6 Easy Steps to Create a Capsule Wardrobe

Discover six steps on how to create a capsule wardrobe

There has always been a big deal around capsule wardrobes, and the idea of having minimal clothing that perfectly matches each other sounds very appealing to many.

Not only is it helpful knowing you have outfits already planned out in your wardrobe, but it is also such a good way of saving time and saving yourself the panic of having nothing to wear.

This type of lifestyle is great as it means you’re always prepared for whatever your day to day life consists of, it helps increase your organisation level and it is an easy way to save money as you won’t be buying clothes very often.

But one thing that people find difficult to comprehend is how do you make many outfits from a few pieces of clothing.

Here’s a six-step guide on how to create a capsule wardrobe. This will help beginners create the most minimal, organised wardrobe that is everything they need and love.

Also, there are tips on how to make sure your capsule wardrobe is best suited to you.

Six Steps on How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe

1. Think About The Base of Your Wardrobe

Before you can start sorting out your outfits, you need to decide the basis of your wardrobe. Think about the type of lifestyle you lead and what kind of outfits you’ll need in your day to day life.

For example, if you wear office attire, then that’s going to be a significant part of your wardrobe, or if you go to the gym five days a week then you going to need a few gym outfits.

Think about the base colours you want for your wardrobe, do you prefer dark colours or do you usually wear bright clothes? Do you prefer plain clothing items, or do you like to have patterns and prints? All of these are key things you need to consider when deciding what you want in your wardrobe.

As we know, a key factor of a capsule wardrobe is that it is a minimal amount of items, so it is essential you know exactly what you’re going for. The worse thing that could happen once you have a capsule wardrobe is, having items you like but won’t necessarily wear very often.

A capsule wardrobe is very specific and precise, so you need to be a hundred percent sure of what you want before you get to the stage of picking your clothes.

2. Create Your Main Categories

Now that you have figured out what you need in your wardrobe and how your clothes can best suit you, you need to create three to five categories.

These different categories are the different areas of your life that you would need outfits for, so for example, your categories could be workwear, activewear, lounging, or formal looks.

The categories you choose should be things you would wear daily, so don’t choose something such as formal outfits if you’re only going to wear them a few times a year.

Choosing your categories will help you keep your capsule wardrobe precise and controlled, and it’ll help you focus on what you need rather than what you want.

Once you have your main categories, if you want to choose a piece such as a formal outfit for special occasions, you can do it, but you need to factor this later on when it comes to choosing your items.

You will be limited in what you have in your wardrobe, so make sure to consider that before you decide on your special occasion pieces.

3. Clear Out Your Wardrobe

Now you have everything figured out, and you have a clear idea of how you want your capsule wardrobe to be, you can start to clear out your wardrobe and sort out what you want to keep and what you don’t need.

When sorting out your clothes, keep in mind that you should limit the number of clothing items you’ll be keeping; you don’t need to put an exact number on it but try to aim for 50 or fewer pieces.

You need to make sure your wardrobe consists of essential items that you can use to build up different outfits. This is the key to making many outfits from a few pieces of clothing, as it means you can have the basis of an outfit but then use statement pieces to make the outfits look different.

For example, if you have a plain white t-shirt, you can pair that with a pair of leggings and a long cardigan for a causal lounging look, and then you can also layer the white t-shirt underneath a dress, which could make a great outfit for work.

Choosing items that are easy to layer are also good items to have as it is easy to make more outfits. A key thing for a good capsule wardrobe is that most of the items in your wardrobe can go together, and you can make the most amount of outfits out of the clothes you choose to have.

Focus on what you have in your wardrobe and what you can use to create your different outfits before deciding to buy anything. This is just a great way to be more sustainable, and you can save a lot of money from not buying things you don’t necessarily need.

4. Create One Outfit for Each Category

When you have been through your wardrobe and have decided what you will be keeping, begin to sort out your clothes into your chosen categories. Once everything has been sorted into the right categories, start to make one outfit for each of your categories.

You don’t need to worry about the accessories and shoes at this stage; focus on the outfit’s base first, you will later sort the accessories. Focusing on the clothing first will help you to know what you have and whether it is sufficient enough for what you need; if not, then you can see what you need and maybe what you is not necessary.

The outfits you create should consist of different basics you have chosen; this will help you later on when it comes to styling the other outfits as you can build on them.

If your main outfit is your different basics put together, it’ll be easier to swap things around and add different statement pieces. This will make the outfit look completely different each time and effectively create different outfits.

5. Choose Your Accessories

Now you have an outfit for each category; this should have helped you understand your wardrobe better and get a better idea of what you’re working with. With each of the outfits you’ve got put together, you can now choose the accessories you want and put them with each of the outfits.

