A Capsule Wardrobe Won’t Fix Your Style

I hear the phrase “capsule wardrobe” at least once a day. If not from a client or potential client, I hear it on social media. Yet, there doesn’t even seem to be a consensus on what a capsule wardrobe is.

If you Google “capsule wardrobe,” the results are quite different. Some results indicate that a capsule wardrobe is exactly 37 pieces. Other results dictate that it’s a 5-4-3-2-1 or 333 method. There are debates about what clothing items count when you create a capsule wardrobe (for example, does underwear count). And still other results dictate “must-have” pieces for a capsule wardrobe.

It feels very prescriptive and not at all personalized.

Yet, so many women think they need a capsule wardrobe, that it will somehow fix the challenges they’re facing with their closet.

Going further down the Google rabbit hole, a Google image search for “capsule wardrobe” results in these images:

What do you see at first glance? I see clean, tidy, streamlined. More importantly, I see homogenous, neutral sameness.

And even still, I have clients who come to me with requests like this:

“I would like to have a capsule wardrobe that would just take me through life. Without having to think.”

A capsule wardrobe is not the solution to her problem; she just wants it to be so easy to get dressed that she doesn’t have to think.

“Capsule wardrobe” has become synonymous with “easy outfits.” It can be easy to get dressed without boxing your style into a capsule wardrobe. In fact, the ease you’re looking for may already exist in your closet today, but there might be other pieces in the way hiding the goodness that’s lurking. (Spoiler alert: that was exactly the case for the client who shared this request!)

Whether or not you work with a personal stylist, you can create a closet full of clothes that will make it easy to get dressed. If you’re unhappy with your closet and fixating on a capsule wardrobe, do this instead of purging your closet and refilling it with 33 neutral-toned pieces:

Define your style.

What is your style? What do you like and want to have in your closet? This is the first step I go through with every single client when we begin working together. It does take a bit of time but it’s crucial to learn what you gravitate toward or away from which will ultimately influence what you keep in your closet and what you wear moving forward. It can be challenging to unlearn the rules about fashion that may have been placed upon you for years, but it’s freeing to let them go. So release the idea that you can only wear wide-leg pants if you’re a certain height, or you can only wear shorts until a certain age. Pay attention to what you like and why and try to identify themes. This is your personal style.

Think about pieces you’re keeping or adding to your closet and how you plan to wear them.

A practical tip I share with my clients is to focus on wearing every piece in their closets in three ways. I’d argue this is the linchpin for creating outfits for all occasions and getting dressed easily. It results in an efficient, cohesive wardrobe and it’s economical. (I feel so passionately about this practice that I wrote a whole blog post about it!)

If you like these ideas and want to learn more, why not schedule a free discovery call to learn how I can offer you more personalized, in-depth help to address your style challenges once and for all?