Wardrobe capsules

Kathy

I have been reading a lot of blogs on this site, particularly regarding wardrobe capsules. One of the posts said that 'learning how to effectively manage wardrobe capsules' and how this made dressing and keeping track of cross pieces easy. How exactly do I 'effectively manage wardrobe capsules? I have a very small space in my wardrobe of about 1 metre (3 feet). I have a second larger wardrobe in the spare room that I keep formal dresses in. Funny how I have about 3-4 formal dresses but my everyday wardrobe is dismal.

15 years ago

Dressing

6 replies

Latest reply was from JewelryGirl

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I have the same amount of hanging space, and my closet isn't even really full (although I have a good sized dresser, and a row of shelves in the closet, too. It sounds like you are already partly using wardrobe capsules- you have your formal wear capsule in the other wardrobe. Now, you need to break down the rest of your clothing into capsules. You will probably want a sleep/lounge capsule, and a workout wear capsule- those are no brainers. Then, you will have to take inventory of the rest of your activities. If you work, you will probably want a workwear capsule. If you're at home, you may want to organize capsules by season (I have a summer dress capsule and a winter wear capsule) or activity (church, date night, etc)
I hope that helps some!

15 years ago

Inge

(website)

Moderator

I'm a bit clueless about wardrobe capsules myself, but bumping this for Kathy. Hopefully the other lasses can give you more feedback.

15 years ago

Queen Mum

Veteran

I interpret the idea of capsules simply as having a wardrobe that reflects your lifestyle. I don't separate my clothing by "capsule" other than the fact that my work out wear is in a drawer and not in my closet. But when I think of the activities that are dominant in my life, I need to be shopping with those activities in mind.
For instance... we MIGHT have one or two events per year that require or allow uber dressing up. Therefore, my "formal" capsule is quite small. I have 2 dresses that would fit into this category, and about 2 pairs of shoes. That doesn't mean I don't wear these shoes at other times as well, or that it would be unheard of for me to wear my dressy black dress in a more casual way...
I don't work so I don't have anything that I consider "business wear" although if I landed a job tomorrow, I could probably manage for a week with what I have.
My life is quite casual. I spend my days tending my home, running errands, attending occasional meetings, volunteering at school or church or socializing with friends. Therefore 90% of my clothing reflects this lifestyle. Jeans, casual dresses, shoes that are comfortable and practical (yet still stylish), jackets, and a variety of tops are what fill my closet. It simply wouldn't make sense for me to fill my closet with tons of evening wear, club wear or business suits as that is not my life right now.
Does that make any sense?

edit to add...
As far as "managing" my wardrobe, my clothes are hung in my closet in groups of what they are. Camis, sleeveless/short sleeve, long sleeve, sweaters, cardigans, jackets, pants, and then dresses. This is the easiest way for me to find things in the morning.

15 years ago

Vix

Veteran

Though I think it's really helpful to think of clothing in terms of "lifestyle categories" and how an item fits into one or more of them, I tend to think of capsules in a more old-school way.

To me, a capsule is a smaller group of items that works together in terms of color, fabric, and proportion. Wear top A with bottom B or C; wear bottom C with tops D and E. Use accessory F as a scarf for this and a belt for that. Etc, etc. [Garanimals!]

It's the type of thing you often see in articles on packing for travel, and I actually think it can help a LOT when starting over with a wardrobe or trying to update one's closet.

Judging from all the mixing and matching I see on the forum, I actually think a lot of YLFers do the capsule thing!

Unfortunately, I don't have any great suggestions about how to MANAGE capsules, ha (where are those articles?!).

But I stumbled into HAVING an accidental (mini)capsule last year when I was buying a very limited number of items for fall/winter. [I knew each item would work with lots of other stuff in my closet, I just didn't realize it would work together.]

Since I only tend to buy 5-10 pieces of clothing each season, I'm now trying to always have a good chunk of those pieces work as a capsule. The potential downside is that a season may become your "Color X" season....

In the end it's more important to me that most of my new stuff work wells with the older stuff.

But honestly I found a capsule does make it simpler to pack, to feel like I have multiple newer outfits that work with my style [and/or current trends, if I wanted to go there], and to just know *what* will work with what.

Hope that is somewhat helpful.

15 years ago

Isabel

Veteran

I have to agree with vix : for me the most helpful times for a capsule are when I travel or when it is super hot and humid and I have a select, small number of clothes that all go together well.

I also have a capsule for special occasions.

Managing "effectively" , for me, means having a small number of things that fit and look great, are all color coordinated and can be kept fresh with accessories or maybe one new, trendy piece. I also think that when something gets iffy, it should be tossed and replaced immediately.

15 years ago

JewelryGirl

Active Member

I am trying to do more of a capsule approach & I think it's really helping me to focus on what area's I need to work on and what I have excess of. Mine so far are this: workout, casual, smart casual, dress/formal, beach. I realized when I hurt my back earlier in the year that I was severely lacking in the casual area - thank God for friends. Borrowed a couple of key pieces to get me through but this really kicked me into thinking about & realizing WHY I needed capsules. Also, I have a tendency to "collect" dresses/skirts as I don't wear them frequently - this means I don't need much in that category. The majority of my wardrobe is smart casual & really works for my lifestyle.

My ultimate goal will be to get my existing closet/studio converted in capsule area's. I'm working on it - so far have the beach, workout & most of my dress/formal. Just need to tweak a few things in the set-up to get there. You can do it with any area you have though I think just by organizing & thinking about your space differently!

It really does help to separate needs from wants I've found.

Best of luck to you!

15 years ago

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