You don’t need to choose too many accessories as it will still count towards the number of pieces you can have, but if you choose well, you won’t need too many accessories.

Choosing accessories that make a real statement in the outfit can help you look different and help you feel like you aren’t always wearing the same outfit every day.

Another great way to choose accessories is to pick things that you can wear differently, for example, a scarf. You can wear a scarf in so many ways, which makes it look different from every outfit you pair it with and a great item you can use for the different categories you’ve chosen.

The accessories are a big part of the outfits, as they do add statement features to the whole look, so when you’re choosing what to keep, make sure to choose wisely. Pick things that are versatile and what you love because you will be using them quite frequently.

6. Create More Looks

So now you have been through your wardrobe, you’ve created your first outfit and picked all the accessories, you can carry on to create and put together more outfits for your categories.

You can start with the first outfits you created and swap items around until you find something else you think works; this is an easier way of styling outfits as you often find more by mix and matching things than starting a new outfit every time.

You can also swap things around the different categories, so if you think something that you’ve styled in your loungewear outfits could be suitable for your workout outfits, then you can move them around.

This is what’s good about having a wardrobe made up of basic items; you can wear them for so many different things.

A good tip for this stage would be to take the time to create loads of different outfits and take photos of them. Not only will this help you visualise them better, but it’ll also make it easier to know what outfits you have.

If a few weeks go past, you may forget some of the outfits you put together and could end up wearing the same outfit on repeat; taking photos means that you’ll always have them to look over and see what you had created.

It also means that you don’t have the stress of busy mornings when you don’t know what to wear; they will always help you.

Tips for your capsule wardrobe

Choose Items That Will Last Over Different Trends and Seasons

If you base your capsule wardrobe on on-trend styles, you will find yourself getting very bored with your wardrobe very quickly, and you’ll frequently be changing it.

Having a wardrobe with pieces that will look stylish no matter the trends are good pieces to have as it’ll allow you to feel more on-trend and confident in the outfits you wear.

This isn’t to say you can’t have on-trend pieces, but just choose them wisely, so; for example, if you want to choose something on-trend, pick something more of a statement piece as a coat rather than something like a top. This means that you’ll be able to get more wear out of it.

Choose Items You’ll Wear Rather Than What You Think You Should Have

Sometimes, when it comes to fashion, we can get caught up with the latest trends and what you see others wear, but this type of inspiration doesn’t help much with capsule wardrobes.

When you decide to have a capsule wardrobe, the clothes you choose are the clothes you’ll be wearing regularly, so you must choose the clothes you will wear.

So don’t worry if some of the items you choose are up to date with the latest trends or isn’t the new season, as long as you know you will wear it and you can styles it in different outfits, then that’s all that matters.

There is no point having something in your wardrobe; you only wear it a few times, or it’s something you can’t style differently as it won’t allow you to have the best capsule wardrobe for yourself.

Don’t Expect Your Wardrobe to Look Like Others

When creating your capsule wardrobe, you need to be aware that it won’t look like anyone else’s. We all know that everyone has their styles, and know that your wardrobe is based on your lifestyle; it’s going to look very different from anyone else’s capsule wardrobe.

Your outfits will be particular to your style, so you can’t copy what others have in there’s if it doesn’t suit your lifestyle.

The purpose of having a capsule wardrobes is simplifying your wardrobe and making it easier for you; this means it needs to be catered to you as much as possible.

Taking inspiration from others and seeing how other people organise theirs is fine, but make sure your capsule wardrobe is the way you want it and how you need it.

Your Wardrobe Doesn’t Have to be Perfect

Once you’ve got a few outfits you are happy with, it’ll become easier to see if your missing things, but my tip would be don’t rush to get new things; your capsule wardrobe doesn’t have to be perfect.

Instead of buying new things you think you may need, live with your wardrobe the way it is for a few weeks and see how it suits you and your lifestyle.

If you get a few weeks in and you still think you need something else, then get it, but most time, you will find that your wardrobe suits your current needs, and it’s fine the way it is.

Don’t aim for a perfect wardrobe as it may never be perfect. As your needs change over time, there will be things in your wardrobe that you won’t need anymore, so making your wardrobe “perfect” the first time around can be a waste of time.

Summary

If you enjoy the idea of having minimal clothing and having less stress about what to wear, then having a capsule wardrobe may suit your lifestyle.

This is just a simple guide to help you start building your capsule wardrobe, you can change it to suit you and what you want, but if you are a beginner and wanted a simple few steps, then I hope this has been helpful.

You may find that having a full capsule wardrobe isn’t best for you, and that is fine too; some of these steps can help you organise your wardrobe better and give you a clear idea of what you have and how to wear them. As long as it helps you enjoy your wardrobe and the clothes you have, that’s the key.