New and going to start a capsule wardrobe

Hi I'm new to the forum. I have a sick kiddo at home today so I have spent most of the day reading about and researching capsule wardrobes.
I just recently went on a two week vacation to Paris and for the first time in my life packed with a capsule wardrobe of 10 pieces. I loved it - I realized I could have gotten by with less clothing. Inspired by this I want to try a capsule wardrobe for everyday.

I have too many clothes and I don't even wear some I adore because my closet is to full.
Over the last three years I have spent too much money on clothes not thinking about creating a wardrobe but being more concerned about creating outfits. My style has changed during this time because I have received a couple promotions and I do prefer to dress for work - not so much suits but always a dress and heels or pants and a Jacket.

What I am going to do based on my research on YLF
1. Empty out the closet in my room.
2. Purge the clothing that I haven't worn in two years. I say two years because I do have live in a seasonal state
3. Move out of season clothing into storage closet
4. Create a capsule wardrobe for late summer early fall
5. Create a shopping space like similar Shopping brakes (this will be my holding tank area)

What I hope to gain
1. Ease of dressing in the morning
2. The ability to dress in one room only not having to go to different rooms to access different closets
3. gain control of laundry because I will have to do it more often
4. I have invested in some amazing quality pieces I love and I need to start wearing them.
5. Shop smarter for clothing that really feels a space in my wardrobe

I will report back on how it all goes.

9 years ago

Mona

Veteran

Welcome to the forum! You are starting your wardrobe edit with some really smart tricks. I started editing my wardrobe last year (still not done) and can vouch for a holding area for pieces that you are not yet ready to donate but don't reach for them enough to keep them in your wardrobe.
I would like to know how is your purging personality like? Do you tend to hold on to things or easily depart with them when the time is right?
Looking forward to see your report.

Anonymous

WONDERFUL. I learned about capsules on this website as well. I developed my capsules using pictures. I start with the primary piece (slacks or skirt) and then arrange all the tops/toppers/shoes/jewelry that will be supporting acts in a series of pictures. It was a great visual and I quickly understood the power of capsule dressing.

There are other websites that might prove helpful: theviviennefiles, into mind. Others might have websites they can recommend as well.

Enjoy. It is a very worthy exercise.

frannieb

Thanks for the website suggestions - love the viviennefiles
What I learned yesterday
1. this is going to take much longer then I thought
2. I have naturally developed a color scheme of Black. blue, red/or bright pink
3. I need to pick another neutral in my wardrobe - thinking to follow the vivienne files and go with gray and white
4. The reason I feel my wardrobe doesn't work sometimes is I have invested in a basic wardrobe of tops and shirts
5. I do have a uniform of sorts
6. I want to find a clothing app or way to start tracking what I wear

I will continue to update my progress as I go
So far I have sorted dresses and jackets/blazers - I'm going to work with dressing from these for the week

Alana in Canada

(website)

Welcome! Love your wardrobe project. Share as much as your comfortable. Many of us are quite interested in such projects.

Alexandra

Welcome to the forum! Your wardrobe capsule project sounds interesting. I look forward to reading more about it.
I've been putting together a wardrobe based on Starting from Scratch on the Vivienne Files and well, it's easier to read about it on her blog than to do it myself Your color scheme sounds close to one of Janice's examples.

Helena

frannieb, sounds like you have made terrific progress already and have a great plan in place. keep us posted!

Suz

frannieb, welcome! It sounds as if you have already made great strides with your editing process! I am impressed. It took me a lot longer around here to start to get clear on what I was doing. And I'm still scratching my head half the time, LOL.

viva

Frannie, You are the smartest "beginner" I have ever seen. Really! You're miles ahead of me. And perhaps the most insightful thing: "This is going to take longer than I thought." For me, closet inventory, wardrobe assessment, defining my style ... it's ongoing. I don't have a capsule wardrobe per se but am currently on a quest of downsizing that I think is basically a similar exercise. Good luck --- and keep posting thoughts and pictures! I will be following your journey!!

Elizabeth P

Welcome Frannieb! You are off to an amazing start. As Alana said, many of us are fascinated in wardrobe projects, so feel free to post whatever, whenever you need help, motivation, inspiration, whatever.

If you have an i product, Stylebook is a great app. It takes a while to get it set up, but it's pretty powerful once you get going with it. Well, _I_ like it.

Good luck Frannie with sorting out your wardrobe! You sound very systematic, so I'm sure you'll get there.

If you're willing to post WIWs (even if they don't show your face, although that makes it harder to give feedback), doing so and getting other forum member's impressions can be SO helpful in crystalizing your preferred style.

jackiec

Welcome! I like your plan. Lots of members have been going through the same process. Looking forward to hearing your progress as you go.

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