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All these amazing capsules...

catgirl

Veteran

Suz, Day Vies, etc. posting these incredible capsules and the hard work that has gone into them - I feel so darn LAZY! You all are like gold medalists in the Closet Olympics. Meanwhile, I seem to be unable to even grasp the idea of a capsule let alone organize one. It's making me think about how I use my own wardrobe. I don't tend to mix and match with work outfits because I don't use a lot of pieces - I'm either dress or trousers and top, sometimes topper jacket.

Can someone who is NOT intrinsically organized help my capsuled-challenged self get around this? I understand not everyone NEEDS capsules, but my closet has become quite a mash-up and I'd like to winnow and parse out some of the chaff. Or are some of us just stylistically better off flailing in our own creative chaos?

Dressing

17 replies

Latest reply was from Peri

Diana

Veteran

You know, Una, I like my creative chaos. But Angie said to me at some point that some people just have lots of capsules for the same purpose even if we don't realize it. (Like, these are all the tops that go with the tube skirt, something like that. I think I made a tube skirt capsule by accident when I was trying to style it for K/R!) I think we are more organized than we think, because after all we do manage to pull FFBOs out when we need to.

Day Vies

Veteran

I think Diana said it best because that's how I've interpreted Angie's directions myself. I appreciate your comment that I am a Closet Gold Medalist. I wonder If I can put that on my resume

Pawprints

I'm not the one you're asking, but I want to encourage you to work with what you so truly call creative chaos.

Creativity is generally chaotic at least at some point. That beautiful messy soup brings life.

Creativity does come to a focus, at least sometimes. Otherwise it's simply play, no? I have deep respect for play, by the way. Crucial to creativity.

If creativity means bringing new things/ideas/etc into being, then maybe your winnowing impulse is part of your creative process in your wardrobe.

The sculptor chisels at the marble around the vision she has for what's in that marble.

I'll bet you can find a creative process that has a winnowing effect and moves you toward your artistic vision of your style and wardrobe.

You don't need spreadsheets or even capsules to be stylish. They're incredibly useful and fun for some of us. But how many stylish, creative icons through history have laid out capsules on their beds? Surely some. Surely not all. Do what you imagine those stylish creative women did in their wardrobes. Do in your wardrobe what you imagine they would guide you to do if they were sitting with you cross-legged on your bed.

Then tell the rest of us the story, please.

Marley

Veteran

" . . . flailing in our own creative proces . . . " I love the way you have reframed it for me! That sounds much better than "stupidly looking in closet at all of the clothes wondering if there is anything in there that goes together and then discovering something that was bought 6 months ago and forgot about it and now can't remember what (if anything) you thought that it would go with . . . "

Missey

Veteran

I love the imagery of "flailing in creative chaos". I picture you jumping in your closet, flailing around, and coming out miraculously dressed! It's definitely how I operate in the mornings!

Sara L.

Veteran

I feel very lazy too although I enjoy looking at everyone's capsules. I think I would be less bored with my maternity wardrobe if I tried to creat some capsules, but it sounds like a lot of work, even with my current very small closet.

Sona

Veteran

I have my dresses hanging separately and have shoes and jewelry picked out for those and clutches ( the accessories are memorized via pics, written down or just in my mind). Some room for 'casual'izing or 'dressify'ing based on
accessories. Does that make a dress capsule? I don't think so. Maybe just an organized dress section!!!!!!!!!

I feel like I am slacking off on my homework too. But I really, really like the idea of picking things out just the night before. It makes me pick out combos that don't fit any preformed idea or color combination or recipe so to speak. I guess I dress the way I cook: creatively.

And a dash of fuchsia to that would you please.........

Liz A.

Veteran

I think the idea of a capsule is meant to help you de-stress rather than stress you out! If it doesn't intrinsically work for you, that's ok too!

If I'm not mistaken, having a capsule would help you if you have zero time in the morning and you want to grab and go knowing that you will look great without dilly dallying. But some people like dilly dallying! And maybe they have the time for it. I don't, and I also don't have time to mess with capsules lol. I know they are there, but I only work them out as fast as I happen to wear outfits that work.

Beth Ann

Veteran

I cleaned my closet. I think I'll give myself a bronze medal for that.

Seriously, you are excellent at outfit creation, why not try just planning 3 outfits with the same jacket or pair of trousers as a starting point? Then wear them over a 2 week period. If you repeat this a few time, you'd have a good sized capsule!

I try to play in my closet once a week or so, for 15 minutes if I'm pressed, or an hour, if I can. I often just choose one item to work with. Sometimes it's an orphan, sometimes a new garment, sometimes a favorite. I try all the pairing I can thing of, being creative enough to have a couple at least fail miserably. Then I take pictures, because I will never remember. The fact that those pictures are all in a series helps me remember how to wear that item.

