In April this year I set out to declutter my wardrobe, and wrote about how I got rid of all the clothing items that didn’t fit, I wasn’t going to wear, or just didn’t bring me joy. Since then, it has become a bit a talking point around friends as to how on earth I have continued to live with only 30 items of clothing in my wardrobe. So I thought I would lay out what is currently in my wardrobe, and the guidelines I use to have a capsule wardrobe.
First, yes, I still have 30 clothing items in my wardrobe, here is a full list of what they include:
- 4 formal outfits/ clothes I wear for special occasions ( 2 dresses, 1 suit jacket, 1 jumpsuit)
- 5 pants
- 1 shorts
- 2 skirts
- 2 tights
- 1 dress
- 4 tunic tops
- 5 casual tops
- 4 blouses
- 2 jerseys
There are things I still want to get rid of:
- 1 formal dress – I want to replace this with a dress I can wear for work
- 2 casual tops – the ones I own are a bit tatty, so I would like to replace these
And there are things I want to buy:
- 2 smart work tops (short sleeve)
- 1 smart work top (long)
What are my guidelines for building my capsule wardrobe?
- I am not to hooked up on a particular number in my wardrobe, but I like that I own 33 clothing items from the above list
- I consider the above list, a list of everyday clothing items, things I wear either to work or casual or to a special occasion (like a wedding).
- I keep a few seasonal items in a storage container under my bed. Things like: winter jerseys, long tops I wear in winter, winter pj’s, a South African soccer shirt, 3 summer formal dresses, a house hoodie, and a small selection of clutch handbags, including some clutch handbags I got from my mum that I wear only for special occasions.
- My capsule wardrobe excludes certain items (listed below):
- Shoes (4 boots, 3 heels, 3 takkies, 2 slops, 1 slippers, 1 pumps, and 1 gumboots)
- Accessories (scarves, belt, necklaces etc) and handbag (I only have 1 handbag)
- Pj’s (3 summer, 2 winter) and dressing gown (1 summer,, 1 winter)
- Workout gear (bras, tights, tops, jackets)
- House wear ( 1 shorts, 1 track pants, 1 top, 1 hoodie)
- Bras, underwear, stockings and socks
- Outer wear (1 coat, 1 trench, 1 puffy jacket, 1 rain coat)
- Items I have in storage
There are still things I keep in my wardrobe that I need to work through.
- I would like to sort out my accessories, but I seem to hang on to these “just in case” – I don’r own a lot of scarves but I seem to favour one or two, but own about 8 in total.
- I don’t really wear jewelry that much, but I know when I start work I will wear a few items, so I am holding onto these until I start working to see what I wear and what I can get rid of.
- I know I need to sort out my workout gear. But honestly, this pile has been carefully accumulated to a number that is realistic if you run more than 3 times a week. At the peak of my training, I was running 5 days a week, and it saves on washing if I own enough outfits that I can run that frequently.
- I have 12 pairs of running tights – this is because some are duplicates. If you are a runner you will know that when you find tights that don’t slip when you run, you buy duplicates because that is a rare find. But honestly, some of these tights are very light weight/ more summer gear, so it is not really helpful living in a country that I know I would probably not wear them, and rather stick to wearing the longer tights in my wardrobe. Still I find it hard to get rid of them because every pair of tights I own fit and work perfectly for me.
- I have 5 sport bras, but only 3 actually fit well. The thinking is that I have enough that I can run at least 3 times a week with only one wash cycle. But 2 of them fit terribly. Actually writing this has made me realise how stupid that sounds, so I am chucking the 2 sports bras that don’t fit right now.
- I know I should probably get rid of 2 pairs of heels. because I know that I will never wear them, and perhaps I can then replace them with 1 comfy pair of smart shoes I can wear at work. I don’t need to replace both.
