Have a full closet but always feel like you have nothing to wear? Build a simple minimalist capsule wardrobe that makes your day easier.
Why only have a limited amount of clothing items?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend the day doing laundry when it’s sunny and 75° out or when I have to dig for something when I’m on the way out the door. Or not knowing what to wear from day to day even when we have a closet full of clothes. Build a simple minimalist capsule wardrobe that makes those problems go away.
Here is how building a simple minimalist capsule wardrobe help you.
What is a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe?
The capsule wardrobe is a simple wardrobe curated with items of clothing that can be worn in many different styles. They can be seasonal or all year round.
Learn How to Build a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe
Capsule wardrobes don’t always have to be the same color scheme or a minimalist style as you may think. In fact, you can even go in your closet right now and build a capsule wardrobe. Don’t think you have to go out get rid of everything you have right now and buy all new. This will probably be overwhelming and you’ll end up giving up.
Simply go into your closet put everything on your bed– now find “staple” items
Here is where you can pull out your denims jacket, your tan peacoat, black dress, etc. Set those aside, you will definitely use them in your minimalist capsule wardrobe.
Pick a color scheme for your minimalist capsule wardrobe
Don’t get caught up in the “minimalist styles” if you don’t like them. If you like to wear pinks and reds then work around that, create a capsule wardrobe with them, it’ll be fun! Don’t get rid of it all and then realize you don’t like wearing neutral solids, it’s not for everyone and that’s okay!
Find your style for your minimalist capsule wardrobe
More than likely you already have a “favorite” color scheme or a style your clothing seems to direct in. I say roll with building a capsule wardrobe that fits you.
There are also style quizzes out there, such as
https://outfitformulas.com/quiz/
Personal Style Quiz: Find Your Style | Stitch Fix Sty
My favorite thing to do as far as finding your style is to pull up Pinterest, create a board (make it personal if you’d like I usually put in conservative or minimalist style clothing) Search “style” and pen all of the ones you could see yourself wearing or that you love. Then once you feel like you’ve had enough go into the board and look at your style most of the time it’s a lot of similar items. Then go from there.
Building the Capsule Wardrobe
Outerwear/Jackets
Now this will semi-depend on what climate you live in and if you are wanting to create an all-year-round minimalist capsule wardrobe. Lets set those staple outerwear at:
- Denim jacket
- Plain black or tan cardigan
- Solid neutral color light jacket (In my mind I am imagining a tan peacoat)
- Black winter jacket
Bottoms
Keep your wardrobe you. Now this may sound strange, but think about it. Don’t go with the stereotypical “Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe” you imagine when you hear that phrase. That is why you choose your style first. Wear what is comfortable for you and what you feel confident in. You want to love every piece of clothing in your closet.
- Denim skirt or a pair of jeans – these make for a good dress up or dress down outfit
- Black skirt- again, dress up or dress down piece, which is the whole point of this, right?
- Black Leggings (2) these are good layering pieces and also good for the gym if thats your thing
Tops
- T shirts (3) – adding some stripe or leopard might not be a bad idea here
- Neutral Tank (2) – Great for layering or for hot days
- blouses (3) – these can be long sleeve or short, but if you are aiming for an all seasons wardrobe I’d recommend short sleeve and you can always layer with them
- Long Sleeve Pullover Sweater (2) for those chilly days if you live in that sort of place 😉
Dresses
- Black dress- now find a short sleeve you can wear with or without layering, but also something you can wear as a “little black dress” or dress it down with some comfy shoes
- Stripe or lightly patterned t shirt dress
For my personal wardrobe I like to add four sundresses to my summer wardrobe because we go to church every Sunday and I love to just plan on one separate dress for each Sunday of the month. Again, personal preference.
Shoes
- Black flats
- White tennis shoes
- Tan ankle boots
- brown slip on or slide shoe
- Black or navy Bobs
Add-Ons
- Button down pajamas
- Hoodie
- Work-out outfits (2)
This concludes the building of a capsule wardrobe. I hope with creating a capsule wardrobe this helps you feel confident in your own clothes, simplifies your laundry routing, and minimizes your space.
Looking for more ways to simplify your life? Check out Easy Ways to Simplify your Home
Great article! This is a daunting task for me, but something I’d like to achieve in the near future. I’ve managed to get rid of ALOT but the main thing stopping me from going all the way is size fluctuations from pregnancy. I’m 7 months pregnant now so it makes it tricky.
Thank you! Congratulations on your little one, such a blessing! Yes, I have also had difficulty with this. For me a capsule wardrobe works better because I can just put away the few dresses, tops and bottoms, and just use my outerwear staple items all of the time.
Thank you for these tips! I always struggle with my wardrobe. Eventually, I only have 3 or 4 items I like to wear outside, the rest is just only for when I’m staying at home. Hopefully, with this post, I can fix this!
That’s so smart. I got down to that and then some days I would have to change to go into town and that got exhausting so I knew I needed a change 😉
I think I would benefit from making a capsule wardrobe! I always have the hardest time choosing what to wear!
Yes, same! it was just so exhausting for me finding what to wear everyday
I love this idea so much, my husband loves the idea of a minimalist wardrobe! I do too; I just get so overwhelmed going through my closet ????
Ah yes! That’s awesome. Still working on my hubby to get on board, but he’s getting there 😉 I found the “funnest” way was to create a capsule wardrobe with what you have in your closet and then try it out. Don’t wear anything else and see if its right for you, or if you would like to go ahead with it, it will help you see what staple items you may want to purchase