The average UK adult owns 118 items of clothing. 26% of these had not been worn for at least a year (WRAP).
I stare out blankly over my shoulder at my wardrobe door on a Tuesday morning whilst rifling through way too many shirts that I clearly don’t wear because I own but still haven’t found anything to wear. Sound familiar?
Image Credit: Emily Seah on Unsplash
Capsule wardrobes don’t have to look minimalist. They’re not about making some statement on consumer culture. They’re about owning less clothes that all work together, fit you properly and you wear regularly rather than wasting away at the back of your wardrobe, embarrassing you every time you catch a glimpse of the tags in the corner.
In fact done right you’ll end up looking stylish and pulled together in less effort, the opposite of someone who has given up.
Not only will you look better but it’s better for the environment too. Producing clothes uses massive amounts of carbon intensive energy and resources but then people buy all this stuff and wear it once (Guardian). Wearing clothes more lowers the carbon cost of each wear.
So reusing 1kg of clothing saves 25kg of CO₂e (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya). And buying better quality that you’ll wear longer actually saves you money too.
But most compellingly of all for me? It finally puts a stop to the chaos of opening your wardrobe every weekend only to realise that you have absolutely nothing to wear.
## Why Your Existing Wardrobe Probably Doesn’t Work
### The 80/20 Rule In Practice
Studies have shown that you only wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time (University of Strathclyde).
In practice that means you’re probably getting dressed most days from about a quarter of your wardrobe. The other three quarters just taunt you with the seldom worn fancy dress costumes and chalkmarker sweatpants.
We’re not buying clothes we don’t like. We buy clothes that we think we’ll wear nine days out of ten, but actually only wear on special occasions. Or we buy clothes that will go with that one item we love that’s already in our wardrobe (that we also only wear on special occasions).
The tops you love but don’t wear with anything. The jumper that’s gorgeous but you only have jeans to wear with it. The shoes that are actually painfully uncomfortable but you’re wearing them anyway because they’re red.
### What’s Causing This?
UK adults spend an estimated £4 billion+ monthly shopping for clothing alone (WRAP). And yet we still spend ages staring into our wardrobe despairing that we have nothing to wear. We buy things to solve problems that more clothes can’t actually solve.
When your wardrobe is full of things that don’t match, buying that one new thing feels like it could be the piece that makes everything work. Buy enough clothes and one day it magically will.
Over the last 15 years we’ve seen clothing utilisation rates drop by 36% (SESYNC). We’re buying more clothes and we’re wearing each item less frequently.
Fast fashion has trained us to buy cheap. Its cheaper to buy a new top than fix up the old one that shrunk in the wash. Even washing and drying our clothes properly costs more than just throwing on a new one.
### Choice Paralysis
I know what you’re thinking – “easy for you to say, I LOVE shopping”. Newsflash. Shopping is way more stressful when you have a big wardrobe to try and find things that go with.
The point at which you start getting dressed every day is right when you’re feeling overwhelmed by choices. If every item in your wardrobe requires a brain.flick to work out if it’ll pair with anything else you own getting dressed is exhausting.
How Do You Fix This?
**Know Thyself**
Instead of guessing at who you are and what you like go take a good hard look in the mirror…
And then go look at your bank statements.
Chances are you’ll quite like the person you see and spend way less money than you think you do on clothes that don’t get worn.
Image Credit: Caroline Veronez on Unsplash
**Pay Attention**
I’m willing to bet you own a lace skater dress but would never wear it to a skating rink. Buy less wishful thinking clothes and more clothes that go with what you already own.
Think about what you’re actually buying. Chances are if you have nothing to wear on Sunday morning it’s not because you went out and bought a gold parachute pants jumpsuit.
We’re much more deliberate with every other aspect of our lives than we are with our wardrobes. Think about it. You plan your meals for the week. You have a daily routine when you get home from work. You prioritize important things.
Do you do that with your clothes? Hell no you throw them together in the dark whilst drunk singing along to Linkin Park’s Greatest Hits.
### Steps to Building Your Capsule Wardrobe
#### Build Around Your Lifestyle
The most common capsule wardrobe mistake is creating one for who you want to be, rather than who you actually are.
If you work from home three days a week you need more casual tops than formal ones. If you hate dresses or never have fancy enough occasions to wear your posh dresses then don’t buy more dresses. Own six beautifully tailored trousers that you feel amazing in instead.
Look at your bank statements. Look at your google calendar. Look at your life. Plan your wardrobe around that.
