Being a minimalist, and a big fan of not folding laundry for longer than necessary, I have done capsule wardrobes for my daughter for 3 seasons now. I’ve covered the why and the what in posts on this blog, but today I’m going to show you the how.
It’s fun and easy to just pick out everything for your child—or yourself—that looks cute. But, in my experience, that often leaves you with a bunch of clothes that don’t mix super well, or at least too many clothes. Since curating the right balance takes a little more effort than just running to the mall and hoping you find something, I highly suggest making a Pinterest board.
From there, you can browse shops online, and add anything eye-catching; then narrow it down once you notice a color scheme emerge. Or you can decide colors beforehand, and look for clothing that fits into your desired palette. Either way, it’s best to pin anything that might work, and then weed through it later, I’ve found. Plus, you can make subcategories on Pinterest now, which makes arranging clothing types (tops, pants, etc.) really easy.
I think the most important thing, once you’ve decided on a color scheme that works for you, is to figure out where you want pattern—because it can make or break a capsule wardrobe. It’s totally fine to do solids for tops and bottoms, but you must decide if your tops or you bottoms will be patterned. If you don’t, then you’ll just end up with a bunch of stuff that is similarly colored, but can’t actually be worn together.
Last Fall, I did patterned tops for Gwendolyn, with solid pants. This Spring, I found patterned pants very popular, and solid tops easy enough to find.
If you really like fashion, or just don’t feel particular keen on a ‘uniform’ everyday look, then I highly suggest taking the time to find clothing with unique details. For me, that’s the most exiting part!
In Gwendolyn’s latest capsule, she’s got one solid white tee; one white tee with eyelet lace on the sleeve and bottom; two shirts that are the same, but in different colors, that have a swoop hemline; one graphic tee; a blue shirt with adorable knots on the sides; and one pink shirt with a ruffle collar.
Despite her tops being in the same color palette, she definitely won’t be wearing the same look every day.
In my dream (future) capsule wardrobe, I decided that I want mostly white tops for everyday. But, again, I don’t want a uniform. For 7 shirts, I’d say I could have two that are the same, and maybe another two, if I really love the style, but I’d want the rest to be varied.
Once you’ve narrowed down your clothing choices to what you think might be the final capsule, just take minute to make sure everything works together. If you have a pair of pants that really only works with one top, then maybe switch it out for something that works better with the rest of your shirts. Remember: you want to have a wardrobe that makes getting ready very easy!
I hope these tips made creating your first capsule less intimidating. It is a bit more work, but it really pays off in the end. Do you have any more tips for capsuling? I’d love to hear them, as I’ve yet to do one for myself. Let me know!
Good luck!
