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Capsule Wardrobe Challenge Review: over 50 outfits out of 30 clothing items

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A review of my capsule wardrobe challenge. Spoiler: I got over 55 outfits using 24 clothing items.

A few months ago I decided to document how many outfits I could wear out of my capsule wardrobe of 30 clothing items. So many of you were a bit baffled that I had cut my clothes down to such a “small” number. I think when you think of 30 clothing items, most just thought that would be like 15 outfits, and how could anyone be OK with wearing such few outfits. The truth is, long before I cut down all the clutter in my wardrobe, I was probably only wearing about 30 items of clothing on a consistent basis. I would wager a bit that most of us have our favourites we like to wear frequently, and that there is a lot of stuff we hold onto “just in case”; or “maybe one day”. I used to sit on the edge of my bed in my towel, wondering what could I wear today? The outfit selection and options used to overwhelm me, to the point that I often said I don’t have anything to wear! Since cutting down, and clearing out, my wardrobe is breezy and easy to see what I have and what to wear. Most importantly, I only hold onto things I love to wear and make me feel good!

A quick recap on the clothing items I used for this challenge:

  1. Black work skirt
  2. Navy blue work skirt
  3. Blue jeans
  4. Dark blue work jeans
  5. Black pants
  6. Mustard yellow pants
  7. Black jeggings
  8. blue hoodie
  9. orange jersey
  10. green jersey
  11. black long sleeve top
  12. floral dress
  13. black and white tunic top
  14. Red blouse
  15. Green blouse
  16. Cream blouse
  17. floral blue blouse
  18. floral pink blouse
  19. Black and white blouse
  20. Short blue work blouse
  21. Short floral blue top
  22. Black print top
  23. Spaghetti floral top
  24. Blue 3/4 top

A few months ago I decided to document how many outfits I could wear out of my capsule wardrobe of 30 clothing items. Here is the review of this challenge. Over 55 outfits using 24 clothing items

I had a few items extra, which I threw out as the challenge went on. I wasn’t keen on wearing them, or they didn’t fit well. So I gave them to the local charity shop instead. I also had a black dress, a jumpsuit and a fancy dress that I put in storage (since we don’t go to many fancy outings, it didn’t seem practical to keep them part of the 30 outfit count). I have left my wardrobe on 24 items, to give me the opportunity to add some more warmer items as winter approaches. I also don’t think you need to be so rigid to keep 30 items because it really doesn’t matter what the number of items you own is, what matters is that you wear what you keep and you enjoy what you wear.

Review of my recent capsule wardrobe challenge! Over 55 outfits using 24 clothing items! Click To Tweet

Throughout the last few weeks, I have been wearing the above items exclusively, and found a few key outtakes from going through this challenge that I thought I would share with you:

  • No one cares what you wear. Not one person noticed if I had worn my red blouse the previous week, or if I had styled a completely new look.
  • I no longer spend hours getting ready, less options means it takes quicker to get ready.
  • I feel so light when I open my cupboard and can see everything I own clearly.
  • for a capsule wardrobe to really work, you have to really love the clothes you keep. Not kinda love – really love. It is possible to create multiple looks with only 24 items. I got to over 55 items, but definitely can think of more.
  • If you plan on owning less, then make sure you buy quality stuff that lasts. Own some quality basic pieces (like black pants, jeans etc). You will wear these regularly, so its important that they last.

SO NOW THE QUESTION IS, WILL YOU IMPLEMENT A CAPSULE WARDROBE FOR YOURSELF?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

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A few months ago I decided to document how many outfits I could wear out of my capsule wardrobe of 30 clothing items. Here is the review of this challenge.

How to build a capsule wardrobe (plus the guidelines I use)

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Read this post to find out exactly what is currently in my wardrobe, and the guidelines I use to have a capsule wardrobe.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
Read this post to find out how to build a capsule wardrobe. Click To Tweet

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.

workout gear

  • 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.

shoes

  • 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:

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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!
  6. 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!
  7. 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.
  8. Think before you buy – do you need it? how will it work with the other items in your wardrobe? does it fit your style?
  9. 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~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

Read this post to find out exactly what is currently in my wardrobe, and the guidelines I use to have a capsule wardrobe.

my capsule wardrobe, how i built a minimalist closet that works for me. plus the guidelines/ rules I follow to achieve my tiny wardrobe.