Amidst all the terms floating around women’s lives and their daily closet problems is something called a capsule wardrobe. For those of you who are wondering what this means, here it goes. This is a term coined in the 1970s by Susie Faux, who is the owner of a boutique based in London called “Wardrobe”. Essentially it is “a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces”.
The name and the explanation suggest this as an essential part of your closet and indicate how you can become your own outfit planner with ease. You have at your disposal some fashion basics that can be mixed up and accessorized to give you rocking looks every time. The phrase “if looks could kill” achieved with ease, to encapsulate the essence of a capsule wardrobe.
Why would one require such a thing in the first place? And what essentials need to go into it so that you can think like an outfit planner?
What should go into a capsule wardrobe?
Selected items of clothing that define classic chic and are fashion evergreens need to find a place in your capsule wardrobe. When did an LBD go out of fashion, like ever? Or a monochrome? Or lace? You get the drift, right?
The optimum number of items in a capsule wardrobe as per established outfit planners and non-professionals alike is around 33. When you begin selecting from your chaotic closet it might initially seem a really small number. Select only the items that are most dear to you, irrespective of whether they are trending or not.
The ideal way to go about creating a capsule wardrobe would be to have around 4 of them to cater to different seasons. Understandably some items will be common to all which is quite expected. Make sure you include items encompassing jewellery, clothes, shoes and accessories. An app like Chicisimo can be of real help, enabling you to choose the right items.
Why would anyone need a capsule wardrobe?
There are real and virtual outfit planners if one cares to look and they are all out there to help sort out the chaos that is in your closet right now. Why you would require a capsule wardrobe in that case, you might wonder!
- No decision fatigue. It is the decision making, the eternal question of ‘what to wear’ that wears out the best of the best. A big headache that you believe only an outfit planner can handle but that is so not right. With your own capsule wardrobe, you have your choices cut out and decision that much easier.
- Select stuff that matter. In the run and scoot that life becomes for most of us, we forget to focus our attention on things that really matter. Cutting out clutter from all aspects of life will renew your focus on things that really do matter. A capsule wardrobe is only one aspect of life that will help you realize how less is more and less is relevant and less is doable. Go for it.
- Get to love real things. Having the decision of dressing taken care of, you will be able to ponder more on what you love to do, what matters, etc.
How to go about building your capsule wardrobe?
Decision time again, ladies! What to keep, what to box away, and what to throw. It can get tedious for the best decision makers what with nothing to wear in the first place. However, this is a move that will really help with sorting out your closet like a professional outfit planner.
How about following these tips when creating your very own capsule wardrobe?
- See it all. Take it all out and spread it on your bed. Everything means just that, everyyythingg. Each item of clothing, each accessory, shoes, bags, hats, bring it all out lady! This is the only way you can make any sense of the multiple things that your closet contains. There are many hidden and forgotten items that are sure to make an appearance during this exercise. Having it all spread out before your eyes not only gives you a lot of choice, but you also realize what an immense amount of stuff you already own. An app like Chicisimo in fact does it for you virtually. It lets you see everything in your closet at the touch of your fingers in one place.
- Sort it out. Sort your stuff by sections. Firstly by apparel type, like jeans, tops, gowns, shoes, jewellery, etc. Then for each section, go for subsections of ‘love, maybe, throw, give away’. There are bound to be some things you will always love, no matter what. Then there will be other things you will never wear, no matter what. Similarly for other two categories as well. Now make sure each item on your bed is put into one of these categories. Here again Chicisimo is at hand to do this for you virtually.
- Finalize your choice. Think like a professional outfit planner when you go about finalizing your choice and keeping it to the 33 pieces of closet essentials to constitute your capsule wardrobe. Go by each apparel or accessory type as mentioned in #2 above. Keep different styles for each of these sections, deciding based on minimalism.
You will see how stylish and classy your capsule wardrobe turns out after this exercise. Remember not to get down and out at the number of things that did not make it to this list. No list needs to be rigid and exhaustive. Above all, you need not throw away the rest. These are essentially fashion basics and must haves that you shortlisted. You can always work around these guidelines and add something here and remove something there in order to get your final look just right.
In short, let Chicisimo become your guide towards a more organized closet and function as your new and 24×7 outfit planner. You will see a more confident you straddling your worlds and making a real difference.
Download the Chicisimo outfit planner app for IOS or Android. And if you need information on how to start with the Chicisimo fashion app, please check this previous post.