How do you use capsules? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

How do you use capsules?

Roxanna

Veteran

So I think that the concept of capsules could really help me in getting dressed quickly and efficiently, but I'm not quite sure how to use capsules.

I've put a capsule together for my Vancouver trip that I think could be useful as a general spring capsule. 4 tops, 3 bottoms, 2 toppers, 4 scarves and 2 shoes, all in spring colours.

But how do I work this into my daily dressing? Do I only dress from this capsule? That sounds restrictive, especially given my large wardrobe. Do I dress from it in certain days to make the process of getting dressed easier?

How do you use capsules? Do you dress exclusively from one capsule? If you dress from more than one, how do you keep track of them? Do you store all the items together? I'm a bit confused on how this capsule thing works. It feels like it should make my life easier, but I can't get my head around it.

Dressing

34 replies

Latest reply was from

jussie

Veteran

I’m glad you’ve brought up this question, I’ll read others answers with interest. I’m only just beginning to use capsules, but so far I’m finding it helpful. I think because I have a med/largish wardrobe but also several different roles that I function in each week it has helped things to be less chaotic. So far I only really have these capsules:
1) very casual but not tracksuit capsule. This is for taking kids to school/kinder drop off, or days cleaning/gardening.
2) student teacher capsule. This is very neat casual, but not denim. Currently needed 1 day per week so it’s small.
3) evening wear capsule.

The evening wear capsule is stored all together, but the other two are spread out throughout my wardrobe/drawers. Having them stored together would be helpful.

My other clothes are pretty much all muddled up, but having those three capsules helps me feel more organized.

Anonymous

Have either of you ever heard of Style Book? It an app that you can use to define the exact garments in your wardrobe (how many or few you have). From those garments, you can build "looks." I build "looks" and then I evaluate how I feel during the day. Was I comfortable? Did it meet my needs for that day? Would I want to wear it again? I then have a visual representation of actual outfits I love and want to repeat.

A second method involves building capsules. The Vivienne Files has some of the best posts on the subject of building capsules. There are no rigid rules. It is an outline to get you started along the lines of evaluating silhouettes, colors, needs.

I store all my tops in one closet and all my bottoms in a second closet. I tried putting everything together into a single closet, but it look chaotic. I hated it. I have a picture, I can show you later that I use as a tool. It is merely a starting point though. You build as you go along in life.

I currently have the following capsules: work; casual; lounging; and athletic.

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

krishnidoux

Veteran

This is an excellent question and I can't wait to read the answers from the pros.

Here are two things I can add about capsules:
1) I have more than one capsule in rotation.
2) A capsule will include all little details that work together, like the proper belt for the belthoop and for the bottom, the proper shoes, toppers that don't fight tops etc.

Sterling, thank you for the app suggestion.

Staysfit

Veteran

I have a fairly large wardrobe, and I think I do use capsules, even though I haven’t formally set up my wardrobe in a way that I write out which tops go with which bottoms. Here’s how it works. I have picked a very well defined color palette, and I do not stray from it even a little bit. If something doesn’t work with my colors, it cannot come into my closet. That may sound hard, but it is easier than it sounds. Colors blend together easier as long as the tones are close. The second part has to do with level of dress. I have formal, semi-dressy, business casual, casual and exercise gear. Each of these categories is a capsule. Most every item in each category except the formal, can mix and match with each other. The formal capsule is made up of dresses, so they can’t mix, but the toppers for the dresses can be interchanged among several of the dresses. The semi dressy, would include my suits, and blouses, which mostly do mix and match because my color palette is tight. My business casual, and semi dressy capsule cross over a bit, I may borrow items for one from the other, etc. The same is true for my business casual and my casual capsule. My exercise gear capsule stands alone. I never wear exercise gear for anything but active outdoor pursuits and exercise. It is not something I like to wear out and about. My shoes are nice, and I have only a few that I would say are truly for formal wear. The rest could be used for any capsule except the gear. Each gear activity uses either sneakers or has a specialty type footwear. For example, hiking boots, or ski boots, etc.

When I travel, I have been limiting my color palette to an even smaller range. I typically pick Two neutrals, and two colors. One color is the main color for the clothing I will wear and the other is the accent color. It works so well, that I can usually pull my clothes in only a few minutes.