This is only the first step of a capsule, of course, but it's been a starting point for me. And I'm a musician with ADD -- no detailed, organized brain here, I'm afraid!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

You've expressed how I was feeling about capsules. Then I read Day Vies' post and somehow got inspired to try one. (Posted today.) It was hard, and the outcome is less than I might want, because I ended up with several outfits I don't like. But I also ended up with outfits I can now use as FFBOs, something that I need, as my old ones feel, well, old and been-there! So I think it's worthwhile, and I want to try another one. The problem is getting a couple of uninterrupted hours to do it.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I am quite organized, and yet, no capsules for me either! For me, I think it's because I have so much in my closet, I don't even know where to start with a capsule. Pick out one item (one that I have challenges styling?) and then try creating a number of outfits incorporating it? And then what? Do I simply take a picture of each one? Because I doubt it would be helpful to hang all those items together in the closet. And then the question becomes, how do you keep and use the pictures? Maybe I'm being silly, but it sounds like a lot of work to me.

Nonetheless, you capsule-keepers all do have me just a little intrigued. I may try the above exercise with some problematic item, just to see how it goes.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I am honoured to be named as a miraculous capsule maker. The process didn't feel miraculous. It felt fun, but more challenging than I expected. And the results were hardly gold medal material. I didn't like all my outfits. And I realized that I would never wear at least half of them. But I do feel I learned something, both about those orphaned Leiths (maybe they're not for me!) and about what kind of capsule i need for my real daily wear. I'm going to try a genuine transitional "work-at-home" capsule next.

But you know - - capsules don't have to be "mix and match." That's just one way organizing them. Maybe that's not the best way for you.

BTW, did you see Shannon's thread about this? Lots to ponder there.

Angie says she has plenty of clients who don't mix and match their business outfits, in particular. They like to wear the same combinations more or less the same ways all the time. That's not a problem. Overall, they still have a "workwear" capsule -- it just might be larger with less mixability.

So maybe that's you?

In terms of winnowing, that's easy. Just fly me up there for a day and I will purge your closet like a maniac (and make off with half the spoils, bwa ha ha!!) In all seriousness, that just takes some time with no shopping, and some decisions that certain stuff isn't useful any more. You've already done a big winnow recently, no? Took stuff to consignment?

Anonymous

Una, you must just have fantastic clothes because everything you love and wear pretty much goes with everything else you love and want to wear. I think you've nailed your best silhouette, and therefore most of your tops go with most of your bottoms, and dresses are in a category all by themselves.

MsMaven

Veteran

This post reminded me of Peg Bracken's I Hate to Housekeep Book. It was published in 1962 and I had a copy in my early married life. She had a chapter on wardrobes that was hilarious. She explained that she had gone out and bought a complete "ensemble" (as we called it then.) She had a perfectly coordinated day outfit from head to toe--but then she started to explain what happened to it. Heels were too high, so she changed to lower heels, then the blouse was too hard to keep washed and ironed so she substituted something else. And on and on. (It's been six year since Peg died. She was a great, funny woman.)

I've studied capsules since I first came across the idea ages ago. I could never do it though. I do have a well organized closet though. Still, I don't have to be up and out at 8 am. I can work all morning in my bathrobe if I want.

This morning I went to the hairdresser and changed my clothes three times before I left--a waste of 20 minutes--but no! I've lost some weight and ended up trying several combinations of tops and bottom.

I realize I need to streamline my closet and I've been working on it. I have lots of good ideas from reading the posts here and Angie's advice. You always look great in almost everything you post, so I think you are doing quite well with your creative chaos.

Day Vies

Veteran

Laughing at Beth Ann's awarding herself a bronze for cleaning her closet. Dare I say depending on the level chaos that's gold medal worthy.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I'd say if you are happy with the getting dressed process then don't change anything; but if you struggle to get ready in a hurry then maybe a compromise is the way to go?

Could you just pull out some bottoms, some tops & make outfits on the bed? Do you know which jackets & shoes go with the outfits you are making? You could then try hanging this "capsule" together & wearing only these pieces for a few days.

Another way is to do it retrospectively - take photos everyday of what you wear to work say - at the end of the week look at the photos & see if you love the outfit as is - if not try to work out what you would need to make the outfit right for you.

Peri

Veteran

I'm back to my original thinking...that made me post something similar yesterday. Giving it a name has made it seem more complicated than it is. And I have a hard enough time already!

Lucky for me, my work clothes are also my life clothes, so I don't need to make that separation. But I've always had my dance wardrobe and my few times a year dressed up collection, and my lounge around the house clothes. This is not new, but lately I'm going oh no, I have to have capsules!! When it really seems like I already do, I just never used that word.

Maybe you have capsules and just don't call them that.