You know those silly little ideas that get stuck in your head and you just can't let go of it? Well, meet my silly little idea: The Capsule Wardrobe.
I'm sure it is a concept that has been around for ages, but the gist of it is that you narrow down your wardrobe to a select few pieces and then rotate between capsules every season, creating 2-4 distinct "capsule wardrobes". In my case for this Fall capsule I have 30 items of clothing in my daily wardrobe + 4 church dresses and 4 pairs of shoes.
The fact that I only have a few items of clothing to work with means that every item in my closet is well thought out and something I wear often/love.
I first heard of the idea thanks to Hey Natalie Jean's post, but Unfancy and Into the Mind are both great resources if you are considering designing your own.
Let me backtrack a little, this all realllyyy started last year when I realized that I had a bunch of clothes I hardly ever wore, plus I had pieces of clothing that literally dated back to 7th grade!! How absurd! So I sold or donated everything I didn't use. Then, last March I came to some important realizations about who I am, what I value, and how I want to learn/grow. I drafted a mental manifesto of sorts, and part of that is embracing minimalism, thoughtfulness, and simple utility. So the idea of a streamlined wardrobe is right up my alley!
Another aspect of the capsule wardrobe that I love is that you only go shopping once every three months. I kind of do this by default already since I am away for most of the year, but I'd like to be more purposeful about it. Hello money saver! (and yep, that goes straight into the Travel Fund!)
Plus, as a student moving dorms every year and having to haul my wardrobe across continents, I would definitely benefit from a lighter closet!
So, here we are today and although I have about 1/20th of the wardrobe I did a year ago, I feel 10x more "stylish". I've never been a fashion trendsetter, but I do think that the way I dress is an expression of myself and I have never felt so much like myself!
A lot of this last year has been about me becoming me! It's an exciting thing and part of being twenty years old I suppose, and I'm glad the way I dress is starting to reflect that.
Again, this whole post may sound like one big silly sentiment, and I am fully aware that a minimalist wardrobe isn't the end-all-be-all. But it has changed my life for the better in a lot of little ways.
So now that you've survived that long backstory, here it is! My wardrobe for the next three months!
The button ups! (4)
sources: white dot + navy gingham
The 3/4 sleeve tees (4)
sources: white + gray textured
The jackets! (4)
sources: green military + black leather
CLICK BELOW TO SEE THE REST