**Take note of…**
– How often you dress up vs how often you stay casual
– Where you go that you need to alter your wardrobe for (beaches, clubs, conferences, etc)
– Times when you have little time to get ready vs all the time in the world
Image Credit: Anna Tarutina on Unsplash
#### Capsule Wardrobe Size
Clothing Capsule wardrobes tend to be around 30-37 Items for each 3-month ‘season’ (Who What Wear). Or you can do something like Project 333 and do 33 Items across all seasons (Be More With Less). Socks, underwear, workout clothes, gym gear, and swimsuits aren’t included. Ditto jacket/sunglasses/hats/accessories.
Thirty items sounds like a lot until you realise that if every piece goes with every other piece you own you’ve got hundreds of outfit options. Thirty items that don’t? Three maybe.
Also winter capsule wardrobes are obviously going to be larger than summer ones. Winter wear is bulkier and you generally need more layers.
**Pick your colours carefully**
Choose two main colours that go with everything and that you like wearing. Black and white. Grey and navy. Beige and brown. Pick colours that you’re instinctively drawn to, not ones you think you should wear.
Once you’ve got your neutrals pick one or two accent colours that match your neutrals AND match each other. This isn’t about having an exciting wardrobe, it’s about having a cohesive wardrobe.
Still not sure? Take pictures of yourself wearing each potential capsule item. Some colours that look great on their own look weird together on you. Trust me I’ve done the photoshoot.
#### The Audit
Break it down into categories. Take everything out. Look at ALL your jumpers. Decide what stays and what goes. Then move onto your trousers and do the same thing.
When deciding whether to keep something ask yourself:
– Does it fit?
– Do I feel good wearing this?
– Does it match at least 3 other things I own?
If you answered no to any of these questions throw it out.
If it doesn’t fit properly get rid of it. Don’t keep that bridesmaid dress you’ve kept “just in case” your favourite pair of jeans shrink in the wash.
Has it been 12 months since you last wore that cow-print blouse? Perfect bargain you got at a market abroad? If you haven’t worn it this year you’re never going to start. Just clip those tags and donate it.
**Final Tip – Make sure it’s worth repairing**
Look at each piece and make an honest appraisal of whether you’ll actually get that moth hole repaired or not. If you didn’t get it fixed in 12 weeks it’s not going to happen.
Repair or be prepared to replace it every time you wear it.
## Mistakes To Avoid When Creating Your Capsule Wardrobe
Mistake #3: Saving on the basics to afford luxury items.
You buy that amazing vintage dress you saw on Pinterest but buy the top you’ll wear with it from Primark. Sure the dress gets all the compliments but that dodgy top is going to let your outfit down every time.
Invest more in the things you wear all the time. Not the fun stuff you’ll only wear once.
>Mistake #4: Ignoring your actual life.
You only wear sports bras out with friends but bought an expensive white blouse that you’re going to wear “when you go out”. You buy loads of dresses because Pinterest says that’s what women should want to wear. But you’ve got kids. You don’t wear dresses. Stop buying stuff just because someone on the internet says you should and start buying stuff that works with your life.
White jeans are great. Until you have kids. Or you commute past construction sites. Or you live your life.
Same goes for dry-clean only clothes. If you can’t regularly afford dry cleaning then don’t buy things that need it. It’s as simple as that.
>Mistake #5: Trying to do it all in one weekend.
I get it. You throw open your wardrobe and it’s crammed full of stuff. You’re gonna purge! You spend Saturday afternoon filling three bin bags with clothes to donate. Feel great! Goes shopping immediately and by the end of Sunday you’ve spent three months salary on clothes.
Building a capsule wardrobe is boring and takes time. Donate a few things, replace them as they wear out or as you spot gaps that need filling. You will not suddenly throw away 80% of your wardrobe.
How To Care for your Capsule Wardrobe
### Wash Less Often
Washing at lower temperatures can cut energy use by as much as two thirds (Toms Guide). But it also makes your clothes last longer.
Did you know that washing your clothes at 25°C for 30 mins reduced dye transfer by up to 74% vs a longer 40°C cycle? (Toms Guide). Yup. Wash less often, in cold water and your clothes will not only last longer, they’ll look newer longer too.
You don’t need to wash things at high temperatures to get them clean. Modern detergents are so effective you don’t need hot water to help them along. And the agitation from the machine does most of the work.
Hang or fold?
Some people say only ever hang delicates. Others only ever fold. The truth is it depends on what you’re talking about.
Heavy knitwear will stretch if you hang it constantly. Lightweight shirts and tops will crease if they’re always folded. Find out what works for each item you own and stick to it.
Use cedar blocks or lavender pouches. They smell nice but also actually deter moths and other insects from munching through your favourite jumpers.
And once you’ve got your wardrobe down to a manageable level KEEP IT ORGANISED. Clothes at the back of the wardrobe never get worn. It defeats the point of having fewer clothes if you still can’t see what you own.
