{"id":121774,"date":"2022-06-15T10:14:16","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T16:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/?p=121774"},"modified":"2024-09-13T17:22:40","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T23:22:40","slug":"start-a-capsule-wardrobe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/start-a-capsule-wardrobe\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Start a Capsule Wardrobe (10 Easy, Practical Steps)"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are a gabillion articles, videos and other resources about how how to start a capsule wardrobe. I created some of them. This time, I thought I’d share my actual process as I am thinking about my capsule wardrobe for the next three months (July, August, September).<\/p>\n

Use these 10 easy, practical steps to start a capsule wardrobe<\/h2>\n

\"10<\/p>\n

1. Ask practical questions.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nInstead of seeing what tourists in Paris are wearing or what smart professionals in New York keep in their closets, ask questions about where you live and how you live.<\/p>\n

Questions like …<\/p>\n

What is the weather going to be like?<\/em> If you are concerned because at the beginning of spring, it\u2019s snowing and at the end of spring it\u2019s really warm where you live, I can relate. Choose your 33 items knowing that some of your pieces will only be worn in the very beginning or at the very end of the challenge. I didn\u2019t choose 3 months of similar weather on purpose. I want to experience the benefits of less.<\/p>\n

Are there any special events coming up?<\/em> Once I see what events I have coming up I ask myself, “can I wear the same thing to all of these events?”<\/p>\n

Do I need to wear anything special for work?<\/em> If you have to dress up for work, consider being 10% less fancy. No one will notice and it will make your capsule wardrobe more versatile. If you wear a uniform to work, start by counting all of your uniforms as 1 item.<\/p>\n

2. Don’t make decisions about the things that aren’t in your capsule wardrobe.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nThis is not the time to decide what to donate, sell or keep. Instead, create your capsule wardrobe, hide the rest and make those decisions after you’ve had some emotional separation from the items. This includes NOT making decisions about new items. Starting a capsule wardrobe is not the time to be adding pieces. Wait until you’ve had some time with a smaller wardrobe to decide what you want and need moving forward.<\/p>\n

3. Consider the categories.<\/strong>
\nWhen you start a capsule wardrobe, estimate how many items you’ll need for each category. Start with the smallest categories first. If you are doing a traditional Project 333 Capsule Wardrobe and working with 33 items it might look like this …<\/p>\n

Jewelry: 3
\nShoes: 4
\nAccessories: 5
\nClothing (including outerwear): 21<\/p>\n

4. Make a list.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nStart a capsule wardrobe on paper. Don’t do it in front of your closet. Making the list from memory will help you choose your favorites first.<\/p>\n

5. Remind yourself why.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nIf you don’t know why you want to have a capsule wardrobe, it might not be the right time.<\/p>\n

If you struggle with making decisions, that’s your reason to start.<\/p>\n

If you are overwhelmed with your chaotic choices, or feeling overwhelmed by life in general and all of the choices and decisions you have to make, reducing those choices and decisions in your closet may help ease stress. That’s a great reason to start.<\/p>\n

Maybe you are curious about simplifying your life and want to sample simplicity by creating a capsule wardrobe. Wow, what a great reason to start.<\/p>\n

Even though my “why” was to ease stress, I still got to experience a bunch of other benefits. I saved money and time and I stopped caring about what other people thought about what I was wearing.<\/p>\n

6. Pull your items.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nGet the list you made and pull all of the items out of the closet. Box up the rest and hide for the next three months. If there are a few items that you aren’t sure about or think you may need “just in case,” box them up too but write “just in case” on the box. If you need something, you’ll know where to find it. Give your closet or wardrobe a good clean out and then place your items back.<\/p>\n

Here is the start of my capsule wardrobe for July\/August\/September.<\/p>\n

\"Capsule<\/p>\n

These are the first 7 items. I’ll be adding up to 26 more items including 4 pairs of shoes, 4 accessories, 3 pieces of jewelry and 12-15 items of clothing.<\/p>\n

7. Get support.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n