Capsule Wardrobe 101

how to:

capsule wardrobe 101

Capsule wardrobes have been all the rage for the past few years now. Although I think they have navigated away from the original, more traditional definition of a strict number of classic, high-quality, versatile pieces, I still love the idea of capsule wardrobes and thought I’d give you my take on how to build your own capsule wardrobe. It’s definitely not the original method or the only method to build a capsule, but I hope this gives you some starting points or some ideas to tackle capsule wardrobes your own way.

But first, let’s talk about the why.

I think it’s important to consider why you want to have a capsule wardrobe before you start, or else this whole process might only be something that lasts for a few weeks, or maybe a few months. Here are a few pros and cons to consider when starting a capsule wardrobe. Maybe the following are some reasons that piqued your interest in the first place. Ultimately, we want to build a capsule wardrobe that features your favourite styles and is functional and practical for your lifestyle so that it becomes a sustainable process.

Pros:

• budget friendly

• great for small closets

• can be more environmentally friendly

• longer lasting

• easier to get ready

• bonus: may help you discover your personal style!

Cons/Challenges:

• style/trend constricting

• possibility of being less environmentally friendly (will discuss this point below)

• seasonal constrictions

Considerations…

Consider your lifestyle

Before gathering pieces for your capsule wardrobe, it’s important to know which pieces are best suited for your lifestyle. For example, I used to work in a more corporate setting, so pieces like trousers, shirts, and blazers made a lot more sense than they do now in my more casual work setting. Maybe you’re a new mum or a student. These things all affect what we choose to wear each day and what pieces we incorporate into our capsule wardrobes.

Consider your environment

Another factor that I personally found affected my capsule a lot is weather. After moving back to Canada from Sydney, I’ve found that I need a few more pieces than I did living in a warmer climate to get me through all four crazy Toronto-weather seasons. If I lived in a purely warm, sunny place, I might need fewer pieces in my capsule. So all that to say, consider your environment, and where you live when creating your capsule.

A system that works for me is having a basic, year-round core capsule that consists of pieces that are worn all seasons. Then on top of that I have a seasonal capsule for fall/winter and then one for spring/summer where I can have a bit more fun and change things up each season and include pieces that I wouldn’t necessarily wear all year round. You can read more on my core capsule here. Keep in mind, that I’m quite flexible with my wardrobe and I sometimes swap pieces from my seasonal and core capsules because I’m still figuring out which pieces I actually wear through all seasons.

Consider your personal style

What do you personally love to wear? If there are pieces you often gravitate toward, these will most likely be your capsule wardrobe staples. If you’ve been following my sustainable style journey for a while now, you’ll probably know that turtlenecks and high waisted pants are my jam. I go to these items time and time again for reasons such as comfort, practicality, and function. Take a look through your current wardrobe, I’m sure you can pick out some tried and true pieces as your capsule foundation.

Go easy on yourself!

I know traditionally, capsules are about numbers and having a certain number of pieces in your wardrobe. However, I personally think it’s fine for each individual to have a set a number or range for themselves, according to the factors that I mentioned above. In the end I’ve learned, through this process, to be intentional with my budget and what pieces I choose to invest into. It has also taught me that I need less than I think I do. I’ve also learned more about my personal style and it has invited more creativity into my wardrobe by learning to experiment with different ways to style pieces.

Let’s get started! (finally)

Wardrobe Evaluation

First, evaluate what you already own! This is SO SO important to being sustainable through this whole process. The point of a capsule is to curate a wardrobe that you love and can easily style each day that fits your lifestyle. I’m sure there are at least a few things in your wardrobe that you love to wear. So pick out a few dearly loved pieces and make sure you include those in your capsule! If there are pieces you no longer wear or are ill-fitting, declutter it sustainably! Try to repurpose the item or fabric (Tip: old t-shirts make GREAT cleaning rags). Sell it through online platforms such as BUNZ, Poshmark, or ThredUp. Donate it or gift it to someone else who loves it and would want to give it a second life.

