How to Build Your Capsule Wardrobe

Hello everyone and welcome to Half Past Seven, fashion styling that will take you from day to night and everything in between. Thank you for following me on this journey and I'm looking forward to what's yet to come! With that being said... let get into it!

Last month I had the honor to take one of my clients on a personal shopping experience -- mind you, she was the first of my clients to book this type of styling session so you know I was GEEKED!!!! And a bonus, we got to go shopping in the heart of downtown Chicago. Our goal was to build a capsule wardrobe and with preparation and thorough research, we did just that. Ya'll know I had to create a reel of our shopping day so if you missed it here is the link for you to get a behind the scenes look of a personal shopping experience with HPS.

Now let's pause and break this down a bit, what is a capsule wardrobe?

So glad you asked! A capsule wardrobe is a mini collection of clothes that can be put together in different ways and include everything you would normally need to wear. The goal is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing. Each season you clear your closet, leaving only a set number of pieces in your capsule wardrobe. The number of set items varies by season however will be a combination of pieces you already own and love to wear plus new quality items you can shop for once a season. Also to note, we're going for quality pieces over quantity when building our wardrobe.

What are the benefits of a capsule wardrobe?

More time. More money. More energy. By shopping once a season you gain more of the above for the things in life that really matter (i.e. not worrying and stressing over your clothes event after event). By shopping only once a season you save money by not impulse buying when you see the sale rack resulting in a lot of clothes that sit in your closet with the tags still on them (I've been here! LOL) By narrowing your wardrobe this can help start to define and understand your style preferences more.

How do you build your capsule wardrobe?

Step One: Take an assessment of your closet.

Do you have items with tags still on them? Clothes that no longer fit or are outdated? Pull those clothes from your closet and donate or recycle them. The goal here is to simplify your wardrobe while still being true to yourself.

Step Two: Go through the "capsule wardrobe checklist".

Save this on down stylers! Below is a downloadable capsule wardrobe checklist where you can check off all the items you currently own. Anything that isn't checked off the list, you should consider adding to your wardrobe based on your location, occupation, and the season.

Capsule Wardrobe Checklist

Step Three: Do your research.

Find stores that align best with your style aesthetic and find quality staple pieces that will fit into your capsule wardrobe. Keep in mind you can go about this two ways -- you can find core pieces that will take you from season to season such as blazers or jeans or you can build your wardrobe based on seasonal pieces such as sweaters for fall / winter.

Step Four: Make your wardrobe work for you.

The key to making your capsule wardrobe work is to make sure the pieces you have are versatile. This means that they can be paired with different pieces to make up completely different looks that are appropriate for any event or occasion that may come your way. (i.e. a benefit mentioned earlier... More energy for the important things in life and not stressing over your wardrobe!)

And there you have it! We've covered what a capsule wardrobe is, the benefits, and how you can start to built your wardrobe. Keep in mind, the swap to a capsule wardrobe doesn't happen overnight. It's going to require more thought, less impulse purchases, and a little more strategy. But over time, your closet will turn into something that represents you, no matter what.

Until next time!

It's "Half Past Seven" somewhere -- will you be ready??