I have been blogging and posting to social media for about a month now. This journey has been amazing and thank all of you for being so positive and supportive of me as I share my passions and journey with you.

So, I did a thing. During my branding session, the professional photos I used throughout my Facebook, Instagram, Linked in, and Relatively Simplistic website, I presented you with a taste of a capsule wardrobe. Did you notice? Or did you think more about how the clothing fit me, how big my smile is, and how the content of minimalism can change your life if you allow it to? Feel free to scroll through and check. And especially on Instagram, you might see those same clothing pieces show up in other pictures as well.

What is a capsule wardrobe? The concept was coined in the 1970s by Susie Faux who owned a boutique in London. The term was used to describe the importance of having essential and foundation pieces that you love and can be worn frequently while layering in a specific color or two and seasonally appropriate wear. The novel idea eliminated single use outfits and transitioned a wardrobe to single pieces that can create multiple outfits. Now, the amount of items in your closet really depends on you. There is a significant debate over whether that number should be 32 total pieces or 55 total pieces and whether those total pieces should include undergarments, jewelry, and shoes but the concept is what I would like to show you today. I want to you to see the “how” and the “why” a capsule wardrobe creates harmony and eliminates stress in my life.

I can remember starting my professional career after graduate school. I remember starting my first official job in behavioral health with my first official paycheck. I had arrived or so I thought. I remember trying to create an image and a status with my co-workers that I unfortunately believed could be created through clothing. I was very careful to ensure that I did not wear the same outfit in the same month. And I consistently purchased clothing to ensure I met my intended goal with less focus on fit and comfort. As I rounded the corner of over 60+ pairs of shoes and as our family continued to grow, my goal was met by just not doing laundry as often. My mind was so full of other things, I assumed that if the clothing wasn’t clean it was a fail safe way of ensuring that I did not duplicate an outfit. This plan turned into mounds of clothing and when I finally did laundry, it quickly found itself in a pile in the spare bedroom. Most mornings after getting the kids dressed, I would walk into the spare bedroom to find the clothes I would wear for that day. As time went on all of our clothes, my children’s, my husband’s, and my own, could be found in a clean heap in the spare bedroom. Our new closet. As I think back now of all the time I wasted searching for clothing, putting them back in the dryer to eliminate the wrinkles, and buying new items because it was impossible to find undergarments or socks for anyone in the pile, I shutter. And I distinctly remember my frustration and feeling overwhelmed with life during these times.

I will admit that I currently do not have one capsule wardrobe. I have found that I have too may roles throughout the week. The same pieces that I use for my presentations to the behavioral health community cannot be used to build a volcano on the kitchen counter. So instead I have a professional capsule, a mom/weekend capsule, and dressy/church style capsule. And I have differing amounts of pieces in each capsule with the most pieces in the professional capsule. I strive to focus on frequency of use to create the amount of pieces needed in each and not a predetermined number. The values however are the same in each one with the overall goal of comfort, quality, fit, and the ability to be a multi-use item. I have foundational pieces in each capsule such as the basic black mom leggings in my mom/weekend capsule and the basic black pencil skirt in my professional capsule and then the basic black dress in my dressy/church capsule. And quite honestly, I really enjoy clothing and I want to feel and look great in what I wear. However, I do not want pieces so distinct that they are too memorable and can only be worn infrequently.

I have spoken with friends recently about the capsule wardrobe concept, and they describe capsule wardrobing as how they plan for clothing on a vacation. Determining clothing to take based on which item can be worn a few times with the same shoes. Or a skirt that can be repeated with a different top. This is capsule wardrobing that you already do but I use this technique for everyday life.

So let’s see what a capsule wardrobe looks like in daily life. In my branding photo shoot, I used 1 yellow shirt, 1 sweater, 1 pair of blue cropped pants, 1 red skirt, and 2 pairs of shoes. That was it. 4 pieces of clothing and 2 pairs of shoes. For accessories, I wore the same earrings, same necklace, and wore 1 belt for the first look only.

So what would happen if I changed the yellow shirt to a green one but wore the same blue pants, the same red skirt, and the same sweater?

I changed 1 item and now have 3 more outfits for a total of 6 outfits. Let’s try this again. What if I changed the red skirt to a blue and white stripped skirt but remained in the green top. And then I also start over and switch back to the yellow top with the blue and white stripped skirt. I have now added 3 additional outfits however I have only added 1 additional piece of clothing. I now have a total of 9 outfits.

But maybe long pants are preferred. Let me add 1 pair of long dress pants. I could wear the shirts tucked or untucked. With the belt or alone. And then of course add back in the sweater.

I have added 1 pair of pants and now have 4 more outfits. I am up to 13 outfits. The equivalent of more than 2 weeks worth of professional wear without repeating an outfit. So let’s say the shirts are too similar for you. You would prefer some variety and you would like to add a professional jacket instead of a sweater.

This is capsule wardrobing. I have a total 9 pieces of clothing, 2 pairs of shoes, and the same jewelry and accessories. And there are still more combinations to make. For example, I can still add the professional jacket to all of the above outfits as well as the patterned shirt to the skirts and long pants.

There is a misconception that capsule wardrobing means that you have less. I believe that capsule wardrobing creates more options by keeping my wardrobe relatively simple.

What do you think? Drop me a note.

RS