Capsule Wardrobe Made Easy in 5 Steps

Wouldn’t it be great to know what to wear every day of the week? It may be a rhetorical question for some of us, but I know it is always a challenge for me.

 

In this post, you will learn how to create a capsule wardrobe for any season that would work for you and would suit your style and busy lifestyle.

 

Being a busy person, I sometimes struggle to think of stylish and comfortable outfits that take only 5 minutes to put together. But how great it would be to have almost all of your seasonal capsule wardrobe planned out beforehand. You know what you are wearing for any work or family occasion. All pieces in the Closet work well together, while accessories create those finishing touches that make you look well-dressed, confident and put together.

The best thing is that it would take you only 10 (or less) minutes to create that look Every. Single. Day.

If you tried to organise and declutter your closet but gave up because it takes too much time and money, keep reading to find out about the checklist below.

Here, you will learn how to build a capsule wardrobe in five steps:

• Analyse your Lifestyle Categories
• Choose your style or define your “Uniform”
• Wear colours that compliment your skin tone
• Organise and declutter your Closet
• Make a clothing shopping list

 

As well as work and weekend outfit ideas, outfit details and shoppable links

Step 1:  Analyse Your Lifestyle

Alright, let’s break it down. Before diving into the world of capsule wardrobes, take a moment to consider your various lifestyle categories. Work, weekends, special occasions, self-care time, and hobbies are all up for discussion. This step is like laying the groundwork for a perfectly tailored wardrobe.

Here is the way I like to analyse mine or someone else’s lifestyle categories:

Step 2: Choose Your Style or Defining Your “Uniform”

Ever heard of the term “uniform” in fashion? It’s about finding your signature style that matches your personality and daily routine. Take a cue from pros like makeup artist and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown, who effortlessly rocks a consistent look. 

Whenever I see her photo in a magazine, doing an interview on YouTube, or on Instagram Live, 95% of the time, she wears white sneakers, blue/navy jeans, a white tee and a black or navy blazer. Then there are black glasses, red manicures and eyeliner.

Every time.

Creating a capsule wardrobe is easier if you understand your style or “uniform”.

While analysing your lifestyle, see what type of garment you have multiple copies of in your Closet. Is it jeans, blazers, dresses, pants, or blouses?

Another way to understand your style (or even if you have one) is to ask a friend to create an outfit in “your style”. If your friend struggles to create an outfit that would look like something you wear, you probably have to work more on the idea of your style.

Embrace what resonates with you.

Step 3: Wear colours that compliment your skin tone

This is my favourite part of creating a capsule wardrobe.

Let’s add some colour! Discover shades that enhance your natural features—eyes, lips, hair, and skin tone and create an effortlessly put-together look.

We are all very busy with our lives and never-ending to-do lists, and it is not always possible to take a day or a weekend off and relax. So how can we help ourselves look well-rested and fresh? I think the second best thing after sleep is the colour you are wearing in your portrait zone. It might be because of that colour; you can look like you have just returned from a 2-week holiday trip to the Maldives.

At the moment, I know there are some opinions on working with your natural colour palette and how non-essential it is. Feeling good in what you are wearing is all that matters. It may have merit, as “your” colours may not be in season for the retail stores when you are shopping, so finding “that” colour may be tricky.

However, I think it pays to know the colours that would work for you so you can take control of your appearance and use it to your advantage. 

As we all have colours in our portrait zone, why not work with what we have and look effortlessly good, saving time and money? Frankly, it is not just about looking good; it’s about feeling fantastic, too.

The following suggestions should help you identify colours suitable for your skin tone. 

People with cool undertones can try colours like: 

• charcoal grey
• pale yellows
• cool brown
• purples
• bottle green
• ice blue
• bright blues
• navy
• deep purples
• lavender
• pink
• pale yellows
• rose reds
• rubies
• Burgundy

As far as the neutral pallet, the colours can be considered:

• sand
• camel
• khaki
• slate grey

Generally, people with a cool undertone want to avoid soft, pastel shades, bright colours, and colours with warm (yellow) undertones.

People with warm undertones can try colours like:

• pale beige
• the bolder shade of purple
• green
• brown
• mustard yellow
• warm reds
• peach
• coral
• amber
• gold
• olive

People with a warm undertone want to avoid colours that have cool (blue) undertones. 

Creating a Capsule Wardrobe

Now that you’ve got the basics down, it’s time to implement your knowledge. It’s time to return to the Lifestyle Categories to connect the above elements into several Capsule Wardrobe ideas. Let’s dive into the capsule wardrobe creation process.

• Work or Business Capsule

Business Capsule covers the aspects of clothing for workdays, including formal meetings, negotiations, business trips, presentations, etc.

