Saturday, February 24, 2018

Transitioning to Capsule Wardrobe


WHY: 

I will be the first to admit that I have always had a love of shoes and clothes.  Until I got married, and even some after, I could usually buy whatever items I wanted in the moment -- so many of which never got worn and simply sat in my closet.

After Elizabeth was born in August, I felt a pull to simplify my life in as many ways as possible.  When we reached 2018, I was on a mission to clean out and get rid of whatever I no longer needed.  I started following a blog called Little Miss Fearless and discovered the concept of a capsule wardrobe.  Y'all it seriously blew my mind!  She details all the steps she took, and it is really flexible depending on what you want.  The "norm" is to have about 30-40 pieces (tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear) for each season.  Some people capsule their shoes, jewelry and other accessories too.  
I was ALL IN after reading about it.  I wish I had a before shot to show you just how much I cleaned out.  

HOW:

Here is what I am doing.  My seasonal wardrobes will have no more than 40 pieces in them (not counting t-shirts and sweats I wear at home).  My seasons are laid out like this: Spring (March, April May), Summer (June, July, August), Fall (September, October, November), and Winter (December, January, February). Living in Utah, I will have a lot of overlap with spring/summer and fall/winter. 

I did steps 1-3 in one day, and the rest took place over several days when I had a free moment. 

1.  Take all your clothes out of your closet.  Yes, all of them.  I put them on my bed in giant piles.  It was seriously overwhelming; however, it is the only way to really clean out.  

2.  Go through each individual item and separate into piles.  Again, this is totally your preference, but here is how I sorted:  LOVE IT AND WEAR IT went right back in the closet on a hanger, MAYBE was a stack I wasn't sure I wanted to get rid of just yet, NOPE went to a pile to donate/sell to a local consignment shop.  It didn't take me long with most of my clothes and I was super honest with myself.  

Each of those hangers was a piece I said "NOPE" to.
3.  I put my MAYBE clothes in a box and put it in the hall closet.  If there is something in there I go retrieve, it will stay in my closet.  My plan is that after each season I will go through and pull out the items that could have been in my capsule and get rid of them.  I separated my donate pile from my sell pile and put those in the necessary places until I can take them in.  

4.  I split my LOVE IT clothes into seasons: summer, fall, winter, spring and had them hanging or stacked in groups in my closet.  

Grouping of clothes by season.
SIDE BAR: I narrowed my "at home" clothes way down and so that is going to be it's own group of pieces, some I will keep out in the spring/summer and others in the fall/winter depending on the weather.  I also took my ridiculous amount of work out clothing and narrowed it down to fit in one of my dresser drawers (leggings, tanks, shorts). Some of my shoes are seasonal, so they'll be put away with that season wardrobe, but I have a small collection that are year-round and will stay out.  Best part is that you can do whatever works best for YOU!

5.  This is the step that took the longest because I just needed time to get them packed up.  I took each season and put it in a clear container, so that the only clothing hanging in my closet are the pieces I need for that season.  In this case it is winter.  The other wardrobes are on the floor of my closet.  I have many pieces that will transition into multiple seasons, like jeans for example.  

THAT IS IT! So far....
There are a few steps that will take place when a season ends.  I will take stock of that season's pieces and get rid of anything that I didn't wear.  If there are pieces that I really want in the next capsule (spring) I can buy them, but for the most part that is a last resort.  For example, I do not have a plain white t-shirt. I know, how is that even possible?! So I am going to find one for my spring/summer collections.

RESULTS

What you see below are the pieces I have for winter.  What is missing is a couple more jackets that I have.  It is one of my smallest collections, but I have been wearing it for over a week and have felt like there are so many options.  It makes me really happy to go to my closet and easily pull something for that day without trying on a million different things.  (Ignore the pile of sweats on the far right -- those are my "at home" pants.) 


Outerwear:  4 coats (3 not pictured), 3 sweaters/hoodies, 2 vests, 
Tops: 2 short sleeve, 4 long sleeve, 3 sweaters, 2 cardigans 
Bottoms: 8 bottoms (5 jeans, 2 colored jeans, and black leggings)
Church: 3 dresses, 2 skirts
33 items total 

I have learned so much from this process. Besides the fact that I am happier with a smaller wardrobe (GASP), I have found my authentic style.  Most of what I got rid of were those unique bold pieces that I can only wear in one way.  What is hanging are pieces that can mix and match with all my jeans and give me a variety of looks with less.  I will wear anything in that group without question.  It is also a lot easier to shop because I have a better idea of what I really will wear and I am not buying things on a whim (you're welcome husband).  I am so excited to transition into spring and continue this journey.  It has made my organizational heart so very happy! 




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