Gather Inspiration

Next, gather style inspiration! This is such a fun part for me. I’m always so inspired by others’ style and I love to create mood boards each season on Pinterest. This not only keeps me from impulse purchases, but it also shows how my style changes from season to season - it’s like a digital style diary. I also love the “save” function on Instagram which I use often as I’m scrolling, to save inspiring outfits and styling techniques.

List It Out

Now that you’ve gathered pieces from your existing wardrobe and hunted for style inspo. It’s now time to identify wardrobe “gaps” or maybe some “wants”. Maybe there’s a particular trend that you love this season and you want to include - write it down! Maybe you’ve been on the hunt for high quality high waisted denim for a long time. Write it down! For example, this spring/summer season, I was on the lookout for some white pants and more “summer” material pieces for my capsule. Whatever wardrobe gaps you identify, make a list! Having a list in mind helps to guide your shopping so that you will be less likely to make an impulse purchase. It’s like going to the grocery store with a list rather than going to the grocery store with no list and an empty stomach!

Cape Jumpsuit (Top) by Vetta Capsule
Donna Jeans by Cheap Monday

Black Tee by Muji
The Carpenter Pant by Everlane

Shop Intentionally

Finally, it’s time to shop for those missing items. Start to keep an eye out for the items you’ve identified on your list and shop with intention. You may be wondering, “what does shopping intentionally even mean?”. That is a great question because honestly, I think shopping intentionally can mean different things to different people, depending on your WHY (see above). I can only speak for my own why, so here’s my story and how I define “shopping intentionally”. I originally began exploring capsule wardrobes because of my interest in living a more low waste life. This exploration very quickly led me to the nasty discovery of how wasteful and unethical the fast fashion industry is and this has really affected how I shop. For me, shopping intentionally means being aware of my ecological footprint by shopping sustainably and also supporting ethically-made brands where I can. As tempting as it would be to start from zero, and build my wardrobe from the ground up, I would end up leaving an even larger environmental footprint by throwing out all my existing clothing. Instead, I try to “shop my closet” as much as I can but still give myself the freedom to enjoy fashion by making purchases from ethical and sustainable companies and investing in high quality pieces that I know will get a lot of wear.

If you don’t know where to look for sustainable and ethical brands, I have a whole brand directory where I’ve been keeping track of all the brands I’ve tried or have collaborated with in the past.

Now what?

Well, if you stuck around all the way to the end, thank you so much - I really appreciate it! I hope this post was insightful and helpful if you’re looking to build your own capsule wardrobe or are just curious about all this capsule talk. It may seem a little complicated at first, but trust me, you’ll get the hang of it! I’m going to leave a few more tips below that you guys shared with me through my latest #capsuleconversations post, and hopefully they will help someone out!

Tips from you!

• try smaller capsule challenges as a start to see if the capsule wardrobe system is for you (spring 10x10, may 30x30)

• have a visual overview for your capsule wardrobe

• choose pieces based on fabrics

• have a “capsule” when travelling to test out the system

• make sure your pieces can be styled at least 3 ways before purchasing

• have fewer pieces that are patterned for simpler styling

Let’s continue the conversation below! Please let me know if you have any other questions or things I should blog about. It was already so hard to cap this post…I’m thinking there may need to be a part 2!

Do you have a capsule wardrobe? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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This post is not sponsored but contains some gifted items and affiliate links. If you decide to shop through the links above, I make a small commission that helps support this blog. I only share products and brands I love and support. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Candice Tay!

Winter Capsule Round-up & Spring Inspiration

Winter Capsule Round-up

a recap

Taking a look back

With all the snow lately, I don’t think Spring is anywhere in sight yet. Despite that, I’m definitely in Spring mode and am so ready to transition to my Spring capsule wardrobe. Before I share my inspiration for Spring, let’s take a look back at my current Winter capsule wardrobe. If you read my post about my Core Capsule, you would know that I have a basic capsule that I wear year-round and then I add on a seasonal capsule that has more appropriate pieces for the particular season I’m in. I’ve found this to be helpful especially living in Canada since we have very distinct four seasons. Pictured here is my Winter Capsule that I’ve been styling and wearing for the past few months. In this capsule I included lots of chunky knits, some wool pants, a few cardigans and shirts.

