How To Put Together a Capsule Wardrobe: For Beginners 

So glad I could help!! How did it go? Did you create a capsule?

Not quite 😅 I reduced my clothing to 36 pcs w/o shoes and accessories. I know it’s very lame 🤣 but hey I had TWO closets 🤦🏻‍♀️ So baby steps right? You really helped me too to wear everything I love and actually love everything I wear. I feel so good! Thx!

@@fabiolatgg 36 pieces is GREAT! That is an excellent size for a capsule wardrobe! I start with 15 pieces always because that is the simplest number to manage, but even my own wardrobe is not only 15 items. SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE DOING GREAT! It makes me so happy to read that you are loving everything you are wearing. Thanks for sharing!

I completely agree. Same here!

I'm so glad this was helpful! Did you end up putting together your capsule? How did it go?

Fernanda - Approximately Right I did! It went well! Most of my tops are very colorful, so most of my bottoms are denim, but it’s been SO much easier getting dressed every day! I’m definitely doing this again in the fall and in the winter!

@@brittany7768 That's so great! Congrats on your new capsule!!!

Thank you Irai for your comment! A lot of what you expressed rings true for me. I also realized that a capsule wardrobe could give me more than my whole wardrobe when I was traveling. It clicked all of a sudden. I hope others get inspired by your comment as well, because having 'nothing to wear' is not a fun feeling, but gladly I don't have that anymore either!

thank you Irai! your comment inspires me

@@sharpiesarecool814 You can do it, Persephone! If you have a very different dress code for work and leisure, start with one area of your wardrobe ("professional outfits", for example, or "put-together mom") and build out from there. Sending you a most encouraging elbow bump in the age of COVID-19! :-) :-) :-) :-)

Very inspiring! I want to do & know all of that about & with my wardrobe tooooo!! I too have mounds & closets & boxes & bags of clothes clothes clothes & yet EVERY DAY I get up & literally STRUGGLE to find anything to wear that looks & feels good on me!! It is SO frustrating! Not to mention ALL the room all those clothes take up in my tiny new apartment I’m still trying to move into! If ONLY I knew better how to start my own capsule wardrobes (one for work, one for the gym, one for occasions etc) I could eliminate SO MUCH of the mess that is just a ton of clothes (most of which I don’t wear BUT, true to a clothing hoarders belief, “I might want to wear one day” or “I may need a top made that way or just this pattern to wear to or match with….”)!! I don’t have an eye for coordinating outfits (OR accessorizing them very well either -I wish someone could help me do that w my wardrobe!) & to be honest, I don’t even know what a color wheel or whatever looks like to even begin with one! I’m a whole OTHER level of a Beginner’s Mess! Help! 🤦🏻‍♀️💯

@Christy Start with one "area" of your life, Christy! To me, it was very important to get my work clothes sorted because a chaotic morning derails my day. So, I started very small and focused on that "collection". I selected 2 dresses, 6 trousers, 2 skirts, 10-12 tops (because that's what people notice the most, I feel) and a handful of layers (blazers, cardigans, jackets). I added 2 flat and 2 heeled shoes, and 3 handbags. My tip #1 would be: KEEP THESE PIECES SEPARATE. Either on one side of the closet, or if you're lucky to have the space, a rack or spare closet. If you mix them in with the rest of your clothes, you will not "see" the combination possibilities. Trust me! Tip #2, CHOOSE EITHER BLACK OR NAVY AS YOUR DARK NEUTRAL, because while both go with most other colors, they do not always go with each other, and many printed pieces have one or the other as background. It just simplifies things in the beginning. Then, bring in some lighter neutrals that you feel comfortable in: light grey, beige/tan, ivory/white. If 70% of your clothes are in these colors, you'll have outfits for every day of the month. Tip #3: GIVE YOURSELF SPACE FOR ACCENT PIECES YOU ADORE, in moderation. The jean or moto jacket you've had for 10 years, the trousers with the funky print, the colorful handwoven belt you got at a destination wedding, the bright pink blouse that makes your skin look amazing. It is important to inject personality and fun into a capsule because otherwise you will hate it. (This "capsuling" business should not be an exercise in deprivation and suffering!) Once you have 20 or 30 pieces selected, stop. Commit to dressing up (for work, or gym, or dates, or running errands, whichever frequent activity you've chosen as a focus) from that collection for 2 months. Every week, reassess. What pieces did you reach for? What did not work at all? What did you REALLY miss? Take out one piece for every one you swap in. For example, I realized I'd rather wear a dress than a skirt+top, that I reach for trousers 4 out of 5 workdays, that I wear heels less frequently than I thought, that I like structured jackets and blazers more than I like cardigans, that a shirt I thought I'd absolutely love did not work out because it was too prone to wrinkles and made me look unkempt by the middle of the day, that I wanted to add a pop of color with my shoes, and that I prefer dark bottoms. So, I made adjustments. I brought in more trousers, and because I wanted them to stay in the darkish blue family, I chose different silhouettes and tiny details in order to add variety (navy skinny, navy wide leg, navy with tiny checkers, mid-blue straight leg summer weight wool with a cuffed hem, dark denim in 2 different cuts). I replaced one pair of heels with a pair of ballerina flats in raspberry pink. I also discovered that I wasn't wearing some of the tops because they felt too sheer or too low-cut, so I added some camisoles and moved a couple of "too sexy" blouses to the "not-for-work" section of my closet. I'm not going to lie, it took about 2-3 years to get it to be a fully-functional collection of core pieces, but now a have an office wardrobe that makes me feel confident every day. I only add 2-3 pieces every season, either from shopping my own closet, thrifting, or getting something a bit trendier to replace a tired item. Now, I would advice against getting rid of things too quickly. I know the feeling of anxiety that comes from doing so when one has "more is better" tendencies. Instead, put anything that's out of season, does not fit, it's "meh", or it's too special for everyday in boxes (or the back of the closet) away from view. If you go slow and give yourself grace, by the end of ONE season you will have a lot more discernment about how many items you really need, what pieces make you feel amazing, which are more versatile, what shoes you reach for the most, etc. Hopefully you'll feel confident enough to repeat the process for a new season, shop from the things you had put away, rehome some things that are not stellar choices, and perhaps start expanding the "editing" to a new area of dressing up. I wish you all the success in the world.

