VALLEY’s Guide to a Capsule Wardrobe

Have you ever had a hard time picking which clothes to wear every day? Have you ever encountered the problem where you “have nothing to wear” when you do in fact have a closet bulging with clothes, accessories and shoes? This attitude can lead to people spending money on clothes they already have by contributing to fast fashion, becoming victims of the never-ending cycle of micro trends.

To combat that problem, fashion lovers are starting to reduce the amount of clothes in their closets and look for sustainable ways to help the environment, all while indulging in their favorite fashion trends. These strategies are already helping contribute to slow fashion. However, there is also another fun way to contribute to slow fashion while also minimizing the number of clothes in a your closet — and that is a capsule wardrobe!

What is a Capsule Wardrobe?

For those who may not know, a capsule wardrobe is a an approach to closet building where a person has a collection of interchangeable clothing that can be made into any type of outfit. Usually, these pieces are limited, never go out of style and are made up of mostly neutral colors. 

There are many reasons to adopt this new fashion system. According to Sustainably-chic, having a capsule wardrobe can make you less stressed, make fewer decisions, save money and it is more sustainable! Having a capsule wardrobe will benefit you style-wise, but it is also good for your health and finances.

How Do I Build My Capsule Wardrobe?

Now that VALLEY has gone over the basics of having a capsule wardrobe, now is the time to build it! 

The first thing you want to do is go through your wardrobe and separate pieces that you rarely wear from pieces that you can add to your capsule wardrobe. By purging clothes, you will gain a better idea of what you would wear and how that would relate to your specific lifestyle and what you like about each piece of clothing.

Now after going through your clothes, now it is time to plan your wardrobe. Get into specifics about each type of clothing you went through. Try to look for a color scheme that best suits your style and personality. If you don’t have a color scheme, it is best to look for neutral colors within your wardrobe. These colors allow more versatility in making your clothes more interchangeable in certain outfits. 

Lastly, after planning your wardrobe, now it’s time to finally put it all together! First, donate the clothes you do not need anymore. This will declutter everything and make more space for your capsule wardrobe. Then, pin down the pieces you need in your wardrobe, these would be some neutral-colored shirts, some jeans and black pants, some sort of outerwear for layering and (if you are a woman) a black dress to dress up or down. Finally, just add your accessories such as belts (at least one brown and one black), some shoes (one pair of boots, one good pair of sneakers and dress shoes) and a coat. Make sure that all of these are high-quality, long-lasting pieces of clothing, because that helps in slow fashion and durability.

After completing that, you are done building your capsule wardrobe!

Tweet us your capsule wardrobe tips and tricks @VALLEYmag on Twitter!

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