How to build a capsule wardrobe

Have you ever gone to your closet to get dressed and couldn’t figure out what to wear? So many people struggle with this. We have an excess amount of clothing yet seemingly nothing to wear! Capsule wardrobes are a great way to minimize your wardrobe and make life a whole lot easier when it comes to getting dressed.

A standard capsule wardrobe has between 30-50 pieces (roughly). Each piece is intentional and can go with pretty much every other piece in your closet so no matter what you want to wear, it will match! See? Easy, right?

I like to take it one step farther and create “mini capsule wardrobes” within my wardrobe. Like maybe 10-15 pieces each for a lounge, work, and everyday capsule wardrobe. This makes it even easier to know what to wear depending on where you’re going or if you’re just staying at home. And that’s not to say these items can’t be mixed and matched. And these categories will differ for everyone based on their lifestyle. So let’s get building!

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How to build a capsule wardrobe:

1. Analyze your lifestyle

What do you do the most of? Do you spend most of your time at work and therefore in work clothes? Are you athletic and mostly in athleisure? Do you work from home and dress more casually? All of these things will help you decide what items you need most in your wardrobe.

Try and categorize your lifestyle into a few different categories such as work, casual, lounge, athleisure, etc. Then figure out which category takes up the most of your time, a bit of your time, or very little of your time. This will help you determine what kind of clothes you need most in your wardrobe. That’s a great place to start building.

2. Do a wardrobe audit

You may need to set aside a day to do this but it is worth it. Go through your wardrobe and ask yourself a few questions:

1. Do the clothes in my closet fit my lifestyle and the things I spend my time doing?
2. Do I like all the clothes in my wardrobe?
3. Have I worn every piece at least once in the last year?

If you answered “no” to one or more of these questions then it may be time to donate those pieces. With the remaining pieces that you love and wear regularly, analyze why you love them. Is it the style, fit, pattern, colour? This will help you when building your capsule wardrobe further.

3. Plan your capsule wardrobe(s)

Now that know what you spend most of your time doing and what clothing items you like most, it’s time to start planning your capsule wardrobe!

Take whatever activity you do most and plan around 20-25 pieces that can work for that activity.

Then maybe 5-10 items per each remaining category. Head to interest and Instagram and find items you love that would fit well into these mini capsule wardrobes.

4. Declutter

Now that you’re eager to get shopping, it’s time to first get rid of the clothes that won’t fit your capsule wardrobe. Try gifting them to a friend, donating, or selling them to make space in your closet.

5. Start building!

It’s finally the moment you’ve been waiting for! Time to start filling in the gaps in your capsule wardrobe! I always recommend looking secondhand first for the least environmental impact. You can also check out my list of sustainable and ethical brands here!

Here’s an example of a capsule wardrobe:

*I will note that I don’t include jewelry, shoes, outerwear, or undergarments as part of the capsule wardrobe.

3 Tees

 2 Tank tops

3 Shirts

2 Sweaters and 1 Cardigan

2 Jeans and 1 Dressy Pant

2 Skirts

1 Pair of Denim Shorts and 1 Dressy Short

1 Pair of Sweatpants and 1 Pair of Leggings

2 Dresses and 1 Jumpsuit

1 Denim Jacket

This capsule wardrobe only has 24 pieces and you can leave it as that! Or you can add a few more versatile pieces depending on your needs. But this list is really helpful at showcasing how to build a capsule wardrobe and the pieces it can include.

Thank you so much for reading! Please don’t forget to share this post and follow me on Instagram for daily low waste and ethical fashion inspiration!