How To Start Building a Capsule Wardrobe
Are you sick and tired of hearing the term “capsule wardrobe” over and over again? Too bad! That’s what we’re here to talk about.
I know we’ve all heard influencers and stylists promoting a capsule wardrobe, but it’s actually a much easier way to live your life and have control over your wardrobe. I’m not going to act like I have a full capsule wardrobe ready to go - I still go through about 5 potential outfits before landing on one - but I’m working on building this capsule so I won’t run into that problem.
A capsule wardrobe doesn’t have to mean only blacks, whites, browns, and tans. It should be catered to your own personal style and what you will wear the most. That being said, mine is mostly neutrals. Lol.
PANTS
Levi’s
Levi’s
Pants/bottoms are probably the easiest part of building a capsule wardrobe. Do I own approximately 15 pair of jeans? Yes. Do I only ever wear about 4 of them? Also yes. A good pair of plain straight leg blue jeans, black jeans and ripped jeans will get you pretty much anywhere with an outfit. Of course there are also trousers and skirts, but I don’t own any pants hangers so I couldn’t get a good enough picture of those for you. My bad.
TOPS
H&M
Glassons
Zara
H&M
Zara
Zara
H&M
Asos
Tops in a capsule wardrobe are all about basics. If you have a tank top, a short sleeved top and a long sleeved top in black, white, and tan, you’ve pretty much got a capsule wardrobe already. Also great to throw in a few button downs. Any of these will look effortless and classic with a pair of jeans, and you can even wear some of them together. If your base is a pair of jeans or neutral trousers, you can get a little more adventurous with your top. But watch out for buying really trendy tops that won’t get much wear.
JACKETS/BLAZERS
H&M
Zara
H&M
A jacket or blazer is the easiest way to make a plain outfit more exciting. They can add color, shape, dimension, etc. I’m a huge blazer girl. I always thought they were strictly professional, so until I had a job I had no reason to own a blazer. But there are so many ways to make blazers casual and incorporate them into your every day outfits.
SHOES
Puma
Dolce Vita
Nasty Gal
I love shoes, but I also don’t think I put enough effort into my shoes. But that’s actually totally fine for a capsule wardrobe. For right now, the transition from winter to spring, my shoe options are white or black boots or white sneakers. And as it gets into summer, my options will be white or black sandals. Maybe I’ll throw a brown in there too. Remember, your capsule wardrobe has to work for you. I pretty much only wear neutrals, so these shoe options are perfect for me. Maybe you like a bit more color in your outfits and want to add it in the form of a shoe. What’s a wardrobe without a statement piece?
ACCESSORIES
Lululemon
Primark
H&M
Margo Rebecca Designs; H&M; Amazon; Marshalls; EVRY Jewels
For so long I always forgot to add jewelry to my outfit. Like, I would always forget to put in earrings before leaving the house. Now I make sure to add my gold hoops to every outfit. Seriously, look at my OOTD TikToks, the Amazon gold hoops are featured in every one. I switch between gold and silver jewelry, I know you’re not supposed to but honestly I don’t care. As for bags, a black and a white/cream have served me very well. May need to throw a grey or brown in there somewhere, but these are perfect for my wardrobe now.
I hope you all enjoyed this little guide to building a capsule wardrobe. I’m still working on getting mine totally right, but I think it’s going pretty well so far.