Curating a Capsule Wardrobe

Monday mornings are daunting, but nothing tops a Thursday morning outfit struggle — staring at a dull closet, uninspired and already three business casual outfits into the week. Sometimes it feels like no matter how you try to refresh your wardrobe, it quickly becomes drab and mostly unworn, and by the next season you’re spending hundreds of dollars for a new refresh, only for the cycle to continue. 

But a new trend is seeking to put an end to that cycle — cue the capsule wardrobe. The goal of a capsule wardrobe is to curate a small wardrobe — generally 30 to 50 items — where every piece looks good together. 

“Your closet should be cohesive and that’s what a capsule wardrobe is; it completely goes together. It can be as loud and flamboyant or as classic and timeless as you want, there are no limits,” said stylist Adriele Dixon. 

Dixon says step one of creating a capsule is understanding your needs and your wants — whether you have a job with a professional dress code, or you spend most of your time chasing your toddler around — you need a wardrobe that is functional for you. Capsule wardrobes are often made up of neutrals, but Dixon says that patterns and colors can be central to some personalities, and that can be reflected in a capsule wardrobe. 

“Everything is tailored to the person. Say someone likes patterns on patterns, that could go in their capsule,” Dixon said. 

“Really good style happens when people tend to step out of their comfort zone a little bit.” — Adriele Dixon

Dixon says the bare bones list she gives her clients for a capsule wardrobe includes: three to four neutral tops, two button-ups, two blouses, two sweaters, two jeans, one trouser, one skirt, one dress, one trench coat or wool coat, one blazer, one casual jacket (i.e. denim, bomber, leather, etc.), one white sneaker, one ballet flat or loafers, one black ankle boot and one heel. From here, she encourages her clients to build upon this list and make modifications. If, say, someone doesn’t prefer dresses or skirts, ditch them for another pair of pants. 

Step two of building a capsule wardrobe is to take a look at what you have, and how it measures up to this list. Anything you don’t wear — get rid of it. 

That brings up a few more considerations while building a capsule wardrobe: simplicity, sustainability and cost-effectiveness. Dixon says to keep it simple and buy sustainable pieces that are made well and will last a long time. This allows you to get more wearings per item, becoming less expensive over time, than if you were to buy something inexpensive that has a lower quality. 

If you’re worried about getting bored with a small cohesive wardrobe, Dixon has a trick for that. She says take an afternoon and try on every single outfit combination you can imagine with your wardrobe and take a picture and save it in your phone. Then, at times when you want to freshen up your look, look through those pictures for new ideas. 

“Having a visual helps tremendously to get you out of your own brain,” Dixon said. “Really good style happens when people tend to step out of their comfort zone a little bit.”

The change of seasons from summer to autumn may be the perfect time to take a look at your wardrobe and make some changes. “If someone hasn’t done a capsule wardrobe before, I say just try it for a season instead of trying to do an entire year capsule, because that can be daunting,” Dixon said. 

“If you start ignoring all the fads and you pick what looks good on you, you’ll be fine and you’ll look cute and you don’t have to worry about it.”

You can reach Dixon via email at adriele.dixon@gmail.com or on Instagram at @styleassisted.