Winter Capsule Evaluation

1. Identify low-wear pieces

At the end of a season, I like to go through my capsule and decide which pieces are staying in my closet and which pieces, if any, need to go. This may seem like a tedious process but it’s actually rather fast and can be helpful for you to identify which pieces you are actually wearing. Although I have a relatively minimal closet, there are still pieces that don’t get much wear. This winter season, I picked out three pieces that didn’t get as much wear as I had hoped.

2. identify reasons for low-wear

There may be many reasons why pieces in your closet aren’t worn as much. For me it mostly came down to material and practicality of the pieces. The three items I decided to take out from my winter capsule are: a denim shirt, a black cardigan, and an olive knit.

• denim shirt: This denim shirt is made of cotton and although it’s a great piece, I just found myself gravitating to my dad’s old denim shirt instead. This light denim shirt that I had in my winter capsule is a lot more structured and a tougher material. I think the reason why I often chose my other denim shirt is because of comfort.

• black cardigan: This black cardigan I’ve had in my wardrobe since my uni days was once a really well-loved piece in my wardrobe. This season however, I didn’t find myself wearing it much. Again I think the reason is because of comfort and practicality of the piece. It fits a little tighter on the arms whereas I often like to choose more oversized pieces.

• olive knit: This olive knit, though a beautiful design and fit, is just plain itchy. This is probably the only knit I have that I find itchy. The reason this didn’t get much wear is fairly obvious - it was just not comfortable to wear because of the material.

3. declutter or give it another go?

Next I decided whether I would declutter these low-wear items or save it and give it another chance. For these three, I decided to declutter two and save one. I’ll talk more about declutter sustainably another time!

Changes to my Core Capsule

After living in my core capsule and winter capsule for a season, I decided to make some changes to my core capsule. This is probably going to continue to change as I live with it for a longer period of time. It’s still something I’m experimenting with. In my core capsule, I had a ton of turtlenecks which I find I wear a lot in the winter, but as I think about spring and summer, I don’t think I’ll be wearing those at all. I also had two tank tops in my core capsule which I wear a lot in the spring/summer seasons but I didn’t wear at all in the winter, so I think I’ll be taking those out of my core capsule. Those are probably more seasonal items that should be added to the season specific capsules. I’ll just do a bit of shifting with my core capsule pieces.

My Core Capsule now stands at about 15 pieces made of mostly denim and trousers that are worn year-round, a white and a black tee, and a few other basic pieces.

Spring Inspiration

Now after all that talk about my winter capsule, let’s dive in a little into my Spring Inspiration. I’m foreseeing that this may be a long discussion so I’ve broken it down for you in case you want to jump straight to a particular topic.

• A look at my Pinterest board: personal style guidelines

• How I determine which old or new pieces to bring into my capsule

• Creating a capsule for your body type

• A sneak peek at Spring 2019

A look at my Pinterest board

I first start off my slowly gathering inspiring images on my Pinterest board. I received many questions on Instagram asking how I decide what to pin and how I choose pieces for my capsule. It’s not as complicated as it may seem. A capsule wardrobe is just about choosing the styles you love and want to wear, after all, it’s your closet. That’s what I love about fashion, the ability to be creative and expressive with beautiful garments. So the main point is not to stress over whether the piece is right for your capsule wardrobe, you’ll know if you like something. I personally have a few guidelines that help me decide what to pin and choose for my capsule. These guidelines are things that just came naturally to me and I have found for my particular style, that it helps me have a consistent and functional style.

