Do you feel invigorated and uplifted when you walk into your closet? Can you quickly put together that perfect outfit for the day? If you snapped a photo of your closet right now, would it be Pinterest-worthy? This easy guide will show you how to create a capsule wardrobe that works for you and makes getting dressed a breeze. Keep reading to learn more!
What Are You Going To Wear?
For many of the women I work with, their closet is a constant source of frustration. It is stuffed full of SO. MANY. CLOTHES. Yet they can’t find anything to wear!
Clearing out your closet may be low on your priority list. No one else sees it, right? Plus, you can just close the door and walk away from it. Until tomorrow morning, that is.
Don’t underestimate how much your out-of-control closet drags you down. Pants that no longer fit, jackets with the tags still on, that cute top with a missing button….all hanging there reminding you daily of things you should have done, bad decisions you made, and goals you never quite achieved.
Yikes! Who needs that negativity in the morning? Move that closet clearing project up your priority list with this 4-step process to make your closet work for, not against you.
The 4-Step Process
Step 1: If it’s not something you wear, store it somewhere else.
Look around your closet. Do you have suitcases on the floor or sports equipment shoved in the corner? Are there unfinished book club books on the shelves or boxes of old photos that need to be sorted?
Your closet should only contain clothing, shoes, and accessories. Start your closet purge by finding a new home for everything else.
Step 2: Try on everything. Keep only the clothes you CAN and WILL wear
This can take a while, so prep your mind and your space. If you have a portable clothes rack, roll it into your bedroom. Clear your bed and the floor to make room for some piles. You will be reviewing every piece of clothing, so plan to break up the project into manageable chunks.
Start with clothing from the current season. Sort into types: bottoms, jackets, tops, dresses, etc.
Pull out each piece and TRY IT ON. Run it through this checklist. Unless every answer is YES, put it into a discard, donate, or resell pile and NOT back in your closet.
- Does it fit?
- Is it flattering? For me as I am right now?
- Is it a current style and in good repair?
- Is it comfortable and something I enjoy wearing?
- Have I worn it before? (Special dispensation was given for purchases impacted by the pandemic…IF you will return to situations where you’ll wear it)
- Am I willing to take care of it properly? i.e., dry cleaning, special washing instructions, ironing, or steaming.
What you are doing here is removing clothing ‘ghosts’ haunting you from the past and future. Banish them! Your wardrobe should focus on the present, giving you choices to create your best look now.
Step 3: Match your current clothes to your current lifestyle
Survey the clothes, shoes, and accessories that made it through Step 2. List the different places you could wear these clothes. Would you wear them out to lunch, running errands, to Pilates class, walking the dog, to a formal event? Now compare where you would wear them to your actual life.
It’s not uncommon to find that our wardrobe doesn’t support our activities. We may have plenty of outfits for the office, but life is more casual now. Or we’ve bought pieces for a lifestyle that we’d like to have and find that we never wear them.
Identify the essential basics you wear most frequently and start with them in Step 4.
Step 4: Build a capsule wardrobe by shopping your closet first
Finally, we are getting to the fun part! Put together outfits that flatter you and match your lifestyle using a top, bottom, jacket, or other finishing piece, accessories, and shoes.
Even after your closet purge, you may be surprised to find that you have more outfits hiding in your closet than you expected. Give yourself extra points for re-using a piece in several different outfits!
If you find holes in your wardrobe or need more of a specific outfit category, make a list before you shop. You will save time and money by shopping with a plan and buying complete outfits rather than one-off pieces. It’s not a bargain if it doesn’t go with anything, and you never wear it!
Rethink The Role Of Your Closet
Has your closet been dragging you down, keeping you stuck in a rut and not able to move forward? Do you buy clothes for each new occasion because you can’t create an outfit from what you already have? Are there a lot of ‘bargain buys’ in your closet, with the tags still attached?
Switch the script and use these four steps to recreate your closet as your own personal boutique. You will find that you can create more outfits with fewer clothes than you ever thought possible. And with a lot less stress!
When building your wardrobe, versatility is key and will expand the possibilities of your closet.
The Cabi Blog
Recap: Creating a Capsule Wardrobe That Works For You
Whether you are in search of your next outfit or just looking to refine the way you dress, these four steps should help get you on track with finding and creating a capsule wardrobe that is right for you. The Style Equation will take the guesswork out of fashion and give an easy-to-follow roadmap to personal style.