I organize my closet by color and item. So I pair all my blue tops together, I start with long sleeve and move to short and then sleeveless and camisoles. Within than order, I also put the most formal item first and the most casual items last, so if I want a casual blue short sleeve shirt, I go to the blue section and head to the right.

My skirts also vary in their level of formality and in their weight, because of our weather, so I put the most formal to the left, but also anything for cold weather goes further to the left also. And then I move to the right.

The color order follows the rainbow.

Any items that are in my closet, but not in my palette, hang to the far right of everything else.

Maybe someone else will disagree and say this isn’t really a capsule method. I didn’t think I used capsules in the past, but the more I thought about it, the clearer it became that my wardrobe was truly a giant capsule because the items within mix and match with one another so well that I can go for an entire season without duplicating an outfit. I recently realized this while tracking wears. It isn’t that I have so huge a wardrobe, but more that I can remix things so well that they look completely different.

I hope my explanation makes sense and is helpful!

jussie

Veteran

Stays fit your post is so helpful- thanks!

gryffin

Veteran

Like Staysfit, I have a very tight color palate - black, gray (charcoal and silver pearl gray), white and denim. That's it. I have belts and bags with silver and gold hardware but silver predominates. Like Staysfit, almost everything but gear and formal works with everything else. Different types of bottoms may work with different style tops, certain jackets may look best with a particular under layer. Since I almost always wear a blazer, (I've been adding more black/white subtle patterns, gray and textured) it all kind of works together. I do think in terms of capsules for tops that work with bottoms/dresses/and which jackets compliment best. The best decision I ever made was restricting my color palate. This gives such harmony and cohesion to my wardrobe. Agreed - if the color is wrong or the undertone of the gray is wrong, it doesn't not earn a place in my wardrobe. Anyway, that's what's working for me, hope that helps!

Anonymous

I haven’t read the responses so apologies if this has been said: I use capsules on the front end (shopping time) as “colour capsules”. It is a collection of clothes with a certain combination of colours that I like. I put them all together and make sure it all works together and that I have enough pieces of each colour. It is useful when adding a new colour. Now that I think of it, Angie uses the term “complements”.

You could use the colour capsules idea with your existing wardrobe to bring certain pieces to the forefront. It would help to get you wearing all of your wardrobe.

cindysmith

Veteran

I kind of sort of tried a bit of a capsule wardrobe last year, and it lasted a few days. I might *appear* very organized to people I interact with on a daily basis; however, the reality is very much like a child told to clean her/his room when s/he doesn't want to: do NOT look under the bed or inside the closet because it's very scary in there.

I have become more like staysfit over the last several years:
* fairly tight color palette: grey, black, navy, tan, brown. Basically, neutrals that don't show dirt.
* new colors are allowed, as long as they work with the rest of my color palette. In the past year, olive, burgundy, and a few soft (but not baby) pinks have been introduced. I'm loving purple again right now, but am not adding it because I have historically had trouble feeling like I can successfully incorporate it into my rotation.
* I don't do many prints or patterns.
* I stick to a fairly consistent formula for dressing. I prefer skinny or slim pants with a longer, looser top. The tops don't have to be voluminous, they just have to be a bit loose-fitting.
* bottoms are stored separate from tops. All face left; go in order from left to right, lighter to darker colors; sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve from left to right; outerwear stored separately, because coats are bulky and screw up the look of my clothing filing system LOL

I do tend to think in terms of capsules even though I don't store my clothes that way; nor do I keep track of what gets worn with what, and I don't store things in terms of capsules (with the exception of the ratty things I wear for dirty work, because who wants to look at reminders that there is sweaty/dirty/gross labor to engage in).

Instead, I use the concept of capsules to kind of help me focus on what I need to be shopping for. Like, my job is at a produce stand, so I make note when I see that my supply of shirts I can wear to work is dwindling (because my job chews through clothes at an alarming rate). If I see that a not-work garment is looking like it's seen better days, I mentally move that garment to my work capsule, even if I don't change it's location in my closet. I will then start pondering what I would like to replace it with, and start searching for a replacement.

I'm interested to see other responses to this question, because I really am like the kid who doesn't want to clean the room. Inside my head is a scary, messy place; YLF has at least made my wardrobe feel a less scary mess

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I assume you're taking about mix-and-match capsules, Roxanna. (There are item capsules and specialist capsules too).

