Andrea's Capsule wardrobe

Andrea had asked me to help streamline her wardrobe a bit. Andrea has a very relaxed (but not sloppy) style. She works in a creative environment and going to work in a suit would not suit the company image at all.


I asked Andrea to fill in a little questionnaire for me so that I could get a better idea of what she wanted from her wardrobe and also to try to match her current style with a style she wanted. When that was done the real fun started.



We emptied out her ENTIRE wardrobe and made three piles: Yes, No and Maybe. After weeding out all items she no longer wears, doesn't like and that are basically not fit for the warmer seasons we were left with quite a stunning and very funky wardrobe.


Andrea's base colours are now greys, olive green with some black. Her accent colours are blues and purples. We narrowed her wardrobe down to about a third!! We also discovered that Andrea has the most stunning dresses that she will definitely be wearing more often. She was also delighted to see how easy it was to dress for any occasion with her new wardrobe and how little effort it takes.


Andrea now has a streamline wardrobe and the only items I'd suggest she should add is one or two extra strappy tops for when it gets really hot, or to wear under tops or that are too low cut for work.

My Capsule Wardrobe

We all have that certain 'witch' in the wardrobe, whether it is missing socks or in my case having a cupboard full of clothes, but having very little to wear. For years I've been wanting to create the perfect capsule wardrobe, but couldn't sum up the courage. I mistakenly thought a capsule wardrobe means having as little items of clothing as possible, so I couldn't bear chucking out what I had. I was wrong. It dawned on me that the purpose of a capsule wardrobe was to streamline my outfits. A capsule wardrobe makes putting outfits together more efficient, not limiting them. A capsule wardrobe is a personal thing and varies from person to person, depending on their needs and wants.

One Thursday afternoon I decided to tackle this wardrobe dilemma and it was surprisingly easy. I started making a list of all the clothes I'd NEED. As it is winter here in the Southern Hemisphere I settled for 30-35 items, including accessories (I surpassed that number in the end with a total of about 50, but it is about a third of what I originally owned). The original list looked something like this: 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of slacks, 4 blouses I can wear to work (or out), 2 dresses (I wear a lot of dresses so that ended with a much higher number) 1 skirt, 2 jackets,3 jerseys, 4 casual tops, 1 work dress, 2 pairs of heels, 1 pair of boots, 1 pair of flats, 1 pair of lace-ups, 2 bags, 1 scarf.

I then took these items out of my wardrobe and placed them on the bed. I made sure that the majority of the items were neutral colours (black, white, grey or navy) and I chose 1 accent colour as not to make my outfits too boring (I love wearing colour)which was red. I normally wear more colours then this, but seeing as it is winter most colourful tops are under coats or jerseys. And the more colour one has the harder it is to co-ordinate it with everything else in ones wardrobe. In theory I should be able to close my eyes, rummage around my wardrobe and whatever I pull out will match.

I never thought that streamlining my wardrobe would make such a difference! I don't worry about what to wear any more as I know that I'll have something for any occasion. And I did all this without buying a single new item (other then replacing an old pair of jeans).

I have been asked to do a few peoples wardrobes in the next few weeks. I will keep you posted.

xx