If you’ve stumbled here randomly there is a part one and a part two in this series so give those a read and then come back here to play! ;)
After I KonMari’d my wardrobe using the methods in the LCM (see yesterday’s post) I still wasn’t satisfied with the clothes left hanging. Each time I opened up my closet I felt completely overwhelmed at the items staring back at me. The reason being, I wasn’t honest with the process when I first went through my clothes. Sure I threw out a load of pieces that took up negative space in my closet, but be it guilt for spending money or sentimentality for certain items, I still hung on to quite a few pieces that didn’t necessarily spark joy. My closet still felt cluttered and confused. Insert the Capsule Wardrobe.
The concept behind a Capsule Wardrobe is that you select 40 or less items in your wardrobe for each season of the year and you wear only those items for that season (about 3 months time). The remaining items are sorted into 3 categories: maybe, seasonal, and donate. The selected 40 items should only include items that you absolutely love and that you would wear right this minute. The selected 40 items does not include lounge wear or accessories (scarves/hats/purses). Although I do think some people include accessories within their capsule I’m not that dedicated quite yet :). Yes, this is quite similar to the KonMari Method but doing it for a second time and allowing myself a maybe pile is what made something click for me.
I started the process by piling my entire wardrobe onto my bed, mind you we recently swapped out the rod in our closet so yes I’ve piled my entire wardrobe onto my bed… not once, not twice… but three times in the last few weeks, sigh. Let’s just say I am now quite familiar with the items that I own ;). From there I began sorting my clothing based on the 4 categories mentioned above, and ignoring the allowed number of items until I had all of my favorite items picked out.
The 4 categories and how they work:
- Would wear right now: These are non-negotiable items that you absolutely love and would wear right this minute. These items go right back into your closet!
- Maybe: These are the pieces of clothing that you’re unsure of. For me, this was a selection of pieces that didn’t quite feel like my style but I kept them around because the clothes weren’t old, I had spent money on them, or they were gifted to me holding some sentimental value. Allowing myself this maybe category is where everything clicked. I didn’t necessarily have to get rid of these items, but I didn’t have to look at them everyday, allowing them to cloud my judgement.
- Seasonal: I never gave much thought to categorizing my clothing by season and storing away the pieces that weren’t necessarily “in-season.” But doing so has a two-part purpose. One, by storing your seasonal clothing it keeps those pieces in better condition than if they were to remain hanging in your closet. Two, by storing seasonal items out of site, you’re less likely to be tired of those items by the time their appropriate season comes back around.
- Donate: I believe this category is fairly self-explanatory ;).
After sorting my clothing into these 4 categories I was left with just 37 pieces of clothing in my wardrobe. WHAT in the WHAT. Being completely and brutally honest with myself and my wardrobe brought me to the realization that out of the hundreds of pieces of clothing that I own, there were just 37 pieces that I absolutely loved. And you know what else? My personal style was practically screaming at me! Apparently I have a thing for stripes, plaid and cool-toned clothing.
So now that my closet has been paired down to 37 items I’m going to live with it and wear only those items for the next few weeks. During this time I’ll see what’s missing, set a budget and purchase the items that I’ll need to complete my Winter Capsule Wardrobe. Once I fill in the missing pieces of my wardrobe then all shopping will be off-limits until I build my Spring Capsule in 3 months. Another fun thing about Capsule Wardrobes is matching hangers! I’ve always had a mismatched cluster of plastic hangers. But with just under 40 items of clothing in my closet, I now have matching wood hangers. Be still my heart.
My tip #2 for finding balance during the holidays: Create a Capsule Wardrobe! Take the guess work out of your mornings. Give yourself the gift of one less decision each day.
It’s only been a few days since beginning my Winter Capsule and I’m so excited about it. Instead of being overwhelmed every time I open my closet, I see only the items that I love! Between not knowing my personal style and having a crowded closet full of items that didn’t really bring me joy, getting dressed each morning felt like a chore. We’ve all been there, pushing through our old clothes to find the same 5 outfits that we wear every week but unable to part with the clutter we push through. That’s not the case now. The overwhelm is gone, my style is clear and I feel so FREE with a minimal wardrobe!