That makes me so happy!! Thank you for sharing that!

Great! We’ll keep it for the next ones.

You're so welcome!! Thank you for your comment, it made my day.🙃

Same ! I loved it

For sure! I would love to make one. If there is not enough interest on a video I'll make a blog post and link you to it. Thanks for watching! Means a ton.

It's never going to be perfect, because your wardrobe should reflect your life and your life will keep changing. That's where my channel name comes from! "It's better to be 'approximately right' than precisely wrong". You got this!

I do have a video on that! Look for my Capsule Wardrobe Care 2-part series. I HATE doing laundry. What I discovered was that certain fabrics don't need to be washed very often if they are stored correctly, and I now only do laundry every 2-3 weeks. I wash everything in COLD water on the delicate cycle, and the only thing I separate is fabric weights. Check out those videos, it may give you some ideas!

I wonder if you couldn't add household fabrics like towels, tablecloths, sheets, etc., to make up the difference? Like Fernanda said below I also wash things on cold, and usually turn them inside out which helps buffer color so you could easily do all darks in one load, for instance.

Very good point! Thanks for bringing that to attn!!

😍💖💝

YAY!!!

It really increases the number of combinations you can put together. I remember I saw someone wearing a button down sweater on the street and thought... That is so smart. Why did this never occur to me?

I’m so glad this helped!! Im glad you’re excited for your wardrobe, that’s all I wanted 🤗

You got this!

This is so great!!! I love reading that. I hope it makes you happy with your wardrobe moving forward!

I'm so glad this helps! I agree with you, it's difficult in the beginning to wrap your mind around it. The formula is a great place to start, and over time you don't even need it, you just know what you need and what you wear! Good luck! Let me know if you ever have any questions!

Thanks Carlota! I loved that you picked up on getting right to the video. I am trying to get better at that in my next videos. I always tell myself - JUST JUMP RIGHT IN! I like what you say about showing what didn't make it. I think i'll include that also in my upcoming Spring Capsule wardrobe video. Thanks for the feedback!

100% recommend this for a travel wardrobe. And if having a wardrobe with a ton of options makes you happy, then go for it! It's about what brings you joy. I live with someone who likes stuff too. It's a paradox we manage every day!

I'm so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching!

So glad!

It's not for me either, I don't think I look good in the warm neutrals that are trending right now. I like pattern and color!

Enjoy! I love putting together capsules. It’s so fun!

I'm glad it helped!

100%!! It's a skill for sure, which is why personal stylists exist. I have a video coming in the next couple of weeks that will be helpful, so stayed tuned!

Woohooo!!! So glad I could help!

Thank you! As long as you are happy and like what you wear every day, I'm happy :)

Thank you for the comments Devyn! I’m glad it was helpful 💕💕

That makes me so happy!

I'm so glad!!

So glad you like them!

That was the goal!!

Good luck! It's much easier than you think! And it will save you a ton of money!

Oh my god! I’m so glad you like it! Yes, a well chosen capsule can get you a ton of options. Did you see the combinations video that followed this one?

That's great!! What's your goal Sonia? Do you know your colors? that helps a lot!

Will you make a video about it? I would love to see what you picked!

My pleasure!! If you go to my website there's a pop up guide you can download that will make it easier!

It's perfect for that!

It's particularly useful when packing for a trip!

YAAAAAAAYYYY!!! Awesome!!

I'm glad I could help! I have a video coming in two weeks that expands on this, so stayed tuned for that!

I love to hear that!

Let me know how it goes!

So glad you liked it!

Hi Sherry! That is a fear a lot of people have. I think it's difficult to see how much of what we already have we really don't use until we don't miss it. My recommendation would be to create a capsule with what you already own, 2x this amount (30 pieces) and pack away, but don't throw away, the rest, and see how you feel. That's how I got started getting rid of all the excess and it really opened my eyes to how little of it I missed. And about the laundry - I hear you! I hate doing laundry, but I have now gotten my capsules into a sweet spot where I only need to do laundry every two weeks, but I can stretch it to three if I really need to!

Of course! Let me know if you have any questions!

Hi! That video is already up. You can check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VDGUWZlAciM.html

I'm so glad I could help! If you get to a point when everything goes together, getting ready takes two seconds - you literally grab anything and it works!

I'm so glad you did! Is there anything in particular you have been struggling with?

@@vazq_Fernanda Yes! 1. Layering. I often think, "if it's not practical, then why wear it?" ie a scarf around my neck indoors. Yet, I love the way layers look. 2.) I can't figure out which items to buy in neutral colors versus which items to buy in more unique/brighter colors in my pallet. For example, should I buy neutral colors in shirts and bright colors in cardigans or vice versa. I hope that makes sense!!!

@@murridithvines Hi, you Got your answer?

I’m so glad! 🥰