Spring Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

At the beginning of the year, I challenged myself to clear out my closet, leaving only 35 articles of clothing behind to wear for the rest of the winter.  It went very well, so I am challenging myself to do the same thing for spring.  If you want to join me in this somewhat minimalistic journey, or are just curious about how and why I did it, read on!

There are lots of “Capsule Wardrobe” guidelines and ideas floating around the web.  I read a bunch of them, picking and choosing the ideas I wanted to use.  Here are my own personal rules that I came up with.

1. Only 35 items or less!  This includes outerwear, shoes, tops, pants, skirts, dresses, etc.  This does not include pajamas, workout gear, work uniforms or accessories.  If you want to include accessories as part of the challenge, go for it.
2. Swaps are allowed.  For example, if you find something new that you really, really love, you can add it to your closet in exchange for taking another item out.
3. Box it up!  This helps those of us who struggle with indecision.  Box up items that aren’t in season or that you can’t quite bring yourself to part with.  That way, if you miss something (you probably won’t) you can dig it out.  At the end of the season, you can re-evaluate the items you set aside.

Other tips:

• Not everything has to match, but you also don’t need to have something in every color under the rainbow.  Stick to colors you like to wear and that go well together (for the most part.)  The majority of my clothes are grey, white, black and blue.
• Evaluate your lifestyle and plan accordingly.  I hardly ever go anywhere that isn’t super casual.  In fact, I didn’t include a nice dress in my 35 items, because it’s so rare that I need to wear one.  If you have an office job, though, or are invited to lots of fancy parties with fancy people, make sure you include appropriate items in your closet.
• Embrace your own personal style!  My likes and dislikes aren’t the same as yours and that’s cool.  Figure out what you love to wear and build your capsule wardrobe around those things.  I love skinny jeans and slouchy tees and sweaters, so that’s a lot of what I own.

This isn’t meant to be a exercise in misery, but a fun journey of self-discovery.  Cheesy, much?  Yeah.  But seriously.  I love having an organized closet with only things that I love wearing.  This approach may not be for you, but you don’t know until you try!

– Niki

P.S.  If I’ve piqued your interest in “capsule wardrobes” this blog is full of lots of inspiration and tips.