5 Mistakes To Avoid When Setting Up A Capsule Wardrobe

A capsule wardrobe is a closet that is comprised of 40 or fewer items. This closet reducing trend helps save time in planning outfits, reduces impulsive shopping, keeps you super organized, and is even good for the environment. 

However, limiting yourself to 40 items of clothing, while trying to remain stylish, is tricky. Your outfits can get boring and repetitive, making you want to quit. This can be prevented by avoiding a few simple mistakes and misconceptions about Capsule Wardrobes. 

Here are some tips to help you create a stylish and sustainable capsule wardrobe :

1) Don't go monochrome! 

A lot of people assume that a capsule wardrobe works best with single color pallets. This is very limiting and gets boring quickly. 

Instead, select a few base colors like tan, black, or grey. Then, pair them with a diverse range of accent colors. All of these colors should work well together. A great way to ensure this is by going for colors that are of a similar tone or saturation. For example, if your clothing items are all earthy tones, you could easily wear earthy pink, green, yellow, or blue with your base, offering you more colors but fewer color clashes. 

Therefore, when planning your capsule wardrobe, pay attention to color tones instead of just the color you like. 

2) Don't throw everything out 

If you're trying to switch to a more sustainable lifestyle, throwing everything out and generating a lot of textile waste, can never be a great start. 

Instead, separate your clothes into different seasons and pick the clothes you wear most often. Build a seasonal capsule wardrobe around these elements, and neatly store everything else away, ready for another season. 

Any items that are never used, and don't fit your capsules can definitely be donated. Just make sure that you are not going out of your way to purchase new items for your capsule wardrobe, and throwing away older clothes. 

3) Don't rearrange your life 

Your life is going to become more sustainable, not boring. Make sure you account for social events, parties and festivals when planning a capsule wardrobe, you should not have to go shopping whenever you are invited to go out. 

A great way to execute this is by keeping some glamorous outfits ready to go, that can be dressed down for casual wear. For example, shiny dresses are great for parties, but can easily be dressed down with t-shirts or jackets for regular wear. 

4) Don't be basic 

People assume that a diverse capsule wardrobe depends solely on solid-colored basics or simple elements that can be reused. While these factors are important, they need not be limitations. By experimenting with patterns and different silhouettes, you can add a lot more color and depth to your closet. 

Patterns are a great way to find your base and accent colors, a hack we discussed earlier. Similarly, you can use layering to switch up the structure and shape of your outfit. 

Additionally, invest in unique and even quirky statement pieces for days when you just want to stand out and add some oomph to your wardrobe. 

5) Don't settle for single look elements

 If you only have 40 items, make sure each item can be used in multiple ways. For example, get dresses that you can wear like skirts,  button-downs that can be worn as jackets and so on. 

You can use your elements in different ways by layering them, tucking them in, or accessorizing them differently. 

Less can be more if you are creative with it. Focus on what you wear and experiment with all the different ways it can be worn, instead of trying to buy a lot of clothes for different reasons. 

Lastly, do not beat yourself up and give up, if you slip and decide to buy something different, that does not fit the capsule. You are still making a conscious decision to spend less and be more sustainable, and that is worth something! 

So go ahead, work on planning out your wardrobe and making your life easier, cheaper and better for the world.