Winter Capsule Wardrobe
Grey T-shirt | Black Turtleneck | Striped Blouse | Pink Tie Blouse | Sweatshirt | Black Sweater | Grey Sweater | Wrap Cardigan | Check Blazer | Black Jeans | Faux Leather Trousers | Trousers | Blue Jeans | Grey Slip Dress |White Sweater Dress | Black Quilted Coat | Floral Face Mask | Scarf | Earrings | Tweed Purse | Brown Tote | Black Boots | Animal Print Boots | Neutral Sneakers | Pink Sneakers | Winter Boots |
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I am not going to coin the year 2020 as the year of the minimalist, but I will say that it is the year that many people have wanted to embrace a more minimalistic lifestyle, especially minimalist capsule wardrobes.
I know I have.
My minimalist capsule wardrobe fall post has blown up in traffic since last spring and I’m just one small website, so I can imagine what Google’s search has been like.
I think being stuck in your own home for this extended period of time has shown how overwhelming having a lot of stuff is.
When you can come and go regularly it’s easy to not see it, but when you live in it day and day out for months it starts to get to you.
I am itching to do a huge purge in here but unfortunately, the places where we usually donate will be basically shut down for the next 28 days starting Boxing Day.
So while technically I can still purge, I literally have no place to store it except the front hall.
Please remind me to make sure that a storage unit is included in the next place we rent.
We didn’t even realize until after that we didn’t get one with this place.
Since every condo purchase automatically gets a storage locker, I think our landlord rents it out separately for extra income.
One thing that I have learned over the years is that I will never have a minimalist home.
When you live in a home with 3 other people who have various passions, collections, and personalities you end up accumulating a lot of stuff.
That is why I can’t find an non cluttered area to take my pictures…ever.
That just doesn’t exist in my home and I have learned to be okay with the amount of stuff in here.
Is it overwhelming? Yes.
But I have learned that you can’t force minimalism onto other people. You just have to breathe and move on.
A minimalist capsule wardrobe doesn’t have to be neutrals, but I was feeling a little bit traditional minimalist today when I chose the items.
I find that using neutrals in great fitting styles can really elevate your look, as well as wearing head to toe colour in the same tones.
It just takes the chicness up a few notches. And sometimes feeling a little more put together can change your whole outlook of the day.
Capsule wardrobe colour palettes will vary depending on your preferences, and what colours suit you best.
I was trying to explain this concept to my youngest daughter the other day. We were reading a book that talked about a girl learning her colours and she didn’t know what it meant.
I told her that while I wear a lot of black and grey, I actually look better in browns, and greens, gold jewellery vs silver.
When we were out walking yesterday, she looked at me in my new green coat and said “You’re right mom. You do look good in green.”
It was funny because I didn’t think she was really listening when I explained it.
Downsizing my wardrobe has been a work in progress probably for the last 13 or so years.
I’m due for another closet clean out of things that I feel deserve to go to a better home. I both donate as well as sell some of my closet cleanouts on Poshmark.
Creating a minimalist wardrobe
Some people who are starting out feel like they may need some kind of toolkit for helping them through the process.
Something that breaks it down into simple steps.
I will tell you now that you don’t need to go out and buy any kind of guide that claims to give you all the tools that you need.
You can find that info for free online with a few simple searches. Don’t waste your money.
Step 1: Clean out your closet
This step is actually the hardest because letting things go can wreak havoc on you mentally.
You need to retrain your brain.
And when it comes down to it wouldn’t you rather have a small closet of items that make you happy and make you look and feel your best, than a whole bunch of meh items crammed in there?
The goal is to love what you wear and when you do it shows.
Go through and truly see what you have in your closet. This will take a lot of time, but in the long run, it is really worth it to go piece by piece.
Try everything on and set aside what you truly love. Having different piles for items you want to keep, are not certain about, and want to get rid is important.
Ask yourself a few questions:
- Have I worn this recently?
- Does it make me feel good?
- Does it fit?
- Is it in good condition?
- Does it make me excited to wear it?
Anuschka Rees has a great free closet detox cheat to help you if you are stuck.
