The key to having a minimalist capsule wardrobe is knowing exactly what you need to look the part you need, but nothing more.
Observe what you wear for about 15-30 days
Much like a money diary, start by tallying what you are wearing each day. You could do it down to the exact item, but you could also just think generally… are you wearing pants? Dresses? Skirts? Jackets? How many layers do you need to stay warm? You could do this while you are calculating your day parts, as I taught in Stage 2.
Have enough underwear
Have enough underwear to last through the next laundry cycle. Keeping a good supply of the clothing you wear the most, keeps the number of trips you take to buy new clothing under control
Think in layers
- Bottoms – a combination of pants, shorts, skirts
- Inner top layers – camisoles, shelf bras, t-shirts, are perfect for an inner top layer
- Middle top layer – work shirts, cardigans, long sleeve shirts, light sweaters. These would work as your outer layer in warm weather, and as a middle layer in cold weather
- Heavy top layer – thick sweaters, hoodies, sweatshirts, blazers, these are layers where you cannot add any more
- Dresses – a dress is essentially a complete outfit on its own
- Outerwear – jackets
- Shoes
Everything should match
Start with neutral colors (black, beige, white, nudes). If you have nothing else in your wardrobe, edit it down to all these neutral colors, with ONE accent color (for me, it’s reds / pinks). Every middle top layer, and every heavy top layer, needs to match each of your bottoms. For this reason I tend to stick with jeans and black / gray slacks.
Think in 3s
For each layer, you should at first limit yourself to a maximum of 3 items per layer. That is all you need to build 1 week’s worth of clothing without repeating. Here is how the math works (ignoring shoes, outerwear, dresses):
3 bottoms x 3 middle top layers = 9 outfits in warm weather
3 bottoms x 3 middle top layers x 3 heavy top layers = 27 outfits in winter weather
Get inspiration
There are many capsule wardrobes out there. Many people actually have a different capsule collection per season. I just add one more layer for cold weather, my inner layers are all the same. Here are others:
My #30pieces30days project and the clothes I owned
Stick with it for another 30 days
Put everything that does not belong in your capsule wardrobe into a storage box, and only wear what is in your capsule wardrobe for 30 days. If you truly need something different, you could go to storage and grab it. I really emphasize sticking it through because this kind of change takes time to stick.
By the end of 2 months, you will have cleared out your closet. You will get ready more quickly in the mornings. You will be spending less on clothing, saving money for more important things that bring you joy, such as paying off that credit card bill or saving for a vacation.