My Style Guidelines:

• look for pieces that are comfortable and functional for my lifestyle

  • For example, if you take a look at my board, this season I’m really loving the whites and soft linen materials. However, if I was at a different stage in life, maybe with kids, I probably wouldn’t choose as much white or silk materials because those are delicate fabrics that would probably get ruined.

• look for materials that fit the season

  • For winter I chose a lot of wool and cashmere, thicker materials, and for Spring, I’m looking at a lot of linen, tencel, and cotton materials that are more breathable for the warmer months.

• look for photos that have pieces that you already own in your wardrobe

  • The reason I do this is so that I can be inspired to style something I already own in various ways. Maybe you’ll come across a particular outfit that you love with a piece that you already have and it could inspire you to wear that garment a different way. You’d be able to recreate a look you love with what you already have.

• look at styles that I like

  • This one is so simple. I often just pin photos that inspire me or is a style that I am trying to achieve with my own wardrobe.

This season I’m really inspired by lightweight, organic materials such as linen and cotton. I love the laidback, natural toned outfits. Colours that I’m really drawn to are whites, beiges, tans, with pops of burnt rust and denim. I love a lighter more neutral colour palette for the warmer seasons and they also pair well with my basic colours of black, grey, and navy that I wear a lot. Style-wise, I’m inspired by oversized, light-weight cardigans as well as button-downs and wrap tops. I’ve made a simple wish list that may or may not be filled during the season, but either way, it’s nice to be intentional about what I may want to bring into my wardrobe this season. I love making Pinterest boards and find them very helpful when putting together capsules for different seasons. I hope you’ll take a look through my Pinterest board and see if anything inspires you to create a mood board of your own!

My Wish List:

• either a top or pair of linen pants in rust

• a linen wrap top

How do you determine what goes in your capsule?

Similar to my style guidelines, I decide whether something goes into my capsule first based on functionality and comfort. If the piece isn’t practical, I probably won’t wear it. I also consider fit, which is related to comfort. If something doesn’t fit properly or isn’t the right size, I probably won’t wear it much because it will be uncomfortable or it will look strange on my body.

For Spring and Summer in particular, I’ve been trying to be intentional about including more pieces with natural fabrics like linen, cotton, and hemp. Materials are definitely something I consider before bringing something into my seasonal capsule.

Finally I always think about longevity and versatility of a piece. Can this piece be styled in multiple ways? Is this piece bad quality? Will this garment break down after a few wears? Is this a classic style or is it a trendy piece that I’m not going to like after one season? Not to say, you can’t include trendy pieces in your wardrobe, I personally love a classic, minimalist aesthetic, but there are definitely still some trends that I give into. For example, the wide leg pant. If you look at my board, you can clearly see I’m in love with wide-leg pants haha!

In summary, consider functionality, versatility, fit, material, quality, and longevity.

How do you create a capsule for your body type?

I get asked this question quite frequently and it’s actually a difficult question to answer because I can really only speak for my own body type. I think this is somewhat related to my style guidelines of functionality, versatility, fit, etc. Creating a capsule should not be any different for someone with my body type or someone with a different body type. I personally create a capsule that I will always want to return to so, I build my capsule in a way that fits my lifestyle, versus trying to fit trendy pieces, that may not look good on my body type, into my wardrobe.

For example, I will probably never wear low-waisted pants again, whether they come back in trend or not, simply because I don’t find them comfortable. It all comes down to wearing what is comfortable, functional, and makes you confident. I think ultimately you don’t make a capsule wardrobe for others, or even for social media, you make it for yourself.

A Sneak Peek at Spring 2019

I’m still working on it and things may change, but for now here’s a little sneak peek at some of the items I’ve chosen for my upcoming Spring Capsule.

Do you want to see a full break down of all the pieces?

Alright, you’ve made it to the end. There were some other great questions and suggestions, but I think I will have to continue those conversations in another post or this is never going to end haha! Let me know if you want me to discuss anything further or if you have any other suggestions or things you’re curious about.

As always, thank you so much for your support and constant encouragement as I continue to explore this sustainability journey.