Think about accessories.
Step Three: Buy the Missing Items
There are things that an elegant woman simply cannot do without. These include, for example:
- coat;
- Cocktail Dress;
- White shirt;
- trousers and jacket;
- well-fitting jeans, etc.
If your wardrobe is missing any of these elements, then it is better to fill this gap. This seems to contradict the idea that creating a capsule wardrobe means limiting the amount of clothing you wear. The point, however, is that these basic elements make it easy to combine what you already have in your wardrobe into specific sets.
A white shirt goes well with jeans, trousers or a simple pencil skirt, and will look different in each of these sets. A decent jacket will be an excellent addition to both casual and elegant style. A leather jacket will add a touch of rock to anything you wear, and high heels will make a jeans and sweater combo the perfect date night look. So make sure you don’t lack classics in your capsule wardrobe. It is best that these are really high-quality things – then they will not only look better, but will also last you longer.