5 Tips to Help Build Your Dream Capsule Wardrobe

Hey everyone! My name is Sam and I’ve been married to my husband David for 7 years and have a son named Landon, who is turned two! I’m a stay and work from home mom and I love it! My day varies and I want to have clothes that will work in any setting at an given moment. Before this journey of overhauling my wardrobe, my uniform was a tee and jeans. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely still my favorite uniform. But I would say it’s matured now that I’ve grown older and am more conscious of the pieces I buy.

A denim vest was something I had wanted for some time. I was obsessively checking on Pinterest to see all the ways I could wear it aside from pairing it with the classic white tee and black jeans. It was then that I stumbled upon a blogger who wanted to find her style and cure her mindless shopping habits. She was striving for the “less is more” concept. Once I started reading I knew I was hooked.

Since then I have been building my capsule wardrobe and I must remind myself it’s a marathon, not a sprint! After all, it’s been 2 years and I’m still not done. I bought clothes which were definitely “fast fashion” and their appeal faded quickly. My wardrobe consisted of pieces that I couldn’t mix and match with. I just wore the same outfits every week! I needed to stop gravitating to “fast fashion” pieces, that was my downfall.

Sale signs get me. It took lots of pep talk but I’m getting better at walking right pass them. Don’t get me wrong, I still get sucked into it. I give in and walk into the store. But once I feel the fabrics, or remind myself of having a more ethical closet, I walk out.

Here are some steps I took to break the habit of simply buying what’s trending these days:

- Have a certain number of hangers in your closet
- If you’re adding a new piece to your closet, one piece must go
- Pinterest the outfits that you gravitate towards. Can all those pieces in that one outfit be mixed with other outfits?
- Unsubscribe from all retail places that send you weekly, if not daily emails here: https://unroll.me/
- Avoid browsing online and replace it with something fun! Turn off your computer/laptop/ipad/phone!

There is a running list on my phone of pieces I want to find to add to my capsule wardrobe. It’s separated by 4 seasons, so I can visualize it. Having a Pinterest board of that item or outfit will help too! Having a list helps me when I’m shopping so that I keep myself focused and it brings me back to my goal.

I wanted to attempt at having a capsule wardrobe because I wanted to hone my style, eliminate the frustration I was having when getting dressed each day, curb my awful habit of spending, and most importantly, fill my closet with more ethical pieces. There’s no wrong way to creating your capsule wardrobe… Enjoy the process while learning about yourself!