Spring Clean Your Closet - Is It Time to Build a Capsule Wardrobe?

Written By: Sandi MacCalla, Founder - LifeSkills Academy ~ 5/29/2023

[This is for ALL genders and ages!]

Picture it! You’re in 1970s London at the Wardrobe Boutique that first offered sustainable, minimalist clothing. Then in 1985 New York, Donna Karan introduced 7 Easy Pieces: a small collection of clothes that work together to create many outfits. Here are those 7 Easy Pieces that began the Capsule Wardrobe.

With recent changes, it feels like it’s time to revamp bulging closets into a less-is-more strategy. My time in the custom clothing world [5 Benefits Of Having Custom Made Clothing | Why Tailored Clothes Are Awesome (realmenrealstyle.com)] showed me the intelligence of higher quality clothes that stayed fresh, comfortable, and relevant for 6-10 years, versus 2-3 years (30 ‘wears’) according to International Fair Claims Guide for Consumers Textiles Products.

How to start? The first step is to spring clean your closet, drawers, shoes, and accessories (like usual, right?).

1. Remove everything from the closet to sort into 4 stacks:

1. BUDS:
   1. Bless or exchange with someone who’d love it.
   2. Unless it was loved too much & needs to be tossed.
   3. Donate to charity
   4. Sell via online markets (OfferUP, Facebook Marketplace, etc.)
      
      
2. Items that don’t land in these 4 stacks go back into the closet with the hanger hung backward (the hook facing you). When you wear the item, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the opposite direction. Any that are still backward in your next closet clean will be in the next BUDS group. If an item just can’t be let go, try this FREE 7-step Decluttering Workbook for more ideas. Sign up! - Simple Lionheart Life
   
   
3. Next, separate seasonal/special-occasion clothing and, if practical, remove them to another closet or into storage containers 18 Best Closet Organizers to Maximize Your Space 2022 | Reader's Digest (rd.com).
   
   
4. Repeat with all other clothing storage.

2. Start designing your Capsule Wardrobe with these decisions: What is a Capsule Wardrobe? (& How to Build One) — Sustainably Chic (sustainably-chic.com) and 12 Best FREE Capsule Wardrobe Apps In 2023 | Panaprium

1. What are your favorite neutral colors? (e.g. White, Black, Khaki, Grey, Navy, Ice Blue, or Ice Pink, etc.)
   1. Pick 2-5 that work well together and are interchangeable.
      
      
2. Select items you feel great in and love to wear. Note the design of the item and add more clothing articles with the same design (V-neck, Turtle-neck, long-sleeve, ¾ sleeve, silk/satin, organic fibers, button-down collar, oversize, and more).
   
   
3. Use accent colors in accessories to enhance a look.
   
   
4. A well-developed Capsule Wardrobe has 30-37 pieces (including undergarments, accessories, and shoes). Most wardrobes have 70+ items. Ouch! What’s in your closet?

3. Every change we make should be to improve: life, fun, and value! Here’s what others say about using a Capsule Wardrobe and a minimalism strategy:

1. Reduced Stress
   1. Less maintenance
   2. Less decision fatigue (love this one!)
   3. Easier packing to move or travel
      
      
2. Reduced Cost
   1. Even when you buy better quality, your ROI is much greater than keeping up with trends.
      
      
3. Reduced Waste
   1. Time wasted from decision fatigue when it seems you have nothing to wear. Everything you have looks and feels GREAT, and presents the best you!
   2. Time and money are wasted shopping for short-term (or fast) fashion.
   3. Fashion that doesn’t serve your lifestyle, purpose, and taste doesn’t get used.
   4. Less revolving-door purchases that increase your environmental footprint.

"Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful." John Maeda

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