My own mix-and-match capsules are always in my head. I think of my entire wardrobe as a range of capsules that I am constantly editing and embellishing - especially when I shop. I have a very colourful wardrobe, AND one that is rich is many dark and light neutrals. With my high affinity for colour mixing and enjoyment of high contrast looks - I can easily put combos together that resonate right away.

As far as dressing goes, I know which items I can wear with which, but do not stick to a capsule outfit formula as you're suggesting unless I am traveling. I am very affected by my mood when I choose an outfit, and that reigns supreme. I create new and old combinations as the mood strikes me.

kerry

Veteran

Outside of special capsules like gear and special occasion, I don’t really do capsules except by seasons. For us here in Toronto, season for me does not mean the simple four but rather the following - deep winter (Jan. - Feb.), cold spring (Mar. - Apr.), warmer spring (May - June), hot summer (July - Aug.), warm fall (Sept. - Oct.), holiday (Nov. - Dec.). Some items will span over more than one capsule. For example, skinnies will work in holiday, deep winter and cold spring capsules. The capsules are really grounded in footwear and tops. I also restrict colours based on season -burgundy is fall and winter only. Pink is holiday, spring and summer. Other colours like blue span all seasons.

My wardrobe is very different from yours as it is very casual and I wear essentially the same items for work and weekend.

My daughter (8 yo) is in need of a mostly new spring and summer wardrobe and I’m planning to work it as a capsule. My plan is to photograph all of the items that are still in good nick and fit for spring/summer, identify holes and add items with a mind to getting 20-30 wears.

Roxanna

Veteran

This is so helpful everyone.

I am referring to mix and match capsules rather than functional capsules (thanks so much for the terminology @Angie.)

Like @Staysfit and @Angie, I guess I think of my wardrobe as one big capsule as I mix and match everything and rarely wear the exact same outfit twice.

@Sterling I have and LOVE Stylebook - in fact I think I might have introduced you to it a couple of years ago! It's totally changed the way I work with my wardrobe.

@Krishni that's very helpful. Including all those little details in a capsule would avoid previous time wasted in the morning looking for the right belt, the router that works etc.

To everyone: thanks for your thoughts on functional capsules. Since I've been struggling with weekends wear that still looks put together, maybe I'll use part of my Vancouver capsule as a starter weekend capsule and see how that works.

Anonymous

You very well might have introduced me to Style Book, Roxanna. I LOVE it. I play with it all the time. You can build capsules in Style Book by using the "Packing" Page. Elizabeth taught me that.

Oh, I also have a very tight color palette. In my case, I use black, navy, white, and medium pink.

I think of my wardrobe as individual capsules: work, casual, lounge, athletic. Garments rarely cross boundaries with any success and I choose not to force it. The color palette is the same across all capsules because I am most comfortable in those colors. I do try to stick to defined silhouettes, but truthfully, I have been less disciplined at this than I should be. I do wear outfits on repeat and am quite comfortable doing so.

Roxanna

Veteran

@Sterling that is what those thread is teaching me - that there is no one way to 'cspsule' and that we all use capsules to suit our varying style 'personalities'.

@Kerry you make a very good point. And living in Toronto too, I struggled with why I didn't wear some of the items in my wardrobe more. But you have put your finger on it: we have 6 distinct 'mini' seasons that each require varying weights and styles of clothing. I think using your system will keep me from buying too much for any one season (for example, my late spring tops rarely get worn outside of that time!)

rachylou

Veteran

My closet is separated into three mega capsules - bakery, office, and At Home. Ok four: coats. Then I have some mini capsules - going out capsules. I rotate summer and winter (off season goes into ‘deep storage). AND THEN I like to pull out temporary capsules and hang them at the front, things to play around with for a week to a month, pre-assembled outfits.

I like the capsule way of thinking

Sal

Veteran

I sort of capsule - but loosely.

I have a dressy capsule - bags, dresses, heels, one or two toppers.

I have a tight gear capsule - one in, one out - it is the right size where everything is worn over two weeks but without laundering problems.

I also have looser capsules for
- smart work
- everyday work
- running around after sons
- entertaining/ going out
- lounging

There is overlap in many of these areas. I try not to overbuy for smart work for example as this is only about one day a fortnight. I don't have a blue and brown capsule and a black and white capsule- it is much looser than that. I guess this is a functional capsule.