- I know I only own one handbag, and it is a teal leather type handbag. But I really would prefer to own brown leather handbag, own that goes with a bit more of my outfits, as I sometimes feel the teal colour clashes with certain outfits in my wardrobe.
How to build a capsule wardrobe:
- Lay everything out and review all your clothes in one go. Pull it out of your wardrobe and pick up every item one at a time. Do you wear this? Does it fit? Do you like it? Would you buy it again?
- Work out the outfits you can create with the items you own. Match bottoms with various tops, or tops with various bottoms – do they all work together?
- Stick to styles that work for your body type. Don’t worry about matching exactly what I have, some things might not work for you. Perhaps you are not a fan of tights, or hardly wear dresses. Keep what works for you.
- Replace, don’t add. This is key, once you get rid of a lot of items in your wardrobe, your first instinct will be to go out and buy more to fill the void.
- Try living with less for a while. At the start, it will feel like you have nothing to wear, it will cause panic and anxiety. You will feel like you wear the same thing every day. Push through, because let’s be real, we all have our faves we always wear even with a wardrobe full of clothes!
- You don’t need to stick to black, white and grey. Often people think you have to stick with the same palette. I disagree, I love adding colours to my wardrobe – do what works for you!
- If you love an item of clothing, you will make it work for you in your capsule wardrobe. I think the key is that the separate items I have in my wardrobe can be mixed and matched, and create various outfits – regardless of colour.
- Think before you buy – do you need it? how will it work with the other items in your wardrobe? does it fit your style?
- Fold your clothes, and pack away in your wardrobe, so that everything can be see by just a quick glance.
With everything in life, I know my closet is not perfect. There are items I know I need to still sort through, but right now, I am actually not sure if I need them. Perhaps I will use them in the future? So I have decided to keep what I have until November. That will mean that I would have had these items for one whole year, so then I can review again and get rid of the clothing I never wore in a year. The best part of having a capsule wardrobe is that I can really see what I have in my wardrobe, and I know exactly what I wear and what I don’t ever wear but simply doing a quick scan. It makes it easier to manage. Nothing is hiding behind piles and piles of clothes. Everything has been accounted for and weighed up before I put it into my wardrobe, I love the order a capsule wardrobe brings.
HAVE YOU TRIED THE DECLUTTER CHALLENGE?
Unlock the simple life,
~Meg~
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This is amazing! I feel like I did a really good job of narrowing down my wardrobe when I moved to SA, but over the years it’s ballooned again. My main problem is t-shirts — I have so many and find them really hard to let go of because they all have special meaning. Anyway, thanks for he inspiration.
It is something to always be mindful of – I am determine to not let my wardrobe get out of hand again!
These are some useful and practical tips. Would definitely try and implement them in my wardrobe.
Thanks Tanvi, hope they help – good luck with the declutter! Let me know if you need any more advice.
I’ve been really analyzing my wardrobe and I have too many shoes, dresses I not longer wear (mini) and too many bags. i will definitely screen my wardrobe come spring. This is a great concept.
Happy Decluttering Sam – shout if you need any help!
I am a minimalist to my core and so my wardrobe is already pretty condensed, but I think I could do better about having pieces that go with everything else instead of just fewer things. One thing I do love are dresses though! Especially here in D.C.
Ah summer dresses, I wish I could wear them here. Winter gets a bit trickier here in Dublin, but I am working on it!
Wow I have to admire your organisation. My wardrobe is in a bit of a mess and could use a declutter.
Been there Heather, hope the post helps motivate you to get stuck in and sort out your wardrobe!
I love my capsule wardrobe! I am glad to hear that you don’t include your pj’s and workout gear in your capsule because I always feel a little insecure about not including them, like am I a fraud? But those items are in need of a lot more rotation so if I included them my number would double I think lol.. This is such a great comprehensive outline for a starter capsule! I wish I had read this back when I started making my capsule over a year ago!
