I’m a rules follower, so when I stumbled across the “clothing capsule” concept, I struggled to get on board. I wanted that nagging voice in my head to stop saying. “I have nothing to wear.” A clothing capsule seemed like the perfect solution.
But the RULES! Apparently you’re supposed to survive on 33 items. And that includes shoes, accessories, and outerwear. Good news – underwear doesn’t count! Wedding ring. Phew! Not included on the list of 33 items. Workout clothes – they’re freebies, too. But the caveat is no wearing yoga pants to the grocery store.
Umm…I don’t see how 33 items is going to cut it.
Rules! Rules! Rules!
I’m here to tell you the rules can be tweaked. You, too, can have a streamlined wardrobe. Because that’s essentially what a clothing capsule is. It means tops that play nicely with more than one bottom. It means your closet isn’t jam-packed with items you never wear.
Here are the basics:
TOPS
- short sleeve t-shirts (white, black)
- long sleeve v-neck or crew neck or turtleneck (pick your style)
- print or patterned blouse
- solid blouse
PANTS/JEANS/SKIRTS
- black pants (make them a little dressy)
- casual pants
- dress-up jeans
- everyday jeans
- fancy skirt
- casual skirt
DRESSES
- casual dress
- dress-up dress
Now ask yourself, “Does my patterned blouse pair nicely with all of my pants?”
“Do at least three of my shirts look good with my skirts?”
Study your items. Make sure you can create multiple outfits. If the answer is yes, you’ve got this. If the answer is no, purchase what you need.
My list only contains 13 items. Does that mean I only have 13 things in my closet? Absolutely not. In fact, I’m still working to achieve the “basic” list. I have too many dresses. I still haven’t reduced the number of jeans to “one dressy, one casual.” And I’ve been known to wear yoga pants even when I haven’t been near a yoga studio. Baby steps. I’m working on it.
Remember the “tweaking” of the rules? As you reduce the “clutter” in your closet, let me reassure that you can enhance the basics with accessories. Shoes, jackets, scarves, jewelry, belts, bags. These items are the game changers. With a solid foundation of clothing basics, outfits can be transformed by accessories. Suddenly it looks like you have a closet full of clothes. Not true; you’re simply making more with less.
A clothing capsule means less time staring at your clothes, wondering what to wear. Less hassle. And isn’t less hassle what we’d all like in our lives?
