The Capsule Wardrobe Compendium
If you’re as taken with the Capsule Wardrobe concept as I am, you’ve probably encountered a number of incarnations of the idea online. Perhaps all the various rules and regulations have your head spinning—but no worries! I have accumulated here a compendium of sorts describing a number of different methods of building a capsule wardrobe. I’ve tried to provide links for your further perusal should any particular process take your fancy. Let’s start at the beginning.
The OG: Susie Faux invented the concept of a capsule wardrobe in the 70’s, known simply as “a collection of essential items of clothing that would not go out of fashion.” (Wikipedia) Seasonal pieces were added, but sparingly. Donna Karan revived the idea in 1985 with her “7 Easy Pieces” collection, designed with working women in mind.
Project 333. In 2010, Courtney Carver introduced the “minimalist fashion challenge” of wearing only 33 items of clothing for three months. Included in this capsule are clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, and jewelry- only pajamas, workout wear and underwear are excluded. Perhaps the most restrictive capsule I’ve come across, I’ve found it a worthy experiment to get you thinking.
The 37-Item Capsule concept was started by Carolyn Joy of the blog Unfancy as a more moderate variation on Project 333. She increased the number of items and only included clothing and shoes in that count. Seasonal items are stored and then rotated out of storage every three months. This has to be the most popular capsule wardrobe method around. It has been adopted by a number of my favorite Youtubers: The Anna Edit, Kitty Cotten, and Use Less. Carolyn’s site provides a user-friendly guide to making this method work for you.
The 10-Item Wardrobe was first described in Jennifer Scott’s book Lessons from Madame Chic. This capsule includes 10 “core” items, such as dresses, skirts, tops, and pants, that are supplemented by “extras” (T-shirts, sweaters, outerwear, shoes, and special-occasion wear). The 10 core items are rotated out seasonally, the idea being that bringing items out of storage makes them feel new again and can help squelch the urge to shop.
The 5-Piece French Wardrobe. This is not so much a capsule concept as a shopping plan. The idea is that you only purchase five items just twice a year. The emphasis is on quality over quantity and carefully selected investment pieces over trendy ones.
Popular with the minimalist set is the idea of a Small Year-Round Wardrobe without seasonal rotation. Fans of this system often limit their closet to a set number of items which seems to vary based on climate and other factors. Great for assessing your entire wardrobe at once, it is also adaptable to your needs. My favorite Youtubers in this category are A Small Wardrobe and Vested Interests.
The Curated Closet. This book was written by blogger Anushka Rees, and has an accompanying workbook as well. Rees combines in-depth analysis of your personal style with meticulous planning strategies. The goal is to create a truly refined wardrobe customized to your specific tastes and needs. This is by far the most comprehensive and detailed primer on creating an ideal wardrobe, capsule or otherwise. I plan to do a series on my own experience of working through the book.
Hopefully this breaks it all down for you and helps you decide which approach most appeals to you. I have found it helpful to try out a number of methods and change it up as my wardrobe evolves. No matter what approach you take, you’ll find a world of difference in how you think about clothes.