Building My Capsule Wardrobe

I've been interested in a capsule wardrobe (a small wardrobe that mostly coordinates and covers almost all occasions) for a while but had kind of put the process of creating one on the backburner.  My mom recently sent me a link to this blog post and I decided it was the perfect time to give it a try.  I decided that for my first go round, I wouldn't necessarily force myself to stick to a strict article of clothing number, but I knew that I wanted my closet to be filled with only items that I love and will wear.  I have a very small closet but I wanted it to have some empty space and a clean, minimalist look by the time I finished building my first capsule wardrobe.

Since it's supposed to be summer here in Oklahoma, I first removed EVERYTHING from my closet that was not for summer.  I am lucky to have another closet that I can store out of season clothes in and it really helped me see what I was working with.  I'd recommend finding somewhere (under the bed, in bins on a top shelf, etc.) to put all the out of season clothes.  After removing all the winter clothing, I removed anything that I knew I didn't like or wouldn't wear.  Next, I called in my super honest, blunt daughter and I tried on EVERYTHING that was left.  This was REALLY helpful for me.  I needed someone else to give their opinion on whether items were too big, too small, too short or just too out of style.  Call a friend if you don't have an almost teenage daughter that will tell you exactly what she's thinking!

I'm actually not a big shopper.  I really don't consistently buy TONS and TONS of clothes but I tend to hang on to things.  I still had clothes from college days and I am NOT a recent graduate.  I got rid of a lot of stuff.  I did have some MAYBES that I hated to part with so I agreed to store them with the out of season clothes and if I don't miss them by the time the summer is over, I will donate them.  Through this process, I got down to about 30ish items but saw that I had some big gaps in my wardrobe.  I was left with mostly casual shirts and jeans so I did add a few items.  I was careful to choose items that coordinated or could be dressed up or down. 

For example, I am in love with this maxi dress.  I've already worn in twice.  Once with flipflops and a jean jacket and once with heals and fancy jewelry.  I am certain that I will get a lot of use out of this dress and it's so comfortable! 

I also purchased these grey shorts.  They can be dressed up or down and go with several of the shirts I already had and they are so comfortable and a great length...not too short. 

I also got this dress (but in grey) and it's my very favorite.  It's so comfortable and can also be dressed up or down.

 

The only area that I am seriously struggling with is SHOES.  I did purge several pairs but I'm hovering at a number that would not cut it in a true capsule wardrobe so I think I have decided not to count them in my capsule numbers.  I like shoes.  I'm not ready.  I also feel like shoes can change an outfit so I am okay with having more shoes and less clothes.

 

This is the AFTER pic of my closet. I'm down to about 30ish hangers and it feels good.  I did go through my jewelry too but as you can see, I kind of feel the same way about jewelry as I do about shoes. So far, I am loving having a capsule wardrobe and have found that picking something to wear is less of a chore and that it's much easier to keep my room and closet clean because I'm not trying on several things (and not hanging them back up) before settling on something to wear.  I pretty much like or love everything that is left hanging in my closet.  I really wish I would have done this sooner.