How to Start a Capsule Wardrobe (A Step-By-Step Guide)

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For those who are always on the go or live in a small-spaced apartment, having less is the best way to live.

Otherwise known as minimalistic living, this lifestyle focuses on spending less on the unnecessary stuff (like having too many clothes) and focusing more on what matters.

You’d be surprised at how much space and money you’d saved by incorporating this in your life!

There are different ways to start this lifestyle. However, the very first step would most certainly be to purge your belongings.

If you always find yourself rummaging through your closet but still couldn’t find anything to wear, it’s probably time to clean up your wardrobe.

Whether you want to start a minimalist lifestyle or just want a functional wardrobe for less, a minimalist capsule wardrobe is a must-try.

But what really is a minimalist capsule wardrobe?

It’s simply a collection of your favorite clothes – those of which you can mix and match to create multiple outfits for any occasion while being able to use around 50% of these pieces on whatever season. Maybe more.

It doesn’t have to be trendy or expensive. What actually matters is you feel good and look good in it!

Now that you have the basic idea of what it is and how it functions, here are the steps on how to start a minimalist capsule wardrobe.

Step 1: Gather

Take all your clothes out of their boxes, closets, bags, and other places you used to keep them then place them in one area. Also include all your shoes, jewelry, and accessories.

Now you can see the bulk you have accumulated from spending on clothes, especially the ones you’ve only worn a few times if not never.

Assessing how much clothes you have would help you evaluate if you need to replace some clothes or not.

Step 2: Sort

There are different ways to sort your mountain-high wardrobe and transform it into your minimalist capsule wardrobe. This article on how to thin out your closet might help you!

Here’s one way to do it that would make the next steps simpler for you. Sort your clothes according to how much you love each piece.

These categories could be:

I love it – I plan to wear it often and it fits well on me!
It’s okay – It fits well but it does not bring spark to me/Not sure when to wear it
Unusable – It doesn’t fit me/It’s too damaged to be used

After sorting it into these categories, place the okay’s and unusable in a box.

Store the okays while you can donate, recycle and open up a garage sale for the unusable later.

Step 3: Establish your Base Wardrobe

Next up is to build your base wardrobe. This isn’t your minimalist capsule wardrobe just yet, but it could be.

It’s actually a collection of garments you will really need almost every time or per season.

Moreover, it’s usually what you mix and match along with your capsule wardrobe to make distinguishing outfits.

This may include workout attires, tank tops for layering, your jackets and sweatshirts for colder seasons, and finally formal attire and accessories for special occasions.

Limit yourself to about 10 pieces from your sorted clothes for each category.

Remember that this isn’t your capsule wardrobe just yet. They’re the necessary outfits needed for you to be able to do certain things such as attending formal occasions or working out!

Step 4: Work on Your Capsule Wardrobe

Now this is the part where you’d need constant planning, and the best way to start is to observe your lifestyle. Where do you spend most of your time in a week and how often do you go there?

Knowing how often you need to use a certain type or category of clothes per week will help you determine which ones to invest more space on in your minimalist capsule wardrobe.

Some of these categories could be:

> Office (meetings, work)

> Outdoor (working out, gardening)

> Daily clothes (staying at home, daily errands)

> Formal occasions (weddings, concerts)

> Casual fun (dates, parties)

Take the top 3 most used categories above and use it to build your capsule wardrobe.

If perhaps you work during weekdays and own a company shirt to be used from Monday to Thursday, juggling 4 pairs of slacks or skirts should be enough.

You can then have 3 pairs of jeans for casual attire and 6 different blouses and shirts for Fridays and weekends. 4 pairs of footwear: one for office and 2 for casual and the last one for formal occasions could also work for your minimalist capsule wardrobe.

That’s about 17 core pieces for your wardrobe that you can style. That is if your lifestyle revolves only around work, some casual fun, and daily errands.

Some pieces from your top 3 used categories can be used for the other activities you do less often. If not, add a few pieces for these events. And you can definitely use them to make your wardrobe look more expensive than it should be!

The rest of the clothes you love? Keep them in a box and bring them out to swap for your minimalist capsule wardrobe at the start of a new season!

Step 5: Store and Reassess

You might have been wondering where you will put the other clothes, especially the ones you have categorized as ‘okay’ in Step 2.

Every start of a new season, check your capsule wardrobe, and follow Step 2 again.

Follow a one in, one out procedure to make sure the quantity in your minimalist capsule wardrobe stays the same.

Take out the pieces of clothes that are already torn, don’t fit, or you just don’t like anymore.

Afterward, check on the clothes you’ve categorized as ‘okay’ and reassess. Pick out ones you feel like using now while sorting the ones you think you won’t ever use and again, donate or dispose of them.

This makes you maximize the clothes you currently have. Moreover, it saves you lots of cash for the next time you need it too!

If you’re having a hard time doing a mix and match with your wardrobe, you can learn from these habits of stylish women!

Do you think you can build your own capsule wardrobe now?

Starting a minimalist can either be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. Use our step-by-step guide to help you downsize and live a more sustainable lifestyle!

Want more tips? You can check out this book The Essential Guide on How to Find Personal Style and Create Amazing Capsule Wardrobe!