How To Build The Ultimate Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe
In this blog post, we’ll be teaching you how to create a minimalist capsule wardrobe that you will love.
Creating a capsule wardrobe is a great way to get started with minimalism and to get rid of things that you don’t need.
What is the meaning of minimalism?
Minimalism can take on several different meanings depending on the context.
Minimalism is the name of a movement to simplify your life by owning fewer possessions and being mindful about what you do own. You might be familiar with the concepts of decluttering and sustainability, which go hand in hand with minimalism.
Another definition of minimalism is more aesthetic and can be applied to art, fashion, design, architecture, and so on. In this case, minimalism is a design or style that involves using the fewest elements for maximum impact.
Both of these concepts of minimalism are related to creating a minimalist capsule wardrobe!
What Is a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe?
The term minimalist capsule wardrobe became popular thanks to Susie Faux in the 1970s.
It can be described as a collection of clothing, shoes, and accessories that can be worn again and again, and mixed and matched to create many different outfits using just a small number of items. Typically, it is a collection of clothes in neutral colors.
Rather than owning dozens of dresses, dozens of tops, dozens of pants, dozens of shoes, and so on, you may only have five to seven of each item in a minimalist capsule wardrobe.
While capsule wardrobes can have as many or as few items as you’d like, the goal is to have interchangeable pieces that allow you to maximize the number of outfits you can make while minimizing the amount of clothing that you own.
In a minimalist capsule wardrobe, you don’t have to sacrifice style in the name of minimalism. Instead, you are just thoughtfully curating your wardrobe.
What Are The Benefits of a Capsule Wardrobe?
There are many benefits of a capsule wardrobe.
A minimal capsule wardrobe is great for achieving a simpler, more minimalist style, and for practicing minimalism by owning fewer clothes. A minimalist capsule wardrobe is also good for sustainability because it cuts down on how often you shop for new clothes.
Another benefit of a minimalist capsule wardrobe is that you’ll spend less time getting ready, and will never have that feeling of staring into an overflowing closet but not being able to find anything to wear again!
This eliminates decision fatigue and makes getting ready in the morning a simpler process with less stress and wasted time.
How Do You Make a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe?
Making a minimalist capsule wardrobe isn’t difficult and you can easily accomplish this yourself without the need for a personal stylist.
Start off by evaluating your current wardrobe because chances are you have quite a few items in your closet already that you can keep and incorporate into your new capsule closet.
For those items that you will not be keeping as part of your capsule wardrobe, you can sell them or donate them.
To determine if you want to get rid of something, there are a few important things you should ask yourself:
- Do I ever wear this?
- Is this something I feel comfortable wearing?
- Do I really even like this?
- Is this something that is versatile and can be worn in many ways?
- Does this flatter my body type?
- Is this something I have several other versions of already?
The focus should be on choosing timeless pieces that are high-quality, versatile, and that will last for a long time.
However, after you’ve decluttered your closet, you may find yourself needing to buy a few new things to add to your collection of clothes that you don’t have yet, and that’s okay.
There are other considerations to take into account when creating your capsule wardrobe, like the weather where you live (you may need very different pieces for different seasons) or the type of clothing you need (someone who works in an office every day will have different needs than someone who works from home, for example.)
You will also want to consider your own personal style and how you can incorporate it into a minimalist wardrobe.
How many clothes should be in a capsule wardrobe?
There is no fixed number of items of clothing that should be in a capsule wardrobe. A few factors will come into play to determine this.
For example, someone that has a longer summer season might need more short sleeve tees than someone who lives in a colder state.
For a minimal wardrobe, you may consider having around 30 to 50 pieces total in your closet, including tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, and shoes.
Some people may have more or some people may have less.
It also depends if you just want to have one “everyday” capsule wardrobe, or if you want to break your closet down into “mini” capsule wardrobes based on season and occasion.
There’s no right or wrong way to do it, but the guiding principle should be owning fewer clothing items that you can mix and match to create the maximum amount of outfits.
