Posted on: January 5, 2017

 

Do you have a New Year’s resolution to tackle that closet? How far are you willing to go?

For those of you wading through ankle deep piles of clothes in your own closets, please proceed with caution. This information may not be realistic for you – yet!

For others of you, creating a Capsule Wardrobe can be a fantastic option! You will be happier in the clothes you wear, feel more in control of your wardrobe, and make better choices about what to add going forward. In a word, “organized!”

The truth is, we often wear the same clothes over and over, and have items that have gone untouched for months, or even years. It may be intimidating to tackle your whole closet, but it’s easier than you think!

The first step to creating a capsule wardrobe is decluttering.

If possible, take everything (yes everything) out of your closet.

Take care to separate the clothing by type.

Within each type of clothing, it is time to start making decisions: Keep, Sell, Donate, Trash, Repair, and the ever popular “Idk” (I don’t know).

Once everything is sorted, it is time to reassess the “Idk’s.” Go back through and sort the “idk” options. Feeling overwhelmed? A flow chart like this one can help you decide what to toss and what to keep.

If you really want to pare down your closet, it is time to try and create a capsule wardrobe with your decluttered options. A capsule wardrobe is a “curated collection of your favorite pieces of clothing that you wear for one season.” A typical capsule wardrobe consists of about 30 items including shoes and outerwear.

Clothing in a capsule wardrobe usually follows a color palette and is relatively versatile, so you can mix and match many garments. Creating a capsule wardrobe assures that your closet is full of clothing you love and that you’ve taken the time to think about instead of just impulse buying. For more inspiration on the types of clothes to curate for your wardrobe see the helpful guide below and find more tips and a helpful worksheet here.

I have been keeping loyal to the capsule wardrobe style of organizing clothes for over five years! I do one load of laundry per week and have 20 hangers. The clothes I am not using in a current rotation fit easily in the bottom drawers of my mostly empty dresser because over the years I have continued to cull pieces and personalize my style. Have questions? I am happy to help!