Monday, September 8, 2014

Capsule Wardrobe: Planning Part 1

Just FYI - There is no "Meal Plan Monday" today because I'm only cooking once this week. We have a busy week with some traveling thrown in so all I'm making is spaghetti & meatballs... so, instead, let me fill you in on the Capsule Wardrobe project...

I got started this weekend! This is going to take a few weeks for me to really hone in on what I want to actually be in my Capsule Wardrobe for October-December. Slowly but surely, it is coming together!

Part of this whole Capsule Wardrobe experiment is being able to spend less time shopping, rummaging, hunting, and reinventing. Look, folks... at 29, I pretty much am who I am. And I am not Madonna. I am not going to change my look every five seconds. I know what works in my lifestyle and I know what doesn't (well, at least I'm trying to know what does and doesn't). So as part of Un-Fancy's Capsule Wardrobe planning is to know who you are and who you aren't. 


So I start thinking... What is my style? Or, at least, what do I want it to be?

It is: 
  • movable
  • girly
  • classic
  • basic
  • dressy with a casual feel
  • sleek
  • coordinated
  • multipurpose (business and casual)
  • neutral with soft colors {mostly}
  • cotton, natural blends
It is not:
  • sporty or athletic
  • edgy
  • stiff
  • overly casual
  • super trendy
  • yellow, neons
I kept all this in mind as I sorted through my closet Friday night. (Yes, I cleaned out my closet on a Friday night!) It was actually a great time to do it - Blake was in his office studying, Maleah was happily playing independently, and I was cleaning out the closet! We were all in our own little worlds!

My goal for Friday night was to go ahead and separate potential Capsule Wardrobe pieces (Pile 1) and definitely-not Capsule Wardrobe pieces (Pile 2). I will eventually go back through Pile 2 and decide what to keep and what to donate. Having thought about what I want my clothes to "say" made this process a lot quicker than I imagined (maybe two hours?). 



This is how the closet started out - it's embarrassing! On the top is all of my shirts and dresses and the bottom is sweatshirts, jackets, pants, and skirts. Some of these items I have been holding onto for YEARS! (Please ignore my poor iPhone photography skills!)



I started by pulling out similar items in groups - all my pants, all my jeans, all my short-sleeved shirts, etc. and sorted them into the two piles - keepers for CW and not-keepers. 



This was the original "keep" pile. It had over 65 pieces - way too many. So I went back through the pile and really thought long and hard about what I wanted to keep for my Capsule Wardrobe. The thing I had to keep reminding myself was that I am not getting rid of the clothes that aren't in my wardrobe - I am just putting them away for later. For instance, there's a khaki colored jacket in there that I just absolutely love and it works well in any season - but I have some jackets that only work well in fall/winter so I'm going to put that khaki one away for later. 



Finally, I got it down to about 55 pieces. I am still not done, but I got to a good stopping point. And I haven't even touched my shoes...

As I was going through my clothes, I realized 37 pieces (which is supposed to include shoes) is not going to work for me just yet. The blog author who uses 37 pieces works at home, so her 37 pieces are appropriate for her work, whereas some of mine just aren't. Also, since I am working with what I already have, I don't have a "color scheme" to go off of that would make it easier to mix & match. As I continue to do this, I will buy pieces that go together better and, therefore, can use fewer pieces. My new goal is 50 pieces, including shoes. Here's how I plan to break it down:

1 winter coat
2 business blazers/jackets
4 hoodies/sweatshirts 
2 cardigans
20 tops (short sleeve, button-downs, tees, tunics, sweaters, etc.)
2 dresses
4 skirts
4 dress pants
2 pairs of jeans
1 pair wear-out-in-public leggings
9 pairs of shoes (which will become less as the colder season approaches because some of these include sandals)

It still seems like a whole lot... but I haven't even looked at my winter sweaters, so, we'll see what really makes the cut in a few weeks!

This doesn't include the stuff I wear around the house - I usually come home and throw on a t-shirt and "only-at-home leggings" (AKA they have stains or holes in them! But they're still soooooo comfy!!!!). I also have some jackets/sweaters and shorts that I only wear around the house, so I'm not counting those either. 

That's how far I've gotten so far! 

Do you think you could pare down your closet in just a couple of hours? Honestly, I thought it would take all weekend - but since I decided not to make decisions about what to donate, what to sell, and what to keep for later, the process went much quicker. I can make those decisions at a later time when I really have time to think about it. But this got me jump-started on the process. Give yourself one or two hours and see what your immediate reactions are to your clothes - you may find it is much easier to pull what you really, really love than you think!

Here's another site that is totally dedicated to the Capsule Wardrobe to help get you started!





1 comment:

  1. I did the cleaning out last week also! see here for a tip to add colour in your closet http://www.mygenerouslife.blogspot.de/2014/09/5-minute-diy-wrapped-hangers.html

    ReplyDelete