A Capsule Wardrobe is Easier Than You Might Think

If you're like me then a Capsule Wardrobe is one of those things that you love the sound of but you're fairly certain you'll never actually have one, right? I mean come on; who can get away with less than 15 black tshirts that all look exactly the same... or is that just me? Oops.

But while I don't do New Year's Resolutions, I have decided to make a few changes to my life and the way I organise it; some of that is related to how I split time between working, blogging and everything else.. a better life balance is something I'm determined to pin down in 2017. But another area I want to look at is my wardrobe.

I am not short of clothes, but I am short of clothes I actually wear. Sound familiar? I have a chronic case of "I'll keep it just in case..." Well no more, because quite frankly no, I am never going to wear that skirt that leaves me terrified of the slightest gust of wind and no those shoes I cannot even stand up in are never going to come in useful.

I have to say, while I love the flexibility my work allows me I am jealous of anyone who has a "uniform" for work (unless it's dressing up in an animal costume), if I could pull it off I would happily wear a suit most days, although I don't even have a suit.

But how can you get one of these mythical capsule wardrobes? Well thanks to the lovely people over at Betabrand who have put together the infographic at the top of this post, there are a few tips I can share with you...

• Step 1 is by far the most important... CLEAN OUT YOUR WARDROBE. Get all your clothes, from every corner of your home, even the ones in the laundry basket and pile them somewhere (I tend to use my bed). Now sort into piles of what you love and wear often, what you like but don't wear and stuff you just aren't keen on. From there you need to get ruthless.. are you really going to wear that dress you bought 5 years ago for that party you can't even remember going to? No you're not. Pile the clothes that are leaving together or put into a bag ready to head to the charity shop. Clothes that aren't good enough to donate can be taken to your local textile recycling instead.
  
• Step 2 is then about keeping the minimum amount of clothes you need to function and it's recommended to have 2-3 of each "type". So think for the bottom half of you; skirts, trousers, shorts.. pick your favourites and then out with the rest, then repeat with tops, jumpers, dresses and even shoes!
  
• Step 3 is the fun part, because now you can see any gaps in your wardrobe. At this point you can treat yourself to something to fulfil this need but it needs to be something you will wear often!
  
• Step 4 means outfit building. Betabrand say 27 individual pieces of clothing can equal 100 outfits, it's just about being creative. Wear a jumper over a dress to completely change the look, etc. This step can be tricky so it might be a good idea to call in a friend!
  

Once you've shrunk down your wardrobe and familiarised yourself with your outfit options, make a note on your calendar for when to come back and look at it again.. is there something you kept that you've avoided or something you realised you did need?

While I've already mentioned that I would love the chance to wear a suit every day, if you're a working woman a capsule wardrobe could seem daunting right? You'll probably worry about your co-workers noticing you wearing the same clothes regularly.. well don't fret! There's a very simple trick to this; think plain. Now that doesn't mean boring, but it does mean step away from the patterns and bright colours. It's unlikely that anyone will notice if you wear the same white tshirt twice in a week, but a bright green polo neck is more likely to draw attention.

Some dark tailored trousers, a skirt, a couple of white tshirts or shirts with different sleeves/necklines repeated with black, blue etc, and a couple of jackets should see you through your workday wardrobe without any issues.

I'd love to know if you have a capsule wardrobe, or if like me, you just really really want one! So please drop me a comment below letting me know what you think (it really does make my day hearing from you!).

Speak soon x