How do you create a unique capsule wardrobe? Part two

If you missed part one of this series, you can catch up here.

This past week I’ve been assessing and planning for my capsule wardrobe. Firstly, I should say that it’s been a fun process, but has also required quite a lot of thought. Unsurprisingly, when you start to be very intentional about what you’re wearing and what you’re going to buy, you have to slow down and think.

That might sound nightmarish for some, but I really enjoy these kind of organisational things. That said, I do think it’s worth doing, even if planning isn’t your thing. You realise how much waste you create from thoughtless purchasing, and how much better you feel when you find clothing that really suits you.

Below I’ll run through what I’ve learnt, where my plan is currently sitting and what my next steps will be.

Wait before you donate

I couldn’t resist doing a small cull of my things before I started. However, instead of racing off to the nearest op shop, I’ve put all these things in a vacuum bag for later. This gives me the ability to test how much I really want or wear these items.

If, over the next two months, I find myself wanting to try on any of the things I’ve shelved, I can still go get it out. This saves me with regret when I donate something too quickly and end up wishing I’d kept it. It also means that if I don’t miss any of these things at all, I can confidently sell or donate, knowing they really weren’t working for me. For anyone who has a tendency to hoard, this also makes it easier to let things go, because you know they’ll still nearby and you can slowly get used to being without.

Plan for who you are, not who you think you are

I’ve used the Cladwell app here to help me work out what I am wearing, see what colours I like and what my style is. Honestly, I already had a decent idea of this, but it was worth taking the time to nut this out.

Something you should keep in mind when planning your wardrobe is to be honest with yourself about what your style is rather than what you want it to be. Sometimes we can get an idea in our head about what we’d like our style to be. We choose items that align with that idea of ourselves, rather than what we actually like or suits us. That’s not to say you can’t change your style if you want, just make sure that you’re really going to wear and feel good in what you buy.

Current wardrobe pros and cons

The process of assessing what I have showed me the pros and cons my wardrobe.

On the pro side, I discovered that I have a relatively small amount of clothes already. Including shoes (but not intimates and workout gear) I have 60 pieces of clothing. That might be on the large side of some capsule wardrobes, but I’m happy with that number for now.

Most of my pieces fell naturally into a blue/red/black/white colour palette and a lot of things seemed to be quite versatile. I was also pleased that a lot of my items could be worn across a range of seasons by adding stockings and layers.

On the cons, I noted that quite a few pieces don’t work easily with the other items. I also found I was lacking jumpers that were cropped and slim enough to work well with skirt and dresses during colder months. A lot of my skirts are patterned, so that made it hard to swap them out with patterned tops. I realised how badly I need a good pair of black jeans and a classic little black dress.

My capsule plan

I’ve defined my capsule wardrobe by theme, dress code and preference.

The theme is elegance. When viewing my wardrobe as a whole, I want it to speak to a simple and feminine elegance so with that in mind I’ll be able to pick pieces that aid that theme.

In terms of dress code, I’ve chosen ‘dressy’. This doesn’t mean I’ll be perpetually dressed to the nines. But I tend to like dressing things up a bit, like adding a silk scarf to a tee shirt, or popping kitten heels and a red lip with my jeans. As I gravitate towards skirts and dresses. I’ll be choosing pieces that can be dressed up or down, easily – nothing too formal or too casual.

Lastly, I’ve nailed down ‘preppy’ as my style preference. I love a good cable jumper, dark wash jeans and checks. Kitten heels, collared shirts and pearls are right up my street. This pops me in the preppy preference. Think Kate Middleton, on a serious budget.

The plan will also take into account the weather where I am, which has pretty hot summers, but also quite cold winters. Initially, I thought I could have one set for the whole year, but I think it makes more sense to have two capsules. Both will contain interchangeable pieces for spring and autumn when the weather can be unpredictable.

I’ll also be looking to keep the colour scheme centered around jewel tones like ruby red and royal and navy blue, with whites, black and tans as the neutrals. I also like rich greens, so I’d like to see how I can work that into the scheme, although with red that does make it tricky.

Next steps

Right now, I’m creating a list of items to add to my wardrobe. I’m also finding new ways to wear what I already have. The process of adding items is going to be slow, as I want to find just the right piece. 

My choices will focus on natural fabrics like cotton, linen, silk, wool and leather. It will be more expensive to buy these types of fabrics from ethical brands, so I’ll be choosing with great care. I want to make sure it’s something I’ll get many years of wear out of before committing to it.

I look forward to sharing that part of the journey, with some fun collages to show you what I’m adding to my wardrobe over the coming months (or years, let’s be real. This could take a while).