Continuing on with this series of how I reduced my closet to items that I (mostly) love!
When I was reading about how other people keep their closets small, I noticed that a lot of folks use this concept of a “capsule” wardrobe to keep things fresh.
It took me awhile to understand how this works, as it can be tackled in many ways. Basically, capsule savvy dressers plan each season’s clothing, purposefully picking items that are easy to mix with one another. A season is about three months and is based on the weather seasons, so planning ahead for temperature plays a large role. Some REALLY thoughtful people also choose color, design or style concepts that help shape the looks they strive to create.
Then here’s where individual preferences really come into play…Some people put the rest of their clothes in storage for the three months so that they are limited to the choices in their closet. Keeping the extra clothes (some of which may be out of season entirely or just not fitting in with that particular capsule) is less stressful. It still provides the opportunity to play and dress with less, but without worrying that you made a mistake by getting rid of particular items.
Other people cull anything that doesn’t fit into the capsule or that just isn’t working for them anymore. The capsule becomes the basis of the wardrobe. The next season brings a few thoughtful new purchases, but they are limited.
I really enjoyed reading and looking at different people’s capsule wardrobes. If you want to check out two, here are two bloggers who discuss the process.
As fun as it is reading about this as I was emptying my wardrobe, along the way I realized that a capsule wardrobe is not for me. My goal is to have a small wardrobe with great options, but I’m also the sort who is comfortable wearing “uniforms”. Some work appropriate tank tops, a couple of great jackets and a large choice in accessories make feel like I have tons of options. It’s a lazy person’s capsule wardrobe. And that is totally okay!
Getting rid of 75% of my clothes felt and still feels amazing. It was ruthless and I’m proud of my results. Where I got stressed out was when I tackled accessories. Shoes are easy because I stopped buying anything uncomfortable or for an imaginary lifestyle awhile ago. But my bags. And my scarves. And my costume jewelry. Ohhh, it was painful to sort through my old thrifted scores and presents from my mom and my boyfriend (and myself to myself). I loved it all and wanted to keep it all.
So to dull the pain, I started making piles. One pile was the ‘definitely get rid of it’. Another was ‘maybe, but I’m still attached’. That took a long time to transition over to the initial pile.
My magic question became: Is the item actually my style AND did I love and appreciate it enough? Would someone else love it more? My answers were the catalyst to letting go. I still have way too much jewelry and scarves. What shocked me is that I learned that although I love beautiful bags, I accepted that I don’t need to own everything I love and I can still appreciate and admire them in other ways. My bag collection is now 10% of what it used to be. Progress, progress, progress.
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