My Experience with a Capsule Wardrobe

I’m sure many of you have heard about the concept of a “capsule wardrobe” on Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube. The more I read about it, the more interested I became. I first read about it from Un-fancy, where she defines a capsule wardrobe as “A mini wardrobe made up of really versatile pieces that you totally LOVE to wear.” Then, my friend and capsule wardrobe lover, Jenn Mapp Bressen from Tiny Closet Tons of Style coached me through my first capsule experience.

You may notice that everyone in the capsule world plays by different rules; so I created my own, too. I chose 34 clothing items. (Next time I will definitely choose between 35-40 pieces.) I didn’t count accessories or shoes, and I didn’t count layering tanks or camisoles that I had to wear to make a shirt or dress work. I also didn’t count my gym clothes.

When creating my capsule, I looked at my own personal style and figured out what types of clothes I wore most. In my current corporate job, the dress is casual. We can wear jeans, but we also have to “dress for our day,” meaning if I have important meetings, I need to look the part. The other item to note is that I work in the hair industry, and there are days that we have to wear all black so don’t be surprised if you see a lot of black items in my capsule.

Here’s the breakdown of my capsule:

5 Jackets

• 1 Denim Jacket
• 1 Moto Jacket
• 2 Black Blazer (one has faux leather sleeves and the other has a zip-out gray hoodie)
• 1 Plaid Blazer

5 Pair of Jeans

• 2 Pair of blue denim (one darker, one lighter)
• 2 Pair of black denim (one has a darker black side panel)
• 1 Pair of Camouflage (denim-like)

4 Pair of Pants

• 1 Coated black pant that has the look of leather
• 1 High-waisted black pant
• 1 Skinny black pant
• 1 Black & white pant

2 Fuzzy Vests

• 1 Black vest
• 1 Off-White vest

2 Skirts

• 1 Faux snakeskin skirt
• 1 Pale pink metallic skirt

2 Dresses

• 1 Black mock-turtleneck dress
• 1 Black dress with metallic flecks

3 Sweaters

• 1 White sweater
• 1 Camel sweater
• 1 Black sweater with gold flecks

2 Tops

• 1 Gray & white turtleneck
• 1 Black turtleneck with light metallic stripes

8 Blouses

• 1 Chambray blouse
• 1 White Oxford blouse
• 1 Off-white blouse
• 1 Snakeskin print blouse
• 1 Floral print blouse
• 2 White v-neck blouses
• 1 Black & white plaid shirt

1 T-Shirt

• 1 Gray graphic t-shirt

So, what did I learn? 

• It’s much easier to get dressed in the morning.
• I wear a lot of black (and white), and that’s ok because I work in the hair industry, and it’s part of my style.
• I know what my go-to winter uniform is – hello blazer and jeans!
• I am more intentional when it comes to shopping, and I don’t have the urge to shop “as much” as I did before.

Will I try it again?

Yes, I’m excited to try it again for spring! Overall, this was a fun challenge, and I learned a lot about my shopping habits.

Will I do this forever?

I’m not sure – only time will tell…

Have you tried a capsule wardrobe?

If so, I would love to hear about your experience.