I have found out about something that sounds truly amazing. Have you heard of the capsule wardrobe? Well, I had not. I discovered this idea on a blog called My Simply Simple, which I really enjoy. Check out Kelsey's original post here.
Okay, so how does this work? You divide your year into four seasons of three months each. At the start of each season, you pick out 37 clothing items to make up your capsule... and that capsule lasts you for those whole three months! I know, it sounds crazy - bear with me.
Now, first of all, the 37 items does not include work out clothes, pajamas, accessories, or old crappy clothes that you use for gardening or working outside. I have also decided to not include team clothing - for example, the t shirt for your kid's baseball team, old college t shirts, or your Cubs jerseys (but go ahead and just throw away those Cardinal jerseys! :-) Just kidding!)
What IS included in the capsule? Jeans, dress pants, sweaters, blouses/shirts, dresses (if you wear them - I don't) and SHOES.
For the first season, you really analyze your closet:
-Do you REALLY love everything in there? Of course not.
-How often do you REALLY wear each item? If you are anything like me, there are many items that never get worn.
-Does everything mix and match well? Be honest - everyone has a few sweaters/pants/shoes that you just CANNOT find anything to match!
Only allowing 37 items into capsule means you have to be so selective! You have to really, truly love each item that you put into your capsule AND they need to be very versatile! Each item also needs to really fit you very well. I am ashamed to say that I have purchased many items online, only to have them not fit quite right. But what do I do with them? Return them? Nope. I cut the tags off and throw them in the closet! Why would I do that?! I have no idea.
Of course, a way to make this easier is to decide on your color palette. If all 37 items fit into the chosen palette, they will all go together well, which will make it easy for you to mix and match. For example, I am always drawn to neutrals. My grandmother loves black, white, red, and navy. Decide on colors that you love, love to wear, and look good on you and choose your 37 items so that they all fit into that palette.
This whole idea made SO MUCH sense to me. I cannot wait to try it. Unfortunately, I think that the seasons that make the most sense for central Illinois weather include winter stretching from the start of December to the end of February. That means I have a whole month until I can start! On the bright side, there will be a lot of prep work before a capsule starts. Not only are you choosing your 37 items, you should be clearing out all that crap that doesn't fit, is worn out, or just isn't your favorite. This weekend, my project will be to completely sort and clear out my closet. I will make piles that will a) go straight to Goodwill, b) to Plato's Closet/Clothes Mentor (our local resale places) and c) into storage. The storage option is for summer clothing that just isn't applicable to a winter capsule or for the things that I am afraid to get rid of, in case this whole capsule thing doesn't work out. I'm a little bit of a chicken. If this is successful and I continue the capsules, I will take that stuff to Plato's Closet/Clothes Mentor also. Or, who knows? If I get in a "I mean business" mood, I might get rid of everything except the 37 items! :-) :-/
Being the accountant I am, I have started a spreadsheet that is divided into Shoes, Pants, Shirts, and Sweaters. I have listed out some of my definite love, love, love pieces that I already own into each category, and then looked at what I have a lot of and what I still need. Now I am trying to fill holes - either with other pieces I have, or something I purchase. (Did I mention... once you set the capsule, NO changing it until the end of the season... and that means no shopping for new items for three months! Unless you want to buy it in preparation for the next capsule.)
I will keep you updated on my progress and let you know which 37 items I choose and how it works out!
What do you think? Does it just sound crazy? Would you like to try it?
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