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