The pieces that you are uncertain about can be set aside to revisit later. You never know how you might feel about reintroducing an older piece back in once you have your minimalist wardrobe figured out.
It might fit in perfectly.
When you are going through your closet and deciding what to keep first set aside your staple pieces. These are the pieces that you love and that you wear over and over again. Being mindful with purchases and wearing items keeps them out of landfills.
“Being mindful with your purchases keeps them out of landfills and this should be the ultimate goal for everyone.”
Gently worn items that you no longer wear can be sold online, or via consignment shop. The money from these can be put towards any pieces that are on your wish list.
Anything else can be donated to local charities or women’s’ shelters. If an item is too raggedy or damaged for donation then you can also cut them up and use them for cleaning.
Take the closet clean-out slow. Emotionally purging only leads to regret.
Step 2: Take the time to find your style and unique look
Do you know what your style is?
Do you know what styles look best on your unique body type?
What colour palette do you like?
These things aren’t that easy to know, especially of you have floundered for years feeling lost in your style.
First time moms tend to experience this A LOT.
It’s not easy to figure out either. Sometimes it’s as simple as searching online and making a collection of photos of outfits that you like.
This can help guide you in the right direction.
Other times you may need a little help.
My friend Niki Whittle has a business that focuses on helping women build their closet and style their shape and she is really good at it.
Step 3: Filling Wardrobe Holes
After cleaning out your closet and figuring out your style/what kind of things you want to wear you need to find your wardrobe holes.
For example: if you are on Pinterest and you keep pinning outfits of women wearing wide-leg trousers but you don’t have a pair of wide-leg trousers, that would be a wardrobe hole.
Building a wardrobe is a life long process.
You don’t need to sit down and write a wish list of everything you want and try to go out and fill it immediately.
Start with a couple of pieces.
Really research and find something that you love. Save the money from the items you have sold and put them aside for a key staple piece that might be out of your budget currently.
Shop secondhand.
I love secondhand shopping, and every higher-end or designer piece that I own was bought via a secondhand retailer.
There are a lot of good items out there if you look.
Step 4: Maintaining a minimalist wardrobe
This is also a hard step because it is easy to fall back into old habits.
First and foremost you need to consider going on a shopping fast.
Start small.
Two weeks without buying something new if you are a person who buys things weekly.
Try a month if you like a good challenge.
If you are an impulsive shopper you need to figure out what your triggers are and adopt some tools to help you stop. Otherwise, you will never achieve a minimalist wardrobe.
Use the one in one out rule. For everything one thing that you buy, you get rid of something.
Keep a wear count, either pen and paper or digital. I use Instagram to keep track of how often I wear pieces.
There are a lot of wardrobe apps that help with this too.
And remember, stop comparing yourselves to others. Building a minimalistic wardrobe will be a different journey for everyone.
Minimalist Outfit Ideas
Easy Winter Outfit Ideas
Grey T-shirt | Black Turtleneck | Striped Blouse | Pink Tie Blouse | Sweatshirt | Black Sweater | Grey Sweater | Wrap Cardigan | Check Blazer | Black Jeans | Faux Leather Trousers | Trousers | Blue Jeans | Grey Slip Dress |White Sweater Dress | Black Quilted Coat | Floral Face Mask | Scarf | Earrings | Tweed Purse | Brown Tote | Black Boots | Animal Print Boots | Neutral Sneakers | Pink Sneakers | Winter Boots |
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You might also like:
Find Your Style with a Winter Capsule Wardrobe
The Realistic 2020 Winter Capsule Wardrobe
The Essential Capsule Wardrobe for Winter
How to Build a Winter Capsule Wardrobe
The Ultimate Winter Capsule Wardrobe.
How to Build a Winter Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget.
