5 Tips to Starting a Capsule Wardrobe

A capsule wardrobe has many interpretations but simply put by the Cambridge dictionary it is:

𝘈 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳.

This means a capsule wardrobe is sustainable, timeless and universal as you would be able to utilise all or almost all of the pieces you have in it to cater to different seasons, occasions and needs.

Here are our top 5 tips on how to build your capsule, to help you cut down unnecessary consumption with a wardrobe that has less but offers many more styles. Read on!

Step 1: Identify the main activities in your life

● Are you working from home mostly these days?
● Do you attend meetings or events often?
● Are you a mom who needs to run after your kids?
● Do you exercise?

Step 2: Get inspiration based on your activities

Girlsourced Stylist Joyan Chan recommends this Chic Style for Work

Girlsourced Stylist Costina Stan recommends this Casual Style for Home

Girlsourced Stylist Sabrina G recommends this Sporty Style for Exercise

Find inspiration from celebrities or influencers and identify styles that you gravitate towards. Isolate the pieces that will form the foundation of your capsule wardrobe, for example: bra tops, high neck tops, blazers or jeans. Add a few statement outfits to include in your collection that transform easily when matched with any of your basic pieces.

Always choose pieces that you like, which also complement your body, the way you like to move, and the activities that you do.

Step 3: Identify a suitable colour palette

For capsule wardrobes, one colour palettes work well. Pick a spectrum of neutral tones in either brown, tan and beige, or black, grey, and charcoal to form the foundational pieces. Be sure to identify a colour palette that complements your skin tone and have similar colour schemes for the creative ease of mixing and matching the few capsule pieces.

Step 4: Get key basics

Select your basics according to your climate, lifestyle and what you wear on a daily basis. Each piece should match different textiles, silhouettes, and play to the versatility and comfort that a capsule wardrobe should offer.

Spend on quality pieces because these are the items that will get the most wear through the capsule cycle. Quality pieces also ensure that you will always look well-put together, even if with very little effort.

Check out some typical basics in a capsule wardrobe that our stylist has curated below.

White collared shirt

Mango button front shirt in white

MAISON MARGIELA White Poplin Shirt

THE FIFTH Poetic Shirt Ivory

White T-shirt

Acne Studios white patch t-shirt

Leset Classic Margo Tee

James Perse Vintage Boy Tee

Fairtrade Organic Cotton Short Sleeve T-shirt

Neutral tank top

ASOS DESIGN knitted roll neck tank top in black

Free People Hayley Racerback Brami

THE FIFTH Calendar Tank Optical White

A blazer

Vila tailored suit blazer in black

Vero Moda Curve linen blazer in cream

FRANKIE SHOP Belted longline blazer

A cashmere sweater

Ivy Oversized Jumper

CO Cashmere sweater

A pair of jeans

7 FOR ALL MANKIND The Modern Straight high-rise jeans

Levi's Wedgie Straight Jeans

CITIZENS OF HUMANITY Denim pants

Black pants

Y.A.S tailored trouser with deep waistband and pleat front in black

Vero Moda jersey cigarette trousers in black

Little Black Dress

Finders Keepers lupita mini dress black

Corset Dressing Dress Shirt

Your Touch Mini Dress

CRANES midi dress

Step 5: Maintain your capsule wardrobe

Styles evolve over the years and so should your capsule wardrobe. Alway keep your capsule wardrobe battle-ready to meet your changing needs. Look into an update once a year and when it comes to major life changes such as moving to a new country or a career switch.

Our Girlsourced stylists are a chat away from helping you get the perfect capsule together. Book one now if you are serious about getting your capsule together!