One of the top reasons why I went to a capsule wardrobe was lack of space in New York. Truth be told, I actually have more space in my home now, but I have kept up the habit of having a capsule wardrobe because it frees up space in our home for other needs. (Can someone say… two very crazy cats) And, I don’t have to waste time in the morning thinking about what to wear.
Here’s my closet
- What is this tower of plastic awesomeness?! It is where I store everything that people outside don’t see me wear – underwear, bras, socks, and sport / lounge. The inner layers help build warmth, which reduces my need to buy super thick / expensive sweaters in the winter. I bought the plastic drawers new at Target but you can find them for cheap on Craigslist all the time.
- On these ~20 hangers is my main capsule wardrobe. I like them to be front and center of my closet because these are the pieces I’m reaching for every day. To save space, I often double up and layer all my work pants on top of each other on a hanger, or stack 2 layers on a hanger (a shirt and a blazer)
- Side note: I don’t always do this, but I tend to do a left-to-right approach in using my closet. Once a piece is worn, it gets put into the far left of its category, so that the first thing I see on the right is the least worn item. However, after I launder, I often forget.
- I use skinny hangers to compress and save space. I buy them on discount at Homegoods.
- I use another plastic container here to put small bags and jewelry, although I’m slowly getting rid of my jewelry collection and this is actually mostly shoe boxes I don’t need.
- In this plastic bin (bought used… probably from my college days) I put out of season clothing. I keep about ~30 pieces in each season, but in the winter, some of the lighter wraps and cardigans are replaced with heavy wool sweaters and thick knit sweaters, and lined, heavy thick long-sleeve dresses take place of short / sleeveless flimsy summer dresses.
Most importantly, keeping up a capsule wardrobe requires a change in the way you relate to clothing. You must be okay wearing the same thing over and over again. You must not let yourself be defined by your clothing. You need to come to terms with the fact that no one remembers what you wore from 2 days ago. And you need to unsubscribe from unhealthy influencers (Instagrammers) whose unrealistic lives make you believe you need new or different clothes all the time.
By editing my closet down only to items I love, I can look and feel fabulous, no matter what.
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