Suzanimal

The only capsule I have is workout clothes. I store all of them in a small trunk and my running shoes sit on top. Everything I take besides my water bottle and phone is in that trunk. I even keep my blister tape in there. No excuses.

Anonymous

I have a capsule system I started last year and quite like. I bought a rolling rack , set it up in my bedroom (no, not ideal, but not the point) and put everything in one pre-identified colour capsule on it . I don't have a big distinction between dressy and work-casual clothes, so I combined everything except for the most casual shorts, t-shirts, at-home wear. It made it tremendously easy to dress in the morning , and kept my clothes right in front of me where I could see them (I have a tiny, dark, closet where things go to die) . I switched out the colour combos every 2-3 months, which aligned with seasonal changes, and how much I had of any particular colour grouping. I remember starting with black/white/grey for March and April , then switched to navy/olive/white for May and June etc etc. I don't have a ton of clothes, so I wasn't freaked out about missing wearing certain pieces. Of course, you're in complete control of what you want to wear, and if I really wanted to wear something else , I did. I got a lot of wear out of everything, and this system also helped me identify holes in my wardrobe pretty quickly. For fun, I pulled out the purses and some jewellery that worked with each capsule and hung it on the end of the rack. This past winter, I tried another approach: I hung all of my pants on the rack. They normally live in the far back rack of my closet and I have no idea what's on there and forget how many pair of black pants I actually have. This forced a weeding out and wearing project that was also very successful. Anyways - I'm a firm believer in capsules now and will set up my first spring one shortly !

Liesbeth

Veteran

I think I have a medium sized wardrobe and have used a mix and match seasonal capsule approach in the past for wardrobe (re)building. Storing out of season items and sticking to limited colors and silhouettes was very freeing for me as it meant that most of my tops, toppers and bottoms worked together. I could also combine them in different ways to create outfits varying from very casual to business casual and low-key party attire. On top of that, I had a completely separate workout capsule, sleep and loungewear capsule, formal event (or let me just call it wedding) capsule, and a small capsule of complementary travel items (e.g. flip flops, summer hat) to my regular items.
Replacing part of my wardrobe after having a baby, has made things more complex in this respect. I am drawn to new silhouettes, meaning that there’s definitely less possibilities for mixing and matching. I am still searching and experimenting with my evolving personal style – and I think the system of essentials, statements and completers may be more suitable for this new direction I’m taking. Building mini capsules around some of the statement items seems like a good idea for easy outfit creating in the busyness of everyday life.

Anonymous

And yes to mini-seasons - which is another reason why I switch out every 6 weeks or so.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Today I feel like it’s mini capsule by the hour. This morning I put on a sleeveless top to add warmth under a sweater and by noon I was too hot. I came home and put on a lightweight spring top and now the weather is changing again and I need to put my original outfit on or put on a sweater. All in a 6 1/2 hour span.
I had put most of my spring/summer clothing away but luckily not all of it as the weather has been challenging.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

And now it is raining!

Cee

Veteran

I take two with water.

Meggie

i love the ideas of capsules. I am queen buying of the orphan piece of clothing that goes with nothing else. Capsules make me more discipline. One of my goals for 2018 is : decision free dressing. Really trying to cut down on the time it takes me to create outfits every morning. Thanks for the great ideas!

deb

Veteran

I just started using the capsule method last week. Before I retired two years ago, my wardrobe was work wear and home wear and pretty much interchangeable. This was easy for me to manage. But since retirement my closet is not so cohesive. I have the same number of items but felt like my closet returned to pre YLF, 8 years ago. I started reading The Vivienne Files, all of it, then using the "Starting From Scratch" section built a 29 piece capsule. I am only in day 4 and cannot give a review yet. But I did have fun going through the exercise and like having the one rail to choose from.

Edit - The capsule is from the pieces already in my closet. I forgot to add that.

SarahD8

Veteran

I am in the process of trying to develop a series of seasonal capsules this year. So, I cannot claim to be an expert but this is something that I am thinking a lot about, and enjoy discussing!

As the concept stands now I am aiming for roughly 6 mini-seasons: Autumn, Holiday, Deep Winter, Cool Spring, and High Summer, with a Transitional wardrobe on either side of High Summer.

