Do you want to clean out your closet and stop racking your brains in the morning, choosing what to wear? A capsule wardrobe will come to your aid. We tell you how to correctly compose working capsules so that you always have a set of up-to-date bows. If you need to earn extra money for buying clothes – try this Sportsbook.
The goal of a capsule wardrobe is to save time and money. Once you think through and collect one or several capsules, you will forever forget about “nothing to wear” and “nothing goes with anything.”
In addition to the obvious savings of financial and time resources, wardrobe capsules help rid your closet of an overabundance of things. Having a well-designed capsule, you won’t have to declutter your wardrobe, because there simply aren’t any extra clothes there.
But before you revise your wardrobe, carefully study the disadvantages of a capsule wardrobe:
- Monotony. A classic capsule includes no more than 4-5 colors, 2 of which are basic, often monochrome. Of course, you can make a capsule of 10 colors, but the compatibility of things in this case will be at risk;
- Limitation. If one of the items of clothing fails – it breaks, fades or wears out, it must be urgently replaced with the same or similar one. Just 1 thing can destroy the entire capsule;
- Tangible investment. Stylists insist that you need to collect things for the capsule as quickly as possible, so at the initial stage you will have to invest a fairly large amount.
But, in any case, a capsule wardrobe is an excellent solution for girls and women who do not want to waste time putting together looks.
Rules for creating a capsule wardrobe
- Compatibility. Without exception, all things must be combined with each other. The ideal capsule is when you take a random top and bottom and get a laconic and stylish outfit;
- Optimal size. When collecting a capsule, take into account how much time the area of life for which the set of things is intended takes up. There is no need to make a capsule for winter of 20 items if you live in a climate with year-round summer and single days of coolness, or make a capsule for the office of 30 sets when you work from home and appear in the office 1-2 times a month. The number of things in the capsule should correlate with the time spent on the sphere – the more time it takes, the larger the set and vice versa;
- Experiments. Situational and seasonal capsules, unlike a basic wardrobe, allow and even welcome fashionable and accent items. Combine a base with a simple cut and fashionable, bright items of clothing and accessories. If you don’t add brightness and personality, the capsule will be boring;
- Migration. One item can be part of several capsules. For example, a basic white shirt is perfect for a capsule in a business, casual and academic style;
- Distribution of top and bottom. There should be more tops, that is, sweaters, shirts and tops in the capsule than bottoms. This is a psychological aspect related to the fact that the upper part of the body is remembered by others better than the lower part, which means that things need to be changed there more often;
- Diversity. Choose items from different categories to get more looks. There is no point in buying 3 trousers and 7 shirts – it is better to combine trousers, jeans, a skirt, and on top different types of shirts, tops and sweaters.
Stages of compiling a wardrobe capsule
You can put together a capsule wardrobe yourself, but it is important to go through all the stages sequentially – from the idea to its implementation. We have put together a step-by-step plan on how to create a capsule wardrobe for a woman, and then we analyzed each stage in detail.
Step 1: Areas of Life
First of all, it is important to determine what tasks, events or activities take up most of your time. It depends on what things should prevail in the wardrobe. If you are a mother on maternity leave, you do not need a business capsule, and a business woman does not need to create an extensive walking capsule.
It is convenient to distribute the areas of life using a diagram. Draw or create a circle in Word and divide it into sectors – each area of life has its own sector. The size of the sector is determined by the amount of time spent on the sphere. If you are, say, a businesswoman, then work will take over most of your circle, while for your mother, family and home will dominate during maternity leave.
In the diagram above, work, family and home take up most of the responsibility, which means a girl with this pattern needs to make at least two capsules – one for going to the office, the other for home and spending time with her family.
For the smallest sectors, there is no need to create capsules – some things from the office and home capsules can be used for travel, and for sports, just have a couple of tracksuits.
Step 2: Style and Character
Decide what style the capsule will be composed in. A casual and boho capsule wardrobe will be very different, so it’s important to figure out which outfits you like best.
In addition to the specific style, try to determine the general direction and character of the capsule. A capsule wardrobe and the capsules included in it can be:
- Classic. In this case, the outfits have a simple cut, perfect fit, sophistication and elegance;
- Sports. Here the basis is sport style, and things are distinguished by comfort and convenience;
- Natural or ecological. The wardrobe consists of natural fabrics;
- Naive – light, with a hint of childishness;
- Romantic – light, feminine, sophisticated, gentle;
- Dramatic – shocking, extravagant, bright.
Typically, women choose the nature of their wardrobe based on their inner feelings. Look at the examples below and visually determine which option is closer to you and what you like best. As a rule, such a simple visual test reflects a personality type – naive, slightly childish girls choose an outfit with a hint of childhood, business sharks immediately look at the classics, and bright and creative ladies will give preference to drama without hesitation.
Step 3: Shape
Determining your body type is the process of correlating your parameters with the main classification of body types. This step allows you to highlight your strengths and weaknesses and decide which things, from which fabrics and which style are best suited for your capsule.
Step 4: Color Scheme
Determining the color scheme is one of the main rules for creating a wardrobe capsule. If you don’t determine the palette at the preparation stage, then you don’t have to go to the store – you’ll buy a bunch of incompatible things.
The color palette is built either on the basis of ready-made schemes or at random, but be careful – experiments with color in the absence of taste can end disastrously for the capsule.
It is recommended to include in the capsule:
- 1-2 basic colors. Basic colors include monochromes – white, black, gray, as well as neutral colors – dark blue, brown, pastel. The base color is universal, that is, it can be combined with any rich color;
- 1-2 main ones. The main color is the one that predominates in the wardrobe;
- 2-3 additional – accent colors that are used in accessories, prints, shoes.
Step 5: Composing the capsule
After theoretical preparation, it’s time to start putting together a capsule, but first – another small step towards the ideal wardrobe – make a list of things that you don’t like in terms of cut, style or fit.
It is also important to pay attention to several points: be sure to try things on before buying. No matter how convenient online shopping is, it is better to try on clothes when putting together a capsule. In addition, it is better to buy things only according to the list. No matter how much you like a blouse on sale, if it’s not on the list of items for the capsule, don’t buy it, otherwise the whole essence of the capsule wardrobe will go downhill.
And most importantly, don’t try to save money on buying things for the capsule, because most likely it will not last 1-2 seasons, which means things should be of high quality, made of good materials and with perfect seams and fittings.
Thus, any girl can create a minimal capsule wardrobe – the main thing is to follow the advice and not rush.
