PERSONAL STYLIST TIP: WHAT IS A CAPSULE STYLE WARDROBE AND HOW TO CREATE YOURS

You may have heard of a capsule wardrobe and wondered what does it actually mean, and how to create your own?!

Capsule wardrobes are a great option for saving time, stress, and money in getting dressed on your day to day life (while looking your best, obviously!)

While some may say you have to stick to certain numbers of particular garments, I believe that our capsule wardrobes should be as unique as we are, reflecting our own personality and lifestyle.

For some, you may need several trousers but minimal dresses, and vice versa, depending on your personal style, preferences, and needs as a professional, mum, business owner, or all of the above!

What is a capsule wardrobe?

Starting with the basics, a capsule wardrobe in essence, is a wardrobe that has your requirements for your day to day life, as well as a few key items that can be worn in multiple occasions. A capsule wardrobe holds interchangeable pieces that work with one another in a complementary way so you know whatever you pick and choose will work for your day.

For my clients, I often speak with them to discover if they are someone that would have one capsule wardrobe throughout the year, or some that may have seasonal capsule wardrobes that they can rotate to keep them feeling fresh, and enable them to play with trends they love. This is particularly preferable for my clients that are dramatic or creative style personality types (you can find out more about the different personality types and which you may fit into, in my blog, here).

A capsule wardrobe should take away the morning stress of what to wear, and work with your needs, rather than against them.

Now we know what a capsule wardrobe should be for you, we can look at how to create one for yourself.

This is something that I can help you with in more detail in a colour and style clinic, so this blog is a general approach to getting yourself started with a capsule wardrobe. If you’d like to create your own with a little professional help, then feel free to speak to me.

Start with clearing out your wardrobe

My first piece of advice for getting started on a capsule wardrobe would be to go through your own wardrobe now and clear out items that don’t align with your personal style, don’t fit you, or don’t work with any others in your closet.

If there are pieces in your wardrobe that you love, but you just can’t make more than one outfit with them, you may want to either reconsider the garment, or look at investing in further pieces that can make them more useable.

Now you have a clearer view of the pieces in your wardrobe that create outfits that you love, you can look at where you may need to invest or accessorise.

Create your outfits

Creating a selection of outfits from the capsule pieces you currently have will help you mindfully create a more suitable wardrobe for your needs.

For example, if you tend to wear dresses for work, but you feel you are unable to change up the outfit with your current selection, you can look at accessories and layers that make each dress feel like it can be changed up. For example, a belt can be worn to transform the shape of the dress. You can also look at cardigans, blazers, and shoes that elevate the look and change one dress into several outfits.

If you prefer two pieces, and prefer wearing jeans and a blouse, take a look at the options you have with regards to your tops and bottoms. Do you have enough blouses to give you the variety you crave, without filling your wardrobe to capacity? Do you have a favourite pair of jeans, but perhaps would prefer to have them in a different colour? These can be questions you ask while your wardrobe is being reworked.

If you are someone that would prefer a rotating capsule wardrobe based on the seasons, as we are now in spring, you may wish to take out heavy knits and replace them with lighter layers. Cardigans, blazers, and lighter knitwear are great for this time of year.

Remember your shoes and accessories!

For many of my clients, while having the new outfits in their capsule wardrobe being more approachable and easy to create, they find the shoes are where they can get a little stuck.

I recommend making your shoes and accessories a part of your capsule wardrobe update. If you go to work and need to wear an appropriate heel, then you will want to make sure you have one or two pairs that work with this requirement. You may also want to have a pair of comfortable yet professional flats to commute in.

If your work permits, and you prefer to wear them, platform trainers or wedges can be a funky and more approachable alternative to stilettoes and heeled shoes.

If you are a business owner or professional that works from home, shoes are not as important to your work-life, but will be a requirement for your day to day and special occasions. Sandals, flats, and trainers are all great options, while the special occasion wear may only mean you have one or two special shoes for those needs.

Take a look at the outfits you have created within your capsule wardrobe and make sure there are a selection of shoes that work with your outfits, so you don’t get caught at the last moment!

