Why I Still Love Capsule Wardrobes

I started my capsule wardrobe journey back in 2015. I was two years out of college, married, and working a desk job ( I was also pretty depressed and just didn’t know it).

To say that I’d gone through some big transitions would be an understatement. Every time I looked in my closet, I saw the clothes of a college student and former debater.

I’d had dreams of finding work at a cool environmental non-profit and eventually going back to school to study public policy, but my life in my suburban hometown felt nothing like what living in San Diego had.

Since I couldn’t find a job at an environmental non-profit back home, I dove into researching eco-friendly living to keep that part of me alive. That led me to learn about zero-waste living and minimalism.

I tried the zero/low waste lifestyle for many years and enjoyed it for the most part, but maintaining that lifestyle required more of me than I had the capacity for once I became a mom.

Minimalism, however, was something I was able to really experiment with, even with a commute to work.

Learning more about minimalism quickly led me to capsule wardrobes. I’d spent so much time complaining about having nothing to wear while also not having enough space for the clothes I did own. I was immediately drawn to the idea of building a wardrobe that reflected me, not just a closet that would tick the dress code boxes for work.

GATHERING INSPIRATION

I started by reflecting on what I was drawn to. I pinned a lot on Pinterest, I started playing with styling outfits, and I thought about what I wanted to evoke in my personal style. I thought about colors I was drawn to, footwear I liked, and started building a wish list of clothing pieces I wanted to add to my wardrobe.

I’ll admit that I spent A LOT of time here. I wanted to get my capsule wardrobe blogger/Pinterest perfect on the first try.

If I were starting now, I’d jump in, trust my instincts, and know that I could always change my mind. After all, no one was grading me.

DECLUTTERING MY CLOSET

I eventually tackled the massive declutter. I donated a ton of clothes that were lovely but didn’t fit the personal style I was trying to craft.

After the declutter, I took even more notice of the things I wished I had and colors I kept wanting to wear and added those things to my wish list.

A NOTE ON COLOR

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that my love for brown has grown over the years (and possibly overtaken my love for olive green).

What you might not know is that my desire to add more brown to my wardrobe dates back to that very first capsule wardrobe! Just look at this photo from wayyy back in 2015 as proof!

I was drawn to brown as a deeper neutral base for my wardrobe over black or navy because black felt very harsh and navy blue always felt too monochromatic/boring to me since I basically live in denim.

At the time, I owned maybe one or two brown pieces. Since then, I’ve slowly but surely added more brown to my wardrobe and now, I would definitely consider it one of the base colors of my closet.

CAPSULES AS A TOOL

I made some really structured capsule wardrobes for the first couple of years. Eventually, though, I felt the need for something looser and more fluid.

I still evaluated my clothes and closet from season to season but didn’t feel the need to draw hard lines on what I was “allowed” to wear and what had to be saved until the next season or year.

Of course, then I got pregnant and I found creating a semi-structured capsule wardrobe to be super helpful in getting dressed as my belly grew.

Clearing out the clothing that just didn’t fit meant I didn’t dwell on the clothes I wished I could wear. I found myself more content with my outfits and style.

The years since my first pregnancy have included breastfeeding, more pregnancy, and a shifting body.

I’ve let go of the structure of a capsule for a time and come back to it when the time feels right.

And this is why I love capsule wardrobes, even though they’re sort of out of fashion these days.

I love that it’s a tool I’ve kept in my pocket when it comes to building my wardrobe (and my kids’ wardrobes, too).

I love that I can break out parts of the process, like picking a color scheme or uniform, without committing to only housing 37 items in my drawers and closet.

I love that whenever I’m feeling angsty about my clothes, I can trust my capsule wardrobe muscles to help me identify what I’m wanting or needing from my clothes at this time of life, and I can clear out what’s not working and make space for the me of this moment.

- - - - -

Life is vastly different from what it was in 2015 but I know from experience that crafting a curated closet of clothes that I love will free up some mental bandwidth that this busy mom could definitely use. I can’t wait to share more of that process with you this year!