This is a fascinating thread, Elizabeth! I don't always use capsules, but I create them for special occasions (holiday and travel, particularly. I also use them as a learning tool, deliberately putting boundaries around my dressing to break through fashion doldrums or try something new. I wanted to pop on and just add that you can cheat on capsules! I feel free to wear anything I feel like on any given day. Knowing I can take a day off of a capsule makes it much more fun --- and it's essential to have fun with fashion!

I know Beth Ann, isn't it great how one persons speedbump can generate a whole flood of things to think about?

I think that I am trying to find something that will work for me, yet what I really need is to spend some time seriously evaluating my wardrobe. Trying on the things I don't wear much and determining why. Playing with combinations. And to stop obsessing about the capsule concept :). At least in terms of a whole wardrobe - for me, maybe capsules work for specific functions, but not overall. I DO like to play with different silhouettes, at least for now, as I continue to figure out my style.

Loving this thread, and now I want to make an X-Y chart and plot out outfit possibilities.... (Then make it in 3D for outfits with toppers... Hmm...)

I'm the little weirdo that would one day want a minimalist wardrobe yet I can't seem to make it work! I've managed to whittle down to 24 pieces but they were not happy pieces!

The thought of a good capsule wardrobe still eludes me.

"But what about when the only holes you have are the ones you dig on purpose?"

I relate to this like you wouldn't believe! And this is why my capsule wardrobe never works! For instance, I have a very uniform silhouette (slim, long over lean), but the top lengths and bottom lengths always throw me off! Argh!

Look into another wardrobe blog called into-mind.com. She has three methods of building a wardrobe that includes statement pieces! Maybe you can look into that?