I tried a Capsule Wardrobe – here is what I learned!

In the spring, I announced that I was trying a new experiment….The Capsule Wardrobe.

I have never been a capsule wardrobe person and LOVE shopping.  In general those two things tend to be contradictory….at least that is what I thought.  Both Jeremy and I worked retail before we met and we both love clothing and shoe shopping.  In the last ten years, our bodies, style and budget have changed…but the fact remains…we love clothes 🙂

That being said, I have struggled recently with finding things that worked for my post-five-babies body and I want things that are basically the unicorn of items….flattering, affordable, stylish, comfortable, durable, and not just individually awesome but also worked as a go-to item in a wardrobe.  I have heard a lot of great things about capsule wardrobes and how differently they can work, so I thought it would be fun to give it a try.

From my understanding a capsule wardrobe is generally a unit…not just buying individual items…but thinking about them in terms of how they work as part of the bigger “whole”.  It can be a big capsule, a small capsule, it can change each season, each year, whatever.  It isn’t a specific recipe as how many items as it is a theory that if you have a group of items that work together, it is more powerful as the matches work together.  That being said, usually something ties them all together….in my case, I chose a color scheme…

And then I decided certain patterns based on that palette…

In the end, I bought quite a few items and used a few that I already had in my closet.  Those items were….

Three button down shirts (perfect for nursing) and a blousy pink shirt that has the prettiest embroidery.

T-shirts are a must for a capsule wardrobe because of the versatility.  I used mostly v-necks and a scoop neck and went with solid colors except for one striped tee.  My favorites are from Madewell, Target and J.Crew.  

I also included a bunch of other tops but in general, I realized that I didn’t wear two of them as much and the blue tank was a great fit at the beginning of spring but by the end of the season, I had dropped a few pounds and it didn’t fit as well as before.  The  navy and white shirt however was a favorite and it was very affordable.

Dresses were by far the hardest category for me to find as I kept on trying to make them work in other ways and it just is very hard with dresses.  I ended up choosing very affordable options as I knew they would only be worn on Sundays for church or for special occasions and I didn’t want to spend a lot in this category.

Jeans were mostly from one place – Old Navy.  It’s funny because they just seem to be the brand that I go back to because of the price.  I guess you can’t teach this old dog new tricks.

Cardigans were a big favorite for me this spring and they worked so well in making the plainest outfits look just a smidge better.  It was that layer that added personality and I saw how in the cooler months, the capsule wardrobe came alive.

And since I live in Georgia, Spring does include shorts.  It is a must-buy since the heat and humidity will make jeans unbearable at times.  I liked the fact that I did include some distressed casual ones and also some dressier options.  That was a big help!

All that being said – I didn’t include any accessories or shoes in my capsule as I don’t have any trouble picking ones that I love and can switch those out easily.  Also – and this is more random than knowing what breed of dog is Kylie’s favorite – but I want you all to know that I really would love to find a hat that fits my giant head.  Like is there a brand out there that sells women’s hats in men’s sizes?!  Inquiring minds (that are housed in watermelon sized skulls) want to know.

 

So what did I learn?  The fact is – I learned a lot through the spring season of trying this out.  I realized that in the past, I went into a store shopping for the ‘best deals’ and the ‘wow items’ and not necessarily for items that I need, would work well with others or thinking about my wardrobe as a whole.

 

• It made me pause before purchasing

That was a really big perk of this experiment.  If it was a good deal and even really flattering but a bright red, I didn’t buy it.  That pause in the purchasing process was a good thing for my wallet.  That meant I bought less number of items.

• I thought more about pairings

I realized that in the past, I went into a store shopping for the ‘best deals’ and the ‘wow items’ and not necessarily for items that I need, would work well with others or thinking about my wardrobe as a whole.  In this case, I always thought – will this new top work with my pants/shorts?  Will it work under one of my cardigans?  Is it flexible enough to go over a dress?  The idea that it was nursing friendly wasn’t enough any more.

• I was willing to spend more

In general I am a thrifty person….but I also have been known to buy a LOT of cheap items which adds up.  In this situation I spent more on individual items (some people say that this is investing in clothes) but also I had to feel confident that that item was a “unicorn” item before I splurged.

• I walked away easier

I think it was really helpful to have a more restrictive guideline for clothing purchases.  It almost was like when faced with a very affordable pretty top, I needed a reason to say no.  And the fact that it might have not checked off EVERY SINGLE ONE of my items or even if I already had something in the capsule that was VERY similar, it was like a perfect reason to walk away.

• Having a color palette helped

Walking away from a great item that didn’t fit into my pre-determined color palette was actually a great feeling.  I felt like I was able to recognize the worth of the item for what it was without actually owning it.  Also it steered my shopping in a direction that saved me time.  If I was shopping online, I was able to filter things down faster.

•  I saved time getting dressed

When items were all clean, I saved SO much time getting dressed.  Having the limited choices (vs having an entire closet of items to sift through) made getting to that final decision THAT much faster.  I also knew exactly what matched what and so grabbing the capsule shirt was way faster.

•  I did a lot more laundry

Funny thing with having more limited choices was that when something was dirty I laundered those items a lot more frequently.  Sometimes it was because the dirty kids hands got all over me and I knew I needed those same jeans for later that week.  Sometimes it was because I used to let things stack up before tackling loads.  But either way, I realized that I was doing smaller loads more frequently of my clothing.

•  I cheated

Speaking of laundry – sometime there were simply not items that fit my needs for that day that were clean.  Maybe it was a t-shirt and all the t-shirts were dirty.  I would cheat by grabbing a non-capsule tee and wearing it out.  I know.  Shame on me.  But at the same time, I got addicted to making quick decisions when it came to clothing….so if something was already in my head, I went for it even if it wasn’t part of my capsule.

•  I loved most of the things I chose

One thing that really surprised me was how much I really loved the items in my capsule.  I felt confident and put together and knew exactly what looked good together and in the end, it was a shock to see how this capsule was FULL of items that I would be happy to wear all the time.  That being said – there were a few items that were a bust.  The white shirt with the pretty tie back was something I wore once (because it required a specific bra that wasn’t always clean and I didn’t prefer the item under cardigans) and then the off-the-shoulder top was a little too long for shorts so I rarely picked that when it was hot outside.  The denim dress also was a bit too big for me once I lost a little weight and so I returned that and they didn’t have a smaller size.  That being said – most of the things worked out GREAT and I plan on keeping them in rotation for the rest of the year.

•  I don’t know if it was for me

So was the capsule experiment a win or a loss?  I am not sure.  There were definitely things I LOVED about it.  Then the fact that I cheated was proof that I can’t say it was a perfect fit.  I think in general I learned some really valuable lessons about myself (the ability to walk away was a big one!) and about clothing in general.  Over the summer I found myself gravitating to those spring capsule items more than anything else in my wardrobe and I think that shows how much I really loved the pieces.  In general, I can’t say that I will do a capsule again….but I do like the idea of putting just as much thought into the items individually as the whole.

 

So there you have it – everything I learned as a newbie to the capsule wardrobe.  Have you tried it?  Are you a believer?  Do you do a strict capsule or a flexible one?  Do you add to it as the season progresses?  I have no regrets with trying it and I do think that I will try something similar again!  I think I will just give myself a little more grace if I find something new along the way.  I’d love to hear how you did it or do it or if you want to give it a whirl!