Do what works for you. I actually don’t even think you need to focus on the number – the key is to keep what you wear, and be aware what you bring in. I agree pjs and workout gear is something you need to wash more regularly!
5 pants? To me, that sounds like a lot
haha, well I am just starting out! But honestly, 2 pairs of jeans (one more formal), 2 work pants, and a pair of jeggings doesn’t seem like a lot to me! How many bottoms do you own?
I feel like a lot of us fall into a capsule wardrobe because we wear our favorite things over and over, we just never actually get rid of all the stuff we don’t wear lol
exactly, a good trick is to turn your hangers around when you wear something, you find out pretty quick the items you wear and the ones you don’t touch!
This is so awesome. I am really wanting to cut down on the clothing that I have. I am so motivated now to clear more items out to sell. It’s def going to be this week’s project for sure.
Woohoo! happy decluttering week – let me know if you need any more help from me!
WOW! I am so impressed you only have 33 items in your wardrobe! I need to build my capsule wardrobe
Let me know if you need any more advice or help to get you started!
Thanks for this information! I have been really good over the last few years to purge and mix and match what I have. yay!
Yay! I only started this year, but I think it will stick.
Great read! The tips here are really great, I know a few people who could stand to consolidate their wardrobes!
I think that is key – just start! and being aware what you bring in. That was the eye-opener for me.
I’ve been doing a capsule wardrobe for just under 10 years. This is a great guide.
Thanks so much Jess, that means a lot coming from a veteran!
Thanks so much Jess, that means a lot coming from a veteran!
INTERESTING HOW YOU DO IT. BEE THINKING OF THROWING OUT SOME STUFF AS WELL
Hope it helps you to get into your closet and get rid of things that you don’t wear!
Great tips, have been struggling to reduce my wardrobe so will definitely be applying some of these when I get home 🙂
Good luck Aine, i think the best thing to do is take it all out of your wardrobe in one go and start from there!
Much more colorful than the other capsules I’ve seen!
Yes! you have to keep true to your style I think, and I love adding loads of colour 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing this! I made a capsule wardrobe for pregnancy which was easy as my choices were pretty limited anyway with the baby belly, ha! But I’ve never been sure how I could do it within my large wardrobe now everything fits again, I appreciate you sharing your advice 🙂
Good Luck Mica, I promise you once you start there will be no going back to an overcrowded wardrobe!
Wow! I’m a self-professed fashion hoarder so I doubt I could ever succeed in narrowing my wardrobe down to just 33 items, but I love your approach of getting rid of things that don’t bring you joy!
i think the big thing is being aware of what you actually wear and what you hold on to for no purpose – i was keeping tons of things just in case and never ever wearing them!
This is honestly so helpful!! I have so many clothes it’s unbelievable, I’m so overwhelmed by it all that I can still rarely find anything to wear!! I really need to pull everything out and be brutal with what I keep! I feel like I’ll feel less stressed if I know there are outfits I’ve put together beforehand and I only have a few items. Right now, I open the closet, see 150 tops and am like “ARGHHHH where do I start?!”
pull it all out and go through my steps to declutter – I was just like you when I started!
I’m so glad I came across your blog post, I’m moving out soon and your guide will be very helpful!!
moving is the BEST time to declutter! good luck!
moving is the BEST time to declutter! good luck!
I love the idea of a capsule wardrobe! I used one during my pregnancy and am trying to get back to that mentality.
Give it a try Allison and let me know if you need any help!
I only ever have had less than 30 items in my wardrobe at any one time – just do not like too much stuff and would never be able to choose/find anything if I had more than that. Most of it is fairly practical if stylish, puffer jackets, jeans, tops, a couple of better looking black jeans and stretchy pants to wear more formally and one black dress for special events/funerals. I live in the highlands of Scotland, so need to take account of very changeable weather and always need a hood when outside, apart from long periods of hot weather, such as we had this summer.
I totally agree Trisha, why have a heap of clothes you never wear?!