Capsule Wardrobe?! Never heard.

Do you want to save time, money and energy and have at the same time a closet of essential garments that match to your lifestyle and personality? Building a capsule wardrobe can be the solution. 

For some years now, there has been a lot of discussion about minimalist living. Minimalists like Joshua Becker and the friends Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus want to help people live meaningful lives with less in a world of abundance. They try to convince people of minimalism and emphasize the advantages. Also in fashion. Blogs like Minimalism Co. provide minimalist fashion tips and guides to perfect capsule wardrobe, among other things.

Aha! And what exactly does minimalist fashion mean? 

Minimalist fashion is both a method of selecting, managing and organizing your clothing as well as a style of clothing. A minimalist wardrobe typically consists of a consistent color palette, often with many gray, white and black tones. The more muted design of the pieces allows them to be interchangeable and easy to layer.

All right … And what is now the difference between minimalist fashion and a capsule wardrobe? The capsule wardrobe is one type among others of minimalist fashion.

A Capsule Wardrobe is a thoughtfully assembled collection of timeless pieces that work seamlessly together. It allows you to easily create outfits you absolutely love from a limited number of pieces. A capsule wardrobe refers to a curated collection of high quality, interchangeable staples in your wardrobe. By selecting easy-to-pair styles, a capsule wardrobe helps to reduce the number of overall items in your closet and can provide a collection of “personal uniform” choices to wear consistently.

The aim is to save time, spend money more wisely, and develop a structured and confident style. The best is never worry about what to wear again. And even better is doing something good for our environment.

That sounds great! And how I can make my own capsule wardrobe? Is it difficult? 

No, it’s very easy. But before creating your capsule wardrobe, you have to think about the things you want to have in your wardrobe. There are 9 steps of creating a capsule wardrobe:

1. Evaluate your lifestyle:  summarize what you want to express about yourself through your style
2. Understand your unique aesthetic: gather and assort outfit inspirations for a visual roadmap
3. Evaluate your closet: assess what you already have in your wardrobe and what’s missing in relation to your aesthetic and your lifestyle needs
4. Create your checklist: create a list of the essential items you want in your capsule wardrobe and compare it what you already have and what you need to purchase
5. Determine your budget: you have to set budget before shopping 
6. Decide on your go-to brands: whenever you need to replace an item, you already know where to turn
7. Shop without Impulse: choose a strategy to avoid falling into the trap of impulse purchasing
8. Increase longevity with proper care: keep up your items
9. Pay attention to “needy objects”: The single most important thing you should not do when creating a capsule wardrobe is allow yourself to be tricked by “needy objects.”(Needy objects are things that you initially think you can buy in isolation but actually require several more add-ons to make it work in context.)

Bye bye fast fashion. The fashion industry has to change. And the simplification of fashion is one step in the right dircetion. It’s not only about sustainability, but also about accumulating less things in a world of abundance. Because in the end shopping, shopping and shopping again, does not make you happy. Have you already noticed that, too? But what is it then? Consistency and security could be the solution. We rush from one appointment to the next. Perhaps it is quite good if at least our wardrobe offers us security. 

Besides buying less clothes, it’s relevant to choose the right brands. You need a certain tactics that save you time and effort. With a list of brands for your capsule wardrobe you are well prepared for shopping. Another important point to think about which brands you want to support and if you align with their ideals. You should consider five main points for your brand list.

1. Quality: investigate the quality of production and fabrication
2. Fit: know your body measurements 
3. Price: establish your price range 
4. Service: determine a zero tolerance personal policy for bad service
5. Mission: take some time to learn about corporate policies, company culture, and reputation in the press, and see if they resonate with any of your personal ideals

Now you are ready. Grab your notebook and pen, stand in front of your wardrobe, discover your style and revolutionize fashion!