Minimalist Wardrobe for Women – How to Start a Capsule Wardrobe in 6 Easy Steps
Do you remember when you were a teenager or in your early 20s and didn’t stand out? dead Wearing the same clothes twice? The toxic gossip magazine culture of accusing celebrities of reusing dresses has somehow crept in and made us all paranoid about our wardrobes!
My wardrobe philosophy these days couldn’t be more different from last year when I started creating a capsule wardrobe… .and spoiler alert, it was the best fashion choice I’ve made in about 10 years!
I’ve never been overly trendy. In the past, I tried to keep up with the latest fashions without knowing why, and tried to wear all kinds of styles to stay ‘trendy.’ But the truth is, I’ve never felt confident in bodycon mini dresses or tight tops. I love wide trousers and cozy jumpers, shirts, jeans and trainers or curvy tee dresses. My style has always been simple, smart and comfortable, but sometimes it felt out of place.
But now I’m in my 30s finally I feel like I’m wearing clothes. It’s like I’m exactly where I need to be with my style and I think my capsule wardrobe has been a big factor in that.
Let me tell you how I got into this!
Women’s minimalist wardrobe – Capsule Wardrobe Style
What is a capsule wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is limited or smaller interchangeable items that complement each other and can be used together.
You should be able to create multiple outfits because you can easily combine different outfits with the clothes in your closet. This means you can wear the same items over and over again, creating completely different looks. Genius!
How to create a capsule wardrobe?
Okay, so I want to state for the record that I am not a capsule wardrobe expert! But since I started sharing my daily life, I’ve received so many messages on Instagram asking me to write this post. This is what I personally did to start my capsule wardrobe journey…
Step 1: Get organized
I started by organizing my current closet… It was cruel! Anything that I didn’t like at all when I wore it or didn’t fit my aesthetic or current body size went into my charity bag. This is especially true if it’s something you’ve only worn a few times (probably because you didn’t like it when you bought it). I soon realized that I have a gut feeling about clothes from the start and that they usually last.
Clothes must fit perfectly you and your Styles are not opposites!
I kept everything that felt good and fit well. There was no such thing as ‘Oh, you’ll get used to it quickly’ or ‘I’ll just leave it in case.’ After doing a Marie Kondo and thanking her for everything, I folded it up neatly and sent it off to its new home.
Step 2: Vintage
In my ‘to-go’ pile I had a few pairs that were really good quality and had only been worn a few times. I’ve started buying better quality clothes these days, but a lot of my older clothes are Primark jobs that really don’t hold up to the test of time.
Everything I thought was okay, I sold it on Vinted to make some extra cash for replacements! It was my first time using the app and I really liked the process. Take a clear photo, upload the specs, and wait for it to sell. Buyer pays shipping, drop off point is very easy and transaction is really fast. I made around £60 using a few items, which I was then able to spend on a few new items for my capsule wardrobe.
Step 3: Find inspiration
Next, I looked through Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest to see who I wanted to follow in fashion. (Search for ‘capsule wardrobe’ or ‘minimalist wardrobe for women’ to bring up the right posts and accounts.) I started picking out key shapes and pieces that kept popping up in their outfits. From here, I was able to figure out what clothes I personally wanted or needed in addition to my current clothes.
- blue straight leg jeans
- Black and neutral jumpers/cardigans
- Comfortable shirts in white and neutral colors
- wide pants beige pants
- Also, there is a ribbed cami top as standard.
Those are the things that appear in most outfits (in any combination) that I’m really drawn to. I’ve also been researching capsule wardrobe starter items and found the following list to get you started:
- Denim pants with a good fit
- skirt
- basic t-shirt
- simple shirt
- a pair of pants
- A few jumpers/cardigans
- neutral dress
- statement coat
- A pair of boots, trainers and heels
(Adjust the style/fit/color according to your preference.)
Step 4: Build a new style
Next I ventured to the high street and online to find new pieces to form the basis of my capsule wardrobe. I wasn’t in a hurry and only bought clothes that felt good, fit well, and that I liked when I tried them on. If it didn’t work, I didn’t buy it and kept looking. I find it much simpler now that I have a list of the specific items I was looking for, and it’s actually quite fun to find each item at a time knowing that it will go well with multiple outfits!
Step 5: Clean up the rails
I then made sure my wardrobe was organized by item – trousers, jeans, skirts, dresses, shirts, tops, jumpers – and within those sections I also organized them by color. This makes it easy to find the items you need when creating your look. ‘I’m planning to wear jeans today, but since it’s not too cold, I’ll prepare a black top and a cozy cardigan.’ Just grab it and go!
Step 6: Continue adding carefully.
Once I got the basics down, I was able to thoughtfully add to my wardrobe when I felt I needed something or saw something I really liked. These days I buy better quality clothes, but much less. When I’m in a store or hovering over the checkout button, I try to think, ‘Does this work with multiple items in my collection?’ And ‘Am I actually like that? necessary Or do I already have something similar?’
It’s a work in progress, but for now I’d say I like my style. I buy better quality parts that are timeless and will last for years, but I don’t attach too much emotion to parts these days. This means you no longer feel guilty about selling to Vinted (or donating to charity) to make room for something more suitable, even if it doesn’t feel right.
I hope you found his post helpful! I’ll try to update my capsule wardrobe as a whole as I get better at it, and I’ll also keep posting my outfits on Instagram, so be sure to come by and give me a follow @xameliax!
Who knows, one day I might even be someone else’s capsule outfit inspiration!
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Minimalist Wardrobe for Women – Create a Capsule Wardrobe in 6 Easy Steps!