### Carbon and Cost Savings
UK households have an estimated 16 billion items of unworn clothing (WRAP). That’s a lot of clothing and when you consider how much carbon and waste goes into producing all that stuff, a lot of wasted carbon too.
Capsule wardrobes work by you buying less stuff overall but wearing each item way more. Not only does that mean you’re buying less frequently, when you do buy you know exactly what you need to complement your capsule wardrobe rather than buying whatever takes your fancy that day.
Which brings me to cost.
Capsule wardrobes should be higher quality than your normal wardrobe. Fewer items that you’ll wear more often means you should plan on those items lasting years, not months. But because you’re buying less stuff overall it ends up saving you money.
You’ll also stop making expensive mistakes. Once you know what you actually need to fill the holes in your wardrobe you won’t be left with drawers full of trendy bits that you only wore once.
Example; fast fashion blouse that costs £20. Wear 50 times = £0.40 per wear.
Capsule wardrobe blouse that costs £75. Wear 300 times = £0.25 per wear.
## Building your Capsule Wardrobe: Step by Step
### Week 1-2: Planning
For one week wear whatever you want. Don’t make any changes to how you get dressed. Make a note of what you gravitate towards and what you instantly dismiss.
What colours are you reaching for? When you put things back in your wardrobe what ends up hidden at the back never to see the light of day again?
Once you’ve got a good idea of what you actually like wear and dislike take a photo of yourself wearing each of your favourite go to outfits. What matches with everything? Build your wardrobe around these staples.
Look at the colours you actually wear, not the ones you think you should wear. Use these photos to identify the common threads. Literally.
### Week 3-4 Purging
Now get ruthless. Throw away anything that’s damaged, doesn’t fit or you haven’t worn in the last year. If you’re on the fence about something pending whatever very expensive foundation break you’re planning next month then put it into storage for three months. If you still haven’t worn it after that it’s going.
You’ll be surprised at how little you actually miss.
### Months 2-3: Build your Basics
If you’ve taken everything else I’ve said on board you’ll already have figured out what your wardrobe is missing, but if not…
Image credit: Tommy Crowther on Unsplash
Below is a list of clothing items every capsule wardrobe should have. Notice I didn’t say ‘should want’.
The whole point of having a capsule wardrobe is that you own things that work, not that you only wear ‘nice’ clothes. Nobody is gonna see your wardrobe. You are.
| Your wardrobe foundation | Amount to budget | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plain white cotton shirt | £40-£80 | I wears with literally everything |
| A pair of jeans that fit you properly | £60-£120 | Your go to casual wear foundation |
| A couple of knitwear jumpers | £50-£100 | Versatile, comfy and lasts years |
| A tailored jacket/coat | £80-£200+ | Can be casual or dressy depending on what you pair it with |
| Flat comfortable shoes | £60-£150 | You’re wearing these every day. They need to fit properly and last |
Start with your basics. These are the things you’ll wear the majority of time, and as such are the things that need to hold up to being worn weekly if not daily. Which means spending a little more on good timeless pieces that you know will last.
Total budget; £350-£650
Spend less on anything else and you’ll end up buying cheap clothes more frequently.
Months 4-6 Build on those basics by adding items that allow you to pair at least 3 pieces you already own in new ways.
Buy something new? Put it away. Wait 3 days. Can you think of at least 3 new outfits you’d wear that include that new thing? If yes great buy it. If not put it back.
### Beyond 6 Months Keep refining
When something wears out (and it will, even with impeccable care) replace it BUT that doesn’t mean you need to replace it with the same thing. Maybe your body has changed. Maybe you’ve simply worn that item so much you know you’ll get more wear out of something new.
Seasonally review your wardrobe. What worked well? Anything you didn’t get enough wear from? Anything you didn’t realise you needed until now?
Image Credit: Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Ok so that upfront cash budget might seem like a lot. But you’d be surprised how quickly it adds up if you’re buying new clothes most months. And even spread over 6 months it’s less than most people spend on clothes they never wear in a year.
Hell I still buy new clothes all the time. The difference is I know exactly what I’m buying and why. And when something no longer fits or just doesn’t go with anything else I own I replace it with something that DOES go with everything else.
Capsule wardrobes aren’t about restricting yourself, they’re about working WITH your lifestyle to stop you from having to guess what you’re going to wear each day.
Lookfantastic are currently offering Carbon Clinic readers £10 off any order over £25 with code MOR10 🙂
You can find out more about how to reduce your carbon footprint at home in our complete guide to home energy reductions. Covering everything from simple swaps to larger renovation projects there’s plenty of ways you can make your home more sustainable.
