Going to the Gym ever or indeed having a Regular Sleep Schedule is something that you know will clearly improve your lifestyle, but it’s quite impossible to master the willpower to start. The idea of changing your lifestyle makes you procrastinate because we all are lazy. Deep inside we find all these perfect habits impractical, that’s why we don’t bother to even try but not this time.
This whole blog just screams first-world problems and it’s going to be like that only. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting experiment and gives us some insight into whether owning more clothing items really makes you any happier. There is something truly nice about taking the pressure off your shoulder, caring less about matching outfits and overall appearance leaves you more room for hair and makeup. You can chill with your friends and family or focus on your work. Trust yourself and allow yourself to enjoy and stay calm because you are not a work-machine and Capsule Wardrobe can take your burden off.
What is a Capsule Wardrobe
A Capsule Wardrobe is essentially a mini version of a wardrobe which may sound like an absolutely pretentious way of describing the phenomenon of just not being able to afford that many clothes. However, it’s even funnier when you look at it from a first world country’s perspective, assuming that you even have the problem of owning a lot of stuff, to begin with, and you have enough money to invest in really good quality items.
The idea of a Capsule Wardrobe is to select 30 to 40 items that you love and fit you well. Wear only limited items for an entire season. You can be creative and Mix-&-Match your outfits to look different every day. The idea is to make fuss-free and simple morning outfits, to save money and avoid impulse purchases because there’s a precise limit on the number of pieces you can keep.
Having effortless sexy balance seems impossible to find, but you have to be confident about your best picks from a Capsule Wardrobe. Because it’s easier with limited items and you don’t have to manage a gigantic mess out of your wardrobe that you did while trying clothes in different combinations and permutations.
Capsule Wardrobe saves Time, Money, and Energy. which means you have to keep it short and simple, it’s not boring to do and of course, it doesn’t mean we have to buy new clothes altogether.
When you wake up every morning, you can be more productive and alert. Because your outfit for today is already set. Hence, it relieves the stress that comes with changing weather, social events, and seasonal trends. Since you are already packed and set, it’s less likely to forget anything and you can have a simple and efficient day. Happy Day means no mistakes, and you can be energetic all day long.
In Capsule Wardrobe you can’t add new trendy purchases that will go out of style by the end of the season. This means you can come out of this loop where you ‘Keep buying New-Sweater, to match New-Skirt, to match New-Top, to match New-Shoes’, It’s a never-ending loop. Capsule Wardrobe helps to come out of these loops and reduces your Purchases.
The fact that you no longer have to try all clothes, to repeat the same outfit you wore the day before, saves a lot of time. You are half ready to leave for your work because your outfit is ready and you have enough time to have a good breakfast or to cheek emails.
Image: Instagram
Basic Formula for a Capsule Wardrobe Women
- 2 x jackets or Cardigans (top layers)
- 4 x Skirts (skirts)
- 4 x Trouser (skirts)
- 2 x Overalls (skirts)
- 8 x Tops
- 1 or 2 Dresses
- 2 Spaghetti/ Sweater (Depending on season)
You can use this formula as your Capsule Wardrobe checklist. This checklist will help you to build a Capsule Wardrobe. Each jacket must work with all the tops and bottoms, and each top must work with all the bottoms. Try Everything on before making your Capsule. Your clothes must fit well and feel comfortable. Make sure that you like your overall picks so that next morning you don’t get disappointed.
There are millions of formulas on Capsule Wardrobes that are just one google search away, but it may make things more complex than they need to be. Thus, keep your needs and desires in mind while arranging the wardrobe.
- Summer Capsule Wardrobe- Creating the summer wardrobe is the easiest thing to start, all you have to do is add more dresses and sundresses to your basic formula. You can remove trousers and put more of shorts and skirts.
- Winter Capsule Wardrobe– Winter Capsule may take more time because you have to control that temptation to add more unique items for layering. Add sweaters to your basic formula and pick your two to three favourite scarfs.
How to make a Capsule Wardrobe in Just 4 Steps?
Getting dressed in the morning involves less suspense on what to wear, it has to be quick and easy. Don’t include something, because you just-bought-it or something uncomfortable-but-trendy. Take everything out of your wardrobe and follow 4 quick steps to make a Capsule Wardrobe,
- Remove all the unwanted and old clothes
- Get rid of all the clothes that no longer fit you
- Pick your favourites and remove the rest
- Lastly, keep a limited piece of ‘High Maintenance’ clothes like heavy Dresses and Gowns because they take up time to wear and obstruct a lot of space.
