How to Create a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe
I’ve been into capsule wardrobes for quite some time now. I think my interest for them started when I was reading the book Zero Waste Home (great book, by the way!) and I learnt that Bea Johnson’s and her family members’ capsule wardrobes all fit in a carry-on suitcase each! What a great way to live — you can pack your whole wardrobe for any trip and it just seems so easy to have fewer clothes. I really enjoy having fewer items in general (except books) and find it brings calm to our home when we have fewer items.
My capsule wardrobe is not completely done yet but I’m working on it and am enjoying the results so far. In this post, I’ll share how to create a minimalist capsule wardrobe. Interested? Join me!
- Remember your Reason, Visualise your Goal
The first thing you need to do is think about why you want to have a capsule wardrobe and to visualise your goal, the end result. For me, it’s about reducing stress and making life more simple and having fewer items does that for me. I enjoy a space that’s not cluttered and to have a wardrobe like this, I need fewer clothes. My goal is to have drawers that are neat and can easily be closed, clothes on hangers that hang freely with some space around, clothes that I love and actually wear, items that are comfortable and make me feel good. I want a minimalist capsule wardrobe with just my favourites and nothing else. What’s your reason? What’s your goal?
- Find your Style
Before you start going through your clothes, think about your style. What’s your go-to outfit? What do you always choose if it’s available and which clothes do you use the most? These are the items that you need in your wardrobe. I use cotton jersey dresses a lot so I have quite a few of them but I never wear trousers really so I don’t have many of them. I have one pair of jeans and some linen trousers for very hot summery days but I don’t own any suit trousers for example. I have several black t-shirts as I wear them loads but not a single white t-shirt as I would never buy one (I have three young kids and a tendency to spill — white clothes are not happening for me).
- Pick your Favourites
Now that you know why you’re doing this, what your goal is and what your style is, it’s time to go through your clothes, declutter them and pick your favourites.
Take everything out of your wardrobe and go through it all. If you haven’t worn something in ages, try it on and figure out why you don’t reach for that item. Is it not comfortable? Not flattering? There will be a reason. Narrow down your favourites in each category. Your favourites are the things that you actually use and the things that make you happy and feel good. You don’t need 10 pair of jeans or 35 pairs of socks. Go through each category and only choose your favourites. The rest can be donated to charity, shared with friends and family or sold online. How many you need of each will depend on your style, your washing facilities/routines and your lifestyle. Only you can say how many of something you actually use and need.
- Prepare the Space
Clean out the wardrobe and/or the drawers for a clean slate. Prepare the space with any organisational items you might need, like drawer dividers, and check that you have enough hangers. I like hanging most of my items as it makes it easy to see what you have.
Matching hangers it the way to go for a calm and minimalist look. We have wooden ones from IKEA. I like these as they are chunky and offer good support for your clothes. They also look nice and, though they are bulkier than metal ones, they also ensure your clothes have more space to hang and are not squashed together.
- Organise your New Capsule Wardrobe
The final step is to put everything back in your wardrobe and organise your new minimalist capsule wardrobe in a way that works well for you. Enjoy this process and the new simplified wardrobe that you’ve created for yourself. It should make life easier, it should make it easier to get dressed in the morning, easier to put the washing away.
Once you have finished creating your capsule wardrobe, you need to keep it up. Keep your wardrobe space tidy and pay attention to what items you actually use and remove more if you don’t use everything. Have a seasonal declutter and think about any changes that you might need to do. Some things might not have been used at all and could be donated or maybe you realise that something’s missing, that you could actually do with more of something. I’ve recently realised I need another cardigan so have ordered one but, in general, I still feel that I have a few too many items in each category so my goal is still to minimalise a little bit more.
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