Capsule wardrobe: a phenomenon from the 1940s that is making a comeback

Even heard about a capsule wardrobe? I learned about it only a few years ago but was hooked immediately. Am I practicing it today? Not fully, but I am trying to move towards it.

Apparently, the term capsule wardrobe was first used as early as the 1940s in American publications but was brought to life again by Susie Faux in the 1970s. She owned a boutique in London called ‘Wardrobe’ and defined a capsule wardrobe as a collection of few essential items (trousers, skirts, coats) that do not go out of fashion and can be worn with other seasonable pieces. In 1985 Donna Karan raised awareness about capsule wardrobe by creating a collection of 7 interchangeable pieces keeping the working women in mind. She demonstrated that with only a few pieces several different outfits could be created.

Why should one want to have a capsule wardrobe?

The aim of a capsule wardrobe is to reduce the items of clothing you own by simply creating a collection of clothing that is composed of interchangeable items only, to maximize the number of outfits that can be created with them. The so-called ‘key’ or ‘staple’ items should not go out of fashion and be wearable for multiple seasons.

It is believed to be good for people who have lots of clothes but always wear a small amount of them and who do not really love or have time for constant clothes shopping. I would have guessed it would be the majority of women, but then I realized there are many of us who do love shopping. However, with the current environmental crisis and the awareness created about the negative impacts of fast fashion, capsule wardrobe has definitely become a thing.

What are the rules I need to follow?

There seem to be no strict rules when creating a capsule wardrobe for yourself, but it is good to keep the following in mind:

1. Choose yourself a colour scheme. It means you should have 1-2 base colours that go with everything (black, white, brown, gray, navy) and 1-2 accent colours (generally brighter colours). The base colours are normally chosen for trousers, coats and bags and the accent colours for tops, dresses and accessories.
2. Consider your body type. Confused? No worries, check here
3. Consider your skin tone. Confused again? Relax, click here.
4. Choose classic shapes and patterns as they do not go out of fashion
5. Choose high-quality fabrics as individual pieces get much wear

How do I start?

Again, no rules, but I would advise you to start by decluttering your wardrobe and get rid of the items you never or very rarely wear. If you have not worn a certain piece for a year, it is time to say your farewells (unless it is something you really love but forgot it exists).

Also, think about your lifestyle and the clothes you like to wear. Are you working from home/ in a relaxed environment or in a company/business that requires formal outfits? How do you spend your free time – outdoors, indoors, both? If you work from home you probably do not need many or no formal outfits at all even though you may like to think you look incredibly good in a pencil skirt and high heels. If you like to wear T-shirts and jeans, stop bulking up fancy dresses you never wear as there are no occasions to wear them for. “Find what feels good” like my favorite online yoga teacher likes to say and stay true to yourself and your style.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there are things you wear daily and things you wear occasionally. If you are into sports, you need separate outfits for your hobby. Think how often you practice something and how many pieces you actually need. Find the minimalist in you. If you do yoga twice a week, do you really need 10 pairs of yoga pants with different patterns? Probably not. I’d guess 2 pairs of short and long yoga pants is enough with few tops to interchange.

Faux suggests that a woman’s capsule wardrobe consists of at least 2 pairs of trousers, a dress or a skirt, a jacket, a coat, a knit, two pairs of shoes, and 2 bags. You obviously do not need a coat or knit if you live in a tropical climate, but I assume most of us don’t.

I have seen people suggesting 37-50 pieces in total (including clothing, shoes, and accessories) and if you feel you need to scale down a lot, do not worry, there are several instructions online that teach you how you can achieve it.

Think about how many different clothing categories you need (e.g. daily – school, errands, work; fun – restaurants, dates, movies, etc; sports – yoga, hiking, running, etc) and start to play around by following the few suggestions mentioned above.

Examples

I work from both home and office, but we do not have to wear formal outfits as we do not meet with clients face to face. I love to wear trousers and shirts and I live in a climate with 4 seasons. I can interchange many pieces for Autumn, Winter, and Spring, and due to hot summers need lighter clothing for 2-3 months. I am also into yoga (as you may have guessed) and hiking and try to go skiing once a year. I rarely go to any fancy events and while meeting friends, keep my beloved urban-casual style. Now, I do not have a fully functional capsule wardrobe just yet, but this is how I could easily survive when choosing items from Amazon:

1. Two pairs of trousers

2. Seven tops

3. Two cardigans

4. Two coats

5. Seven pairs of shoes

6. Three bags

7. Eight summer items

8. Yoga

9. Accessories

The example above consists of 40 pieces in total and these are all things I would use daily during different seasons. Now, I did not add items for skiing and hiking as this is something I do not practice every day nor the home- and sleepwear, underwear, and socks. For a fancy event, I could fit into my wardrobe a black dress and nice shoes, but I really cannot remember an event I would have worn that kind of outfit. It means in total there would be more than 50 items, but I still think it is a great start as most of us have significantly more pieces of clothing and accessories and many of them remain unused during the majority of the time. Also, I had lots of fun creating this wardrobe and think it is a great exercise to understand what you should keep in mind when shopping for clothes to reduce your overall consumption. Just give it a try. It’s worth it.