Are you finding yourself reaching for the same old jeans every single morning? You might already be living with a capsule wardrobe. Don’t worry about your overflowing closet, you’re not the only one with a very minimalistic style right now.
Lockdown has seriously reduced our needs for a pair of sparkly heels and party dress, but it goes beyond the fact we can’t go outside our houses. Having to live with our stuff surrounding us almost 24/7, we might have come to realise most of what we own doesn’t actually “spark joy,” as Marie Kondo would say.
Living a more sustainable, minimalistic life has probably been on most people’s “to-do list” for years, but who has time when there’s a new party to go to, a new exhibition to check out and friends to meet at a cool new restaurant?
Considering there isn’t really that much to do at the moment, capsuling your wardrobe can finally take centre stage. When it’s time to go out and get our lives back, you’ll be grateful for the uncluttered simplicity of your closet, the space and time you save and a new simpler fashion life.
What’s a capsule wardrobe?
The term “capsule wardrobe” was coined in the 70s by Susie Faux, the owner of London boutique Wardrobe, and become mainstream in 1985 with Donna Karan’s “Seven Easy Pieces.”
Fast-forward to now, and the capsule wardrobe has made headlines, alongside the decluttering trend so loved by Marie Kondo. Back in 2014, Caroline Rector started Unfancy, a website highlighting her journey to a capsule wardrobe of 37 pieces. Followed the 10×10 challenge (from Lee Vosburgh of Style Bee), Project 333 (from Courtney Carver of Be More With Less), a curated, eight items wardrobe by Misha Nono (who collaborated with Meghan Markle) and even a Glam Capsule Challenge (from Elizabeth Cline, author of Ovedressed).
Defining YOUR style and actually loving your clothes shouldn’t be revolutionary, but it might feel like it. You don’t need to own everything, just the things you actually want to wear, that fit with your life, style and personality, and in which you look good. A collection of your favourite clothes is what a capsule wardrobe is all about, which means you don’t have to forgo your personal style.
At the core of a capsule wardrobe, no matter how many pieces of clothing you end up with, is mindfulness, the idea of buying less, but better, and sustainability.
Most capsule wardrobes do not include sleepwear, underwear and workout clothes, and the number of items you should own vary depending on who you listen to, from 10 to 50, or even more. A constant is that everything should work together, that you should invest in timeless basics and that you should want to keep your clothes for a long time: quality over quantity.
Why do you need a capsule wardrobe?
Essentially a pared down wardrobe, a capsule wardrobe is built around a couple of key pieces you can wear over and over. The key words here are versatility, longevity, essential and individuality.
Curating your capsule wardrobe will free up space, reduce your decision fatigue, save you money and reduce waste.
Most people only wear about 20% of their wardrobe (according to the chief design officer for California Closets), so what are we doing with all this stuff that we’re accumulating?
The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world right now, so decluttering and buying new items consciously and ethically is great for your own life but also for the planet.
Buying and owning fewer clothes means everything you have will be something you love, it will help you define your own style, spark creativity – how many outfits can you come up with only using 33 pieces? – and help you disengage with the endless new trends cycle, the very problematic fast fashion industry and embrace the “less is more” lifestyle.
Professional stylists play the mix and match/ outfit combination game every day. Join in on the fun and create a curated wardrobe for yourself. Editing, streamlining, and ending up with a lean, versatile closet could be the best thing that comes out of this lockdown.
Sarah Kante