Bags can also be a fantastic way to add a dash of personality and function to your outfit, particularly if you need to take a lot of things with you as you head out. As a mum, I know I have a “mum bag” which can carry all the snacks and essentials, while my business-owner bag is a little smaller and colourful.

Understand your needs

As I have said, each capsule wardrobe is unique to the person who needs it. Your capsule wardrobe may be completely different to your colleague’s, and again different to your best friend’s. Each person has a different set of needs to get from their clothes, so while you may get inspiration for “the perfect capsule wardrobe” from the internet, it is best to really think about your needs.

Before you eradicate all of your garments from your collection, make sure you have the pieces you need to create the outfits you feel great in. Your wardrobe can be a reflection of you – so let it be just that. If a capsule wardrobe for one person is a collection of 20 pieces, yours may be 40, or even 50. A number is not what you need to aim for, a wardrobe that works for you each day is the goal of a capsule wardrobe.

To find out more about how to make a wardrobe that works for you, create outfits you love each day, and having garments that make you feel confident, I’d love to help.

CTA – colour & style clinic. 

As we head into a new year, often we may feel refreshed and invigorated to stick to goals we have set ourselves! If one of your resolutions is to feel more stylish, confident, or even work on making new connections, get a new job, or build your business – one way to start can be understanding your wardrobe and style in a better way.

Where to start with a new personal style

The first step to discovering your new style, is to understand what you want to portray through your fashion. A few questions I always ask my styling clients are:

• What are the first few words you’d like people to think of when they see you?

• Who are your style icons or inspirations?

• Do you feel a certain way in particular colours?

When you know these, it can help you start developing a sort of style mood board, which is what I create with my personal styling clients on Pinterest, to help you see a selection of options in one space that will help you with future purchases.

Remove items from your wardrobe that don’t fit within your style

When you know the type of style you want to portray through your clothes, that you feel confident in and showcases the personality you’d like to convey, you can then start to edit your current wardrobe.

Having a wardrobe detox helps with several things when it comes to developing your personal style:

• It will save you time each day – no more wondering what will go with what!

• Your wardrobe will work smoothly together as full outfits that you can mix and match easily.

• You’ll no longer have any clothes that you don’t feel comfortable in – removing items that don’t fit you is one of the most important parts of this process, as well as the ones you don’t love or feel confident in when you put them on.

Once you have a wardrobe of items you already own, that work within your style you can move onto the next step – finding new items that work with your current ones!

How to find clothes that work with your personal style

Now you have a wardrobe that you can maximise outfits from, that makes you feel your best, and you have a curated mood board for your style inspiration, you can begin your shopping journey!

As a personal shopper myself, I am sure you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I think making a shopping experience fun, enjoyable and functional is the most important part of your shopping experiences! You’ll want to make sure you do a few things before heading to the shops (whether online or in person).

• Note which items you want to purchase to create outfits from your current pieces in your wardrobe.

• What new items do you want to get to create new outfits?

• What is your budget for this particular shop, or perhaps your quarterly shop? Knowing your finances that you are happy to spend each season for particular items will make sure you know what you can invest in and what you need to save for.

• What colours do you want to add to your wardrobe, if any?

• Which accessories would be a great addition to your collection to help develop fuller more diverse outfits? Whether it’s a belt, a bag, shoes, jewellery, or hair pieces, accessories can transform a look and finish an outfit!

When you have a plan, and an understanding of the style and messages you want to convey through your styling choices, your shopping experiences should be more economical and more useful for you. When we reactively buy because of new year’s sales, a sudden need for something quickly, and without thought, it can cause us to buy items that we ultimately don’t wear. Fast fashion, trends, and garments that don’t last cause us to spend our valuable money on pieces that don’t suit our style for the long term. Taking time to consider what you want your style to showcase, why you want to create that style for yourself – perhaps for your work wardrobe, your confidence, journeying into a new age bracket, or merely to feel great – can truly make a huge difference to how you feel.

Clothes and fashion should work for you – not against you. I hope you will walk into the new year with more confidence and joy each day, and if you’d love help to do this using fashion as one of the tools to manage this, please get in touch.