Travel Capsule Wardrobe
Image: Instagram
Being in a foreign country should already make you feel less conscious and give less damn to your repetitive pieces. because like who’s going to roast you, your Airbnb host?
The below-given table is for 10-12 days of an outing. You can Mix & Match for more combinations.
- 4 comfortable tops
- 1 pair of overalls
- 2 tank tops or spaghetti for layering
- 1 classic jacket (Denim or Black Leather preferable)
- 2 of your favourite jeans
- 2 skirts
- 2 cute sweater in a neutral colour
- 1 pair of black leggings and Pajama
- 1 sundress (optional)
- 2 pairs of shoes (one for walking, one more presentable)
- 2 Pair Of Heels
- 1 cute beanie or baseball cap
- Undergarments
As long as the overall look is put together and you are feeling confident about it, then there is nothing to get anxious about. You can increase or decrease this based on how many days you’re going to travel for. For every one extra day add one light top, for every 5 days add one jacket/dress and bottoms of your choice.
Capsule Wardrobe Inspiration
To avoid trying clothes in different combinations and permutation. You can also take inspiration from celebrities or browse online. Pinterest has millions of outfit ideas from which you can get inspired for the best matches. You can also look up on Instagram for outfit ideas.
Mistakes that people do while making a Capsule Wardrobe
- Capsule Wardrobe formulas may include dresses or clothes that you don’t have or despise wearing, then you can totally replace them with your favourites. If you want to create the perfect Capsule Wardrobe, you must have 30 to 40 clothes that fit. Formulas are there only if you are making Capsule Wardrobe from scratch. Having a number in mind helps in taking decisions easily for Capsule Wardrobe, but don’t bother if you go extra or have less.
- Another mistake people often do is avoiding Prints or particulars types of Clothing. You can always add clothes that prepare you for the day and keep you going. Having a minimalist capsule wardrobe is a choice, and it’s unnecessary to incorporate into your wardrobe. Your style is unique to you and at the end of the day, we all have a distinctive style. We have different likes, we have different dislikes and that’s what makes us human. It would have been boring if all of us were just clones of each other walking through life.
- Focusing on a number is not really important if you can manage 60 to 70 clothes and it satisfies you then you can surely do that. But make sure you don’t get confused every morning about your outfit of the day. You may end up wearing one jumper for an entire month. remember wearing the same clothes is not important depending on whether you make a few changes here and there
- Copying someone else’s capsule may tempt you to buy items you don’t have, which completely defeats the purpose of Capsule Wardrobe. A list may suggest 4 bottoms and 6 tops and 2 dresses, however, if you love wearing dresses most days then your wardrobe should have more dresses instead of tops and bottoms. Plan according to your personal style before creating a Capsule Wardrobe. This way you will not tempt to copy someone else’s wardrobe and will create a wardrobe that works for you.
- Planning a wardrobe without considering your taste can lead to confusion and irritation. We all are culprits of fantasy Capsule Wardrobe, but it doesn’t help in the long run. Therefore, keep your taste and likes into consideration while making your Capsule Wardrobe.
- When you shop before creating a Capsule Wardrobe and come back with Flashy Trendy and whatever else is on-trend. Later you will find out that you cannot match or pair them. Trends are supposed to come and go and after the trends, clothes look outdated. Therefore, it’s not recommended to purchase for Capsule Wardrobe instead you can include timeless pieces that you already have in your wardrobe.
Conclusion
With Capsule Wardrobe, you can avoid the absurd amount of pressure from Instagram to look like you have an insane number of clothing. The biggest pro of Capsule Wardrobes is the time that you save in the morning. It actually simplifies life so much and brings an enormous difference. It feels less overwhelming in the morning and provides you with a little more time and brainpower to spend on actual work.
Not only in having fewer outfits to choose from but having a less mental process of selecting items that would match together is a relief. If you have to make a bunch of decisions in a day, even small ones like what to wear in the morning, what to eat for breakfast, those can mentally tire you out and make it harder for you to make more important and bigger decisions later.
Having fewer clothes makes people shop less than required and helps get out of this uncertainty loop. The reason you buy something new is that you have already bought something else and then it’s natural to not quit on ‘forever trying to one-up past purchases’ by matching with something else. Having fewer pieces of clothing also lets you wear less worn items. Relying on trends consistently every single day may cause losing ‘your version’ of style. It’s nice to have a variety of clothing for a special event like Halloween. Gradually you realize, you don’t need to buy everything fancy and new. Therefore, it’s important to try a Capsule Wardrobe once.