A Work From Home Winter Capsule Wardrobe – Plus 18 Work From Home Outfits
How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe – Sale Edition
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i’m having a real “duh” moment after reading your suggestions. i never thought to separate the pieces i reach for over and over, and then take a step back to re-evaluate what has been neglected. i just look at everything all at once and give a big sigh.
my two biggest issues are when i wear something for the sake of it, because i feel bad i haven’t reached for it, and it affects my mood strangely enough. i’m not as happy or content if i had just picked what i really wanted in the first place. the other issue i’m slowly working on is letting go of certain pieces that carry a lot of emotional weight. i inherited my mother’s wardrobe when she passed, and while a lot of it i immediately had to get rid of because of an overwhelming cigarette smell (thanks dad), there were some things i held on to, purely caught up in the emotions. 5 years on i’m finally ok with acknowledging that they’ve served their purpose and it’s ok to let them go.
i think once we get a better idea of where things are heading in relation to the vaccine, and how that will affect our travels and work situations for the upcoming year, i’ll really have to dedicate time towards going through the wardrobes and being a bit more honest and realistic about things.
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when you look at the whole thing vs looking at it in parts. When you separate what you always wear from things you don’t it also helps you to figure out the kinds of clothes that you should be adding in. I did this about 10 years ago and it was a revelation. So many years of having a bursting closet when all I did was reach for maybe 1/10 of the items. Separating the two helped me realize that the other stuff was just filler and made me feel good in the sense of “look how many clothes I have” but didn’t really make me feel good because I never had anything to wear. I don’t even know if that makes sense 😂
I get that. That feeling of wearing something kind of out of guilt. Why don’t you sell them and put the money towards something that you really want? It’s not wasteful if someone else wants it and will get use out of it.
As for your mom’s clothes. I understand not wanting to get rid of it. It would probably break my heart. Can you get something made from them? Like use some of your favourites of her clothes to get a quilt made or something? Then you wouldn’t really be getting rid of them, you have something that was both useful and meaningful.
I totally agree that it’s really hard to get into a wardrobe mindset right now. I’ve been forcing myself to get dressed most days because it mentally makes me feel more productive. But yesterday I walked over to get groceries and it was pretty bloody cold out. I didn’t want to go so I just wore my joggers under my long puffer and I noticed how warm and cozy they were in the cold versus when I wear jeans. I’ve really embraced the importance of joggers this year…and that is not something that I thought I would ever say 😂
I hope you guys are well and you had a great holiday.
Bring on the vaccine.
no, it totally makes sense, because like you said, those “filler” pieces-which is a great way to describe them, really only served one purpose. for me at least, i would get so hung up one particular item and seeing it styled in a magazine a certain way, i wouldn’t even bother considering if i could really get my money’s worth out of it. and then it gets boring, almost stifling, because i would block myself in to only being able to wear certain pieces with certain others.
i have started to get a bit more firm with myself in terms of what i’m wearing for my happiness versus for someone or something else’s sake. after pulling bits aside and testing the waters so to speak, i’ve listed some on postmark with some success. i don’t have a massive amount on there, so offers tend to either be nothing at all or like two or three within a week.
i remember my work buddies suggesting similar like re-making some of my mom’s clothes into a quilt. at the time, i was just so overwhelmed with everything that i couldn’t really process what to do. the bits that i’m left with now I’m wearing every so often, and it’s a nice feeling. what’s funny to me is that i took her sock collection; we both shared a love of argyle socks, so i never have to worry about cold feet or boring socks again 🙂
that’s so funny you mention the joggers. i copied from michelle at curatingmi and bought a pair of the adidas tracksuit joggers that she has been waxing poetically about for the better part of the year. they’ve come a long way since the ones i used to wear when i played soccer! i told my husband i was thinking about wearing them outside of the house and he didn’t protest at all, so i consider that a win.
thank you for thinking of us! it was a bit of a bummer, i know my husband had wanted to get back to england and see his family. i hope your girls enjoyed their birthdays and christmas. did you ever track down the weezer pinkerton vinyl?
my work is rolling out the vaccine to its employees in groups, but i’m way down the line. my husband’s company is still developing their version of the vaccine, so it most likely won’t be ready until the summer. i hope your latest lockdown can reset some people’s minds and force them to think about if they’re contributing to the solution or the problem. goodness knows down our way it’s still quite the battle!