Each season has a different theme/narrative inspiration and a different color palette -- although many colors, and many clothing items, are included across multiple seasons.

I work from home and have a casual lifestyle so this is really meant to address my "everyday casual" wardrobe.

From my observations so far, I suspect that for an 8-10 week season, a capsule of 7-10 casual bottoms, 13-15 tops, and 10-12 toppers (I wear a topper pretty much every day, even in High Summer) is about the right size for me.

I am undertaking this capsule project for a few different reasons:
-To satisfy my need for variety during Seattle's long, chilly rainy season (instead of one big pile of "cold weather" clothes, I switch out my capsule several times).
-To help ease decision making both in getting dressed day-to-day and in wardrobe building (it is just easier for me to wrap my head around a smaller number of clothes).
-To ensure that my clothes work well together and that they all get worn (again, easier when dealing with a smaller number of items at a time).

So far I am finding the project very useful, although it is a lot of work.

What has worked best for me is instead of building a capsule from the ground up, I gather all of the items I own that I think work for a given season's color palette/theme, and then edit from there. (Sometimes paring back and sometimes discovering holes.) If you have a large wardrobe that might work well for you too.

Anonymous

I have read so much about capsules both on line and in books. It is the topic of topics among minimalists but go back a year later and they are ditching capsules because they can be extremely limiting. I do use strict capsules when on holiday because I try to use only a carry on. Otherwise, I seem to go in a direction similar to Angie, Stay fit and others with similar posts speaking of mix and match. I too have a tight but wonderful palette and nothing comes into my wardrobe that does not coordinate- no matter how awesome it looks. My fashion budget has always been limited so I could never afford to be really trendy. Any purchase has to go with at least 3-5 things I already own. I lean toward classic-sporty style so I can get away with basics that last for years. I also don't do prints or patterns in anything other than scarves, some summer dresses and a couple of funky blazers. Getting dressed is a snap when everything goes with everything else. My closet and dresser are organized with like items together, color grouped and includes all seasons (except for winter outerwear) Pick a bottom (skirt, pant or dress), pick a top (tank, T, button down or sweater), pick a cover (blazer, jacket, cardi, vest- because I am always cold) pick a statement (scarf, jewelry, purse, shoe). Voila!
When I was working I had someone in the office comment on how I "always looked nice and must have had several walk in closets". I had to take a picture to show her I had a 55 inch standard closet with double rod, a dresser and a scarf rack because she didn't believe me! I told her to check my outfits for 2 weeks and she would see, I wore the same things just styled differently. She had 3 walk in closets filled with clothes, but only wore the same 3-4 unflattering outfits all the time.- I begged her to let me organize and coordinate the 3 closets but she refused-dang -that would have been fun!!!!

Anonymous

This thread was very thought provoking for me. Although I do use capsules, I always learn from others on the YLF Forum. I see some things that would be especially useful to me at this point in my style journey.

Liz

Veteran

What a great question! I've mostly used capsules to help me figure out if I have the right clothes for different parts of my life -- festive, weekend casual, workday casual, client meetings, etc.

But this winter, I've also started pulling a small capsule to wear for a week, as if I were packing for a trip. I love how easy it is to get dressed on a trip, because I've pulled together clothes I like, that travel well, that make great outfits. But why not dress that way at home, too? So I've often pulled a collection of color-coordinated clothes, worn them for the week, and then pulled a different collection the next week. (I'm dressing better as a result!)

Lesley

Veteran

I have a relatively small closet, by design, and have tried to be deliberate about wearing everything I have. However, I was forced to capsulize last August when my family moved to Italy for the year. I chose a small amount of clothes for each season to bring, being sure that everything went with everything else. This has turned out to have been kind of a mistake, although I'm not sure how it could have been avoided. A mistake because with a few exceptions, most of what I brought over was neutral, and meanwhile I am a huge lover of color—bright color and vivid prints. I often joke that my taste was honed by watching Pee Wee's Playhouse. I have felt a little wilted with my very neutral palette over here. It was actually only after I saw Angie's travel capsule post a few weeks ago that I saw how I could have been more deliberate about ensuring daily color for me this year. Anyway, don't cry me a river, I am in Italy and I have been shopping, but it was a learning experience for me, since I really felt like I had this personal style thing down.

12