The Wardrobe Capsule – A Smart Way to Look Fabulous While Spending Less

November 28, 2011

I had never heard of a wardrobe capsule until last week.  I’ve heard of time capsules, of course.  In high school, my friend and I put together a “memories time capsule” to remember the academic, social and athletic events of our high school years.  Turns out the time we spent documenting the music was a waste of time.  Who knew that today we’d all be listening to classic rock anyways?  A favorite “music” memory of mine was going through a fast food drive-thru with my two pre-teen sons while Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird came on the radio.  I excitedly told them how cool the song was and I could see them through the rear view mirror rolling their eyes at how completely out of touch their Mother was until, of course, we got to the famous guitar solo.  They changed their tune after that. (Pun intended.)

While running searches on YouTube last week, I stumbled across videos on how to build wardrobe capsules.  I quickly assessed this to be a practical money saving clothing strategy and set out to try it myself.  Having wasted plenty of money in the past on clothes that I rarely wore because the items didn’t go with anything else I had, I could see the wardrobe capsule was a smart solution.  One of the videos I watched was from image consultant Kimberly Law and she gave a definition, “Wardrobe capsules are families of clothing with similar fabrics colors and styles that mix and match easily together to give you many options with very few pieces.”  (Click here for her video.)

Here are the fundamentals of the wardrobe capsule and how to get started:

  • Pick a season to start with.  Since I just moved to the snowy Wasatch Front north of Salt Lake City, Utah, and it is December, I am going with the winter capsule for my first one.
  • Start with three basic clothing items that work with each other such as a blazer, a skirt and pants.  Then add pieces that go well with at least two items in your capsule.  For example, add a sweater that goes with the pants and blazer or could go over the blouse worn with the pants.
  • Stick to three basic colors – one example showed blacks, reds and creams. 
  • Finish with an odd number of pieces — at least five.   
  • Add accessories such as shoes, scarves, belts, and jewelry that follow the same guidelines.  They have to go with at least two pieces.  An example for cream and black, add a classic string of long pearls or a gold necklace and include a belt with a gold buckle.
  • Then group your capsule together in your closet so they are easily accessible and ready for you to look fabulous.

This capsule idea particularly appealed to me since I am in the middle of my cold climate adjustment, but it will work well for everyone – male and female alike.  I already made one clothing purchase mistake when I moved here — I bought a long brown sweater at T.J. Maxx.  The problem wasn’t with the sweater or with TJ Maxx.  The problem was it only went with one thing I had – it worked with a pair of leggings.  That’s about it because none of the blouses or t-shirts I owned looked right.  So, I ended up either not wearing my new sweater or feeling awkward and uncomfortable when I did.  In order to get a lot of wear out of it, I needed to purchase a few things to pull it together.  Without those, the sweater wasn’t a practical buy.  So, I decided to try a clothing capsule to rectify the situation and then I dragged my husband along as a consultant on my “wardrobe capsule quest.”

The trip started well because (for once) I made two good tactical moves right off the bat:I wore my sweater and leggings so I didn’t have to guess how outfits looked, and I shopped with a specific purpose.  With my painstakingly honest husband giving me the thumbs up or thumbs down, I tried on tops and ended up with two that worked together as well as separately.  Then, off to another store where I picked up another (warm) sweater and a peasant style top that worked with brown, as well as black (a cross over to a future wardrobe capsule!).

Here is what I ended up with in my winter capsule with brown, red and army green:

  • Long brown sweater (owned)
  • Long red sweater (purchased)
  • Army green v-neck t-shirt (purchased)
  • Long red plaid t-shirt (purchased)
  • A multi color peasant blouse (purchased) – bonus this also goes with black leggings and boots (which I already own) and the new red sweater
  • Brown corduroy leggings (owned)
  • Brown textured leggings (owned)
  • Brown belt with gold buckle (purchased)
  • Brown leather boots (owned)
  • Brown faux fur boots (owned)
  • Gold textured necklace (owned)
  • Gold hoop earrings (owned)

The combinations were endless!  When we got home, I figured without adding anything more than what I listed above, the capsule made nine outfits.  I changed my closet around a bit and put the pieces together in the closet with the matching jewelry dangling from the blouses.  Now I can walk in, look around and not worry about what to wear because it is all laid out there for me.

The downside is I did go and purchase five new pieces to make this capsule work.  New purchases aren’t necessary for success, of course and I have already started on another capsule with black, grey and white pieces from my closet.  I could make two capsules with those!  Making the most of what you have by simply coordinating your clothes differently, is the key.  With this in mind, you can bring new life to your closet.  When you do pick up new things, you can pick them up strategically so they work beautifully with what you already have.  Hopefully, you won’t make the same mistake I did and buy a darling sweater that you’ll never wear. 

But you know what, I am wearing it now.  Lesson learned.