You may or may not have heard about the recent capsule wardrobe movement that has been taking over women’s closets throughout the last 12 months but, for those of you who have not yet been enlightened, a Capsule Wardrobe is a mini wardrobe made up of a small number of versatile pieces of clothing which can then combine to make many different looks.
The exact number of individual pieces which make up a capsule wardrobe differ from guru to guru but generally they range between 30 and 40. My personal favourite take on this comes from Project 333 which centres around the use of 33 clothing items per capsule with each seasonal capsule being rotated every three months (hence the name 333).
The general formula you need to abide by is as follows;
1 Sunglasses
1 Purse
1 Laptop/Camera Bag
2 Dresses
2 Skirts
1 Jeans
2 Shorts/Capri
1 Dress pants
2 Light Sweaters
2 Blazers
2 Tanks
1 Button Down Shirt
5 Shirts
1 Sweatshirt
4 Shoes
1 Trench Coat
2 Bracelets
1 Necklace
1 Scarf
__________
33 Total Items
The next step is to make a list of 33 numbers with a blank space next to each and start adding your specific item details next to each number. Personally, I found grabbing the items I wanted to use and throwing them in a pile on my bed to be equally effective!
Pros of the Capsule This is great for the person who owns enough clothes to stock a retail store yet never has anything to wear. It promotes a clean simple wardrobe with plenty of flexibility and easy to choose outfits which therefore saves time and the old “I have nothing to wear” excuse. It also makes your old clothes feel like a new purchase as you may not see them for 9 months at a time. It also helps you finally weed out those infamous clothes that should have been left back in your school days but you just can’t seem to let go of!
Cons of the Capsule You need some serious storage space to fit everything that goes in the three off-season capsules and if you live in a damp house like me, there is a very real threat of mould ruining your clothes.
Example of what a Capsule Wardrobe may look like…
The Modern Manic 