Step-by-step: Getting Started with a Capsule Wardrobe (for beginners)

So, you’re finally ready to give this whole Capsule Wardrobe thing a try. The promise of stress-free dressing, less wasted money, and less clutter all sounds great. Not to mention more self-confidence, better style, and sustainability to boot? Sign me up!

But, wait…how exactly do you get started?

You’ve read the rules, scoured Pinterest for inspiration, but you’re still not quite sure how to begin? Going from dreaming of a capsule wardrobe to actually implementing one can is where a lot of women get stuck. Whether you’re starting with a closet jam-packed full of clothes and you can’t imagine how you’ll narrow it all down or if you’re starting with an already limited wardrobe and you’re not sure how to fill it out, this is for you.

In this article I’m going to walk you through the exact step-by-step process I use with clients to create their Capsule Wardrobes.

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If you’re new here, I’m Missy of Simplified Wardrobe, an Ethical Personal Stylist & Capsule Wardrobe Curator. I help ambitious and eco-conscious womxn who want to look great, feel confident, and simplify their lives.

Find more information about personal style, capsule wardrobes, and color analysis over on Instagram. You can also download my free 10-page Guide to Defining your Personal Style.

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What is a capsule wardrobe anyway?

At the most basic level, it’s a strategically curated, seasonal selection of clothes that all easily mix and match together. That’s really it. 

(If you want more information on the basics of a Capsule Wardrobe, I have an article about Capsule Wardrobe 101.)

The point of a capsule wardrobe is not to arbitrarily adhere to a set of “rules”, but rather use it as a guideline to help you hone your closet into a well-crafted, well-oiled machine that consistently produces easy-to-create outfits that you love to wear. 

There are a few different ways to go about building a Capsule Wardrobe. In this article, I’m going to outline how I strategically build out a Capsule Wardrobe for my clients.

It’s pretty involved, but I think it produces the best results. Don’t worry. I’m going to go through it step-by-step.

Step 1: Evaluate

The first step is to evaluate your lifestyle. Ask yourself:

• Where do you spend your time and what kinds of pieces do you need to wear? 

• What colors and shapes look and feel best on you now? This isn’t about your goal weight or how tan you were 5 years ago. This is about honoring your body as it is right now.

• What are your goals? Who do you want to be? Imagine your ideal self 5 years from now. What does that person wear?

Finally take a look at your current wardrobe. Is it mostly solid neutrals? Or is it packed full of color and pattern? Take note, now go one level deeper. What do you always wear? What have you never worn? What do you love the most? Set those items aside and try to identify any patterns. It’s pretty telling if your closet is a sea of black, but you mostly wear the 5 colored shirts. Or maybe you have a lot of skirts but notice you only ever wear pants. Jot down any epiphanies you have.

Step 2: Inspiration

Choose a few words that describe how you want to look and feel. These are words like powerful, elegant, laid-back, creative, romantic, polished. If you need some help coming up with your words, I have a free guide on finding your personal style that has an entire page full of example words to choose from. 

Once you have your words, create a style vision board. This can be digital or using good ol’ scissors and glue. I love Pinterest for this step because it’s so easy to add, remove, and find images. 

You want to get a good base, I would say at least 40 pins to really get a good sense of your style and find your foundation. I also recommend adding pins that aren’t necessarily fashion related. Add beautiful scenery, vintage photos, architecture, florals, or anything else that speaks to you. You’re trying to evoke a feeling with your board.

Step 3: Find your Foundation

Your style foundations are the building blocks of your style. From an on-stage speaking event to a cocktail party to client meetings to running errands—what stylistic elements are consistent? 

Use your inspiration board as well as the clothing from your own closet that you love and wear most and look for patterns.

You’re looking for repeated:

• Colors

• Patterns

• Fabrics

• Specific items

• Outfit formulas.

Make a list of these elements. This is what you’re going to be building your wardrobe around.

Step 4: Choose Pieces

Now that you know your foundational elements, you can start to build out your capsule.

Start with what’s already working from your closet

Those pieces that you love and wear most. This is your starting point.

Define your Color Palette

Now, you’re going to define your color palette. Choose 3-5 neutral colors, 2-3 main colors, and 3-5 accent colors. Most of your items will be neutral, followed by main colors, with only about 10% of items in accent colors. 

These colors should include the colors from your starting pieces, but you can always add more colors.

Create a Clothing Item List

Using the foundational elements you identified, create a list of clothing items that would need to be in your capsule to fulfill your inspiration. These items can be hyper specific, like a red double-breasted blazer with gold buttons, or more general, like wide-leg trousers in one of my neutral colors. You’ll most likely have a mix of both.

Include any items that you already own. Anything that is a foundational element that you don’t already own add to your shopping list or see if you can find a reasonable substitute with what you have.

Balance your Wardrobe

As you’re putting together your list, you want to make sure you have enough items for all the activities you normally do, like going to work and running errands. This is wear you evaluate your lifestyle section again and consider where you’re spending most of your time. You also want a good mix of item types. I like to have about 40% tops, 30% bottoms, 10% one-pieces, and 20% layers, but you can adjust the formula based on what you like to wear.

This process is not an exact science, so you’ll have to play around with it and figure out what works best for you, but this method should help you get started.

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Want someone to just do it for you?

If you love the idea of a Capsule Wardrobe, but feel like you need some professional help, I’d love to help you out. I work with ambitious, eco-conscious womxn, just like you, virtually all around the world to create their expressive, small-but-mighty capsule wardrobes.

LEARN ABOUT STYLING SERVICES

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