Capsule Wardrobe // What's Next?

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Happy Friday! First off, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes on Wednesday. I had a wonderful day, and I am really looking forward to #26! To kick-off this brand new milestone, let's talk about my capsule wardrobe and where I'm headed from here as a "closer to 30 than 20 but I'm still ONLY 26" crazy person.

In case you need a refresher, you can read all about a Capsule Wardrobe and view my Fall and Winter capsules to catch up. In summary, I basically donated all of my clothes last August and kept just 37 pieces (tops, bottoms, coats, dresses, shoes) for a given three month season. The end of February will mark six full months of capsule wardrobe living! I've been getting a lot of questions about my plans for spring which should include the months of March, April and May. Well, I actually haven't been planning for my spring capsule at all. In fact, I don't plan to continue on with a Capsule Wardrobe. Let me explain....

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I have truly enjoyed both my fall and winter capsule wardrobes. The process of purging nearly everything from my closet and sticking with a strict count of 37 pieces for a three month period has completely changed my perspective on shopping and my personal style. I can now pinpoint the styles, colors, stores, and sizes that work best for me. I know exactly what I have, what I need, and what I want. Prior to my capsule, I had no clue about any of those things.

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So why am giving up the capsule wardrobe after just two seasons? Well, "giving up" may be a bit of an exaggeration. I'm not reverting back to my old ways. In fact, I feel like I'm taking the idea of a capsule and turning it into something that works even better for me. For example, here are a few things about the capsule wardrobe theory that didn't work well for me:

  1. A defined start and end date is great in theory, but I found myself haphazardly throwing in random pieces on the last day just to get to 37. I was making hasty decisions and buying pieces I didn't love.
  2. 37 pieces for a given "season" sounds logical, but I found myself planning my picks around what was in style for that particular season. That may not sound so bad, but I didn't feel like I was always encouraged to buy pieces for the long term.
  3. I don't want to live by season, I want a well rounded wardrobe - all year round.
  4. The weather can be very unpredictable - especially in Indiana. I want to have access to shorts one day and a warm coat the next.

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SO. What's next? Starting in March, I will be starting something I plan to call a Simple Wardrobe. A Simple Wardrobe will consist of ~50 core pieces. A core piece is anything that can be worn for three or more seasons. This will include everything - tops, bottoms, dresses, coats, shoes.... AND accessories. Yes, that's right. Earrings, necklaces, belts, purses, scarfs, hats. Everything.  These core pieces will be my staples all year round. This will not include under garments, pajamas or workout clothes (although those items have also been paired down).

In order to add-in a bit of flexibility and fun, I plan to incorporate an additional 10-15 items for the Spring/Summer and another 10-15 items for the Fall/Winter. Basically, these items are those that I still want/need but can only be worn for 1-2 seasons. Think swimsuit, winter coat, summer dress, or flannel shirt. So what about shopping? Yes, I can still shop! The difference? I'll be shopping to replace, not to add. Basically, if something comes in, something has to go out.

That's the plan! I'm calling it a Simple Wardrobe, and I think it's going to be the perfect solution for my needs. I've been in the planning process for several weeks now and have nearly everything ready to go. I'm so excited to share my final picks with you in March! Oh, and yes. Tyler will be creating a Simple Wardrobe, too! His will be even more simplified than mine, but we'll share the nitty gritty details soon. What do you think? Would a wardrobe like this work for you?