How to Create a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe
When it comes to creating a minimalist closet, there are a few easy steps you can take. The first step, as mentioned above, is to evaluate your current wardrobe to see what you can keep based on the suggestions below.
The next step is to supplement your capsule wardrobe with any missing items, with the focus being on finding high-quality pieces that can be styled in different ways.
And then you can sell or donate the clothing, shoes, and accessories that you are not keeping as part of your minimalist capsule wardrobe.
When creating your minimalist capsule wardrobe, you’ll want to focus on a neutral color scheme and versatile pieces that can be styled to make many outfit combinations.
While these are not hard and fast rules, here are some ideas of pieces that you may want in your own capsule wardrobe. This is not an exhaustive list of ALL the items you should have in your closet, but will give you an idea of staple items to have.
Tops
When it comes to tops, you will want to have a variety of options in your capsule wardrobe. The key is to choose classic styles that will let you make the maximum number of outfits using fewer items.
When you stick to a neutral color palette, solid colors, and clean lines, rather than bright colors and statement pieces, it’s easier to mix and match items together to create outfits.
Here are some good tops to have in your minimalist capsule wardrobe:
- Plain white t-shirt
- Black tank top
- White tank top
- Linen button-down shirt for summer
- Dressy top
- Nice blouse
- Oversized sweaters for winter
These are some key pieces that are important to have in your capsule wardrobe.
Bottoms
Bottoms are another important area of your capsule wardrobe. Chances are, you have some favorite pieces already that you can keep.
And you don’t need to limit yourself to a single pair of jeans, but do consider how many pairs you really need.
You’ll also want to consider seasonal pieces in your capsule wardrobe because chances are you’ll need very different bottoms for summer vs. winter.
Here are some essential items of clothing to have when it comes to bottoms:
- Light-wash jeans
- Medium-wash jeans
- Dark-wash jeans
- Black pants
- Denim shorts
- Linen shorts
- Midi skirt
- Solid-colored maxi skirt
- Printed maxi skirt
- Yoga pants
- Leggings
The best thing about jeans is that there are so many styles. Whether you prefer skinny jeans, boyfriend jeans, mom jeans, etc., think about what you’ll get the most use out of and go from there.
Once again, you’ll want to focus on neutral tones that can be styled in many different ways, along with higher quality items that will last a long time.
Dresses
When it comes to dresses, you’ll want a few options depending on the season and occasion.
You can never go wrong with a little black dress! This is one of those classic pieces that can be worn for so many different occasions.
You may want a couple of little black dresses, such as one that’s more casual and good for going out with friends or on date night, and another that is more formal for special occasions.
Dresses are an area of your wardrobe where you can have some statement pieces to show off your unique style too.
Here are some dresses to include in your capsule wardrobe:
Be sure to choose dresses that are flattering to your body shape and that you feel comfortable and great wearing.
Outerwear
Outerwear is a section of your closet that will really vary based on where you live and what the weather is like.
There are some staples that are great for everyone to have though, like a classic blazer that you can dress up or down, and a denim jacket.
Here are some other outerwear options to include in your closet:
These are items that you will be wearing all the time in your daily life, so you want to focus on choosing good quality items that will last you for years.
Shoes
This may be hard for the shoe-aholics out there, but a minimalist capsule wardrobe should have fewer options for footwear than you might be used to.
These shoes will give you some different options when it comes to your outfits while minimizing the number of shoes you need to own.
Conclusion
The main purpose of a capsule wardrobe is to be able to create a variety of different looks from a small selection of clothes, cutting down on unnecessary items in your closet.
If you’re interested in living the minimalist lifestyle, creating your own capsule collection of clothing is a great place to start, then sell or donate the rest.
The concept of a capsule wardrobe is great for curating a simple style, cutting down on fast fashion waste, practicing sustainable living, and not having to spend as much time trying to figure out what to wear every day.
Creating your own minimalist wardrobe may seem daunting at first, especially if your closet is currently overflowing with a million clothes you never wear, but it can be done.
The good news is that once you take the time to curate a minimalist wardrobe that reflects your style personality, you will start seeing the many benefits right away!