With the average person spending a significant chunk of their life at work (about 90,000 hours), it’s crucial to curate a work wardrobe that would mirror your professional style and include garments that are comfortable to wear all day. 

Your work days may also look different: meetings in the office, appointments outside of the office, attending or presenting at public events or having a regular “working behind your desk” kind of day. This may be different for those with a mandatory dress code at work, as they have specific requirements that must be adhered to. However, if your office doesn’t have such strict rules, it’s worth remembering that in a professional environment, people should give the impression of formality and presentability. Your appearance should reflect your abilities and ambitions.

However, your work capsule wardrobe requirements would be completely different if you were a stay-at-home parent.

So, whether you’re thriving in a corporate setting or juggling work from home, there’s a work capsule that’s perfect for you.

These points are different for all of us, but hopefully, they will help you understand what garments you are missing to fill a possible gap in your wardrobe.

Here is an example of a Work Capsule Wardrobe:

Garments and accessories are linked below:

 

 

• Weekend Capsule Wardrobe

The weekend usually includes activities like a walk in the park, lunch with families and friends, and maybe some time to relax or go on a date. Perhaps you reflect on the past week and prepare for the upcoming one.

For me, it is family lunches or dinners, taking my daughter to her music lesson or taking kids to their friend’s birthday party, going to a mall for some shopping, maybe going on a date with my husband, and, of course, the house chores.

 

Here is an example of a Weekend Capsule Wardrobe:

Garments and accessories are linked below:

 

• Self-Care Time

I firmly believe in self-care, and it is essential to touch on this category regardless of the “bigger” topic.

I think everyone should make time for themselves to recharge and return stronger and happier. Feeling good and happy about yourself helps everyone around you. You are a better partner, a better parent, a better daughter/son, a better friend, a colleague, etc.

Recently, I read that you should give yourself three treats (or guilty pleasures) daily. It can be a coffee alone or with a friend, a trip to a hair salon, a small (or a big) gift to oneself, or anything else that would make you happy and appreciated.

At the moment, I am working on this technique. I struggle with three treats. I can easily think of one, maybe two. But three is a challenge. But, never mind, I am sure I will get there eventually.

It is fair to say that everyone will have their own ideas about self-care activities and how they choose to spend their time. Therefore, the outfit ideas may also vary.

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• Hobby Capsule Wardrobe

As we all have different hobbies, the capsule may vary. The main thing is that you feel comfortable, and nothing is limiting your movement. Depending on your pursuit, you may want to look as “bright” or “neutral” as you wish.

Here is an example of a Hobby Capsule Wardrobe:

Garments and accessories are linked below:

 

 

• Special Occasions

Clothing for anniversaries, weddings, festive events, restaurant outings, and similar occasions.

It’s important to remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all formal attire for all life occasions. Your outfit should match the nature of the event. Dressy clothing is an incredible tool for setting the right mood and attracting attention.

You can mix and match items from different capsules to create a comprehensive wardrobe for your life. However, always remember your personal style, which serves as the foundation for building any wardrobe.

Special occasion is a perfect reason to dress up to the nines. To wear something beautiful and unique.

Step 4: Closet Organisation

It’s time to tackle that closet chaos. Even though organising is key, I think organising the closet is the easiest step. There are a lot of different methods, videos, written posts and articles, ideas and so on, enough material for one post or three.

The main things I would suggest are:

• Donate the items you do not love that do not fit or do not reflect your current personality.
• One item per hanger. All your “tops” and “bottoms” hang on individual hangers for easier access.
• Organise your Closet by your garments’ sleeve length and categories, i.e. t-shirts/tops, blouses, blazers, jackets, coats, etc.
• The same goes for your “bottoms”, i.e. shorts, pants, jeans, etc.
• Hang the dresses according to the hem length
• Hang your suits or matching blazer and pants separately to create different ideas for outfits in addition to a given one.
• Hang the items from the lightest colour to the darkest.

Step 5: Make a clothing shopping list

Recently, I thought of clothing shopping like grocery shopping—create a list of what you need. When grocery shopping, we almost always have a list of items we must buy for that week. So why can’t clothing shopping be similar to that? 

Or else, when we want to do something like baking a cake or making a green salad (#balance), we either have a recipe to follow or know precisely how to make that dish. Just like following a recipe for cooking, know your style formula when shopping. However, when it comes to clothing shopping, things are treated differently. You can also say it’s like you have a fridge full of fol and have nothing to eat. Ensure your closet isn’t stuffed with “nothing to wear” moments, and stay prepared for whatever life throws at you.

I hope these five steps to building a capsule wardrobe will benefit you to start a capsule wardrobe that is smart, time-saving, and “always looking gorgeous”.

Thank You

#happyshopping

 

NEXT: “CAPSULE WARDROBE MAGIC: 4 REASONS WHY YOU NEED IT TODAY”