Capsule Creation – Looking fantastic with only 39 items!

I held a Capsule Wardrobe workshop last week which sold out, which tells me that there is definitely a lot of interest in this topic!

So what exactly is a capsule wardrobe?

Susie Faux invented the phrase and the concept in the 70’s.  She was the owner of the London boutique Wardrobe and was a firm believer that women required less quantity and more quality. She famously said women “only need 2 pairs of trousers but they should fit like a glove”.

The idea behind a capsule wardrobe is, in essence that you only have 33-39 items of clothing in your wardrobe.  This does not include underwear, sportswear, nightwear or accessories.  Using a carefully constructed wardrobe of neutral coloured items and accent coloured items in relatively classic styles; dozens of outfits for all different occasions can be made from these 33-39 items.  Making dressing quick and easy and in particular, packing for a holiday, a weekend break or a work trip overseas becomes quick and efficient…ensuring you have all the oufits you will need for your time away.

The project333.com which is an excellent resource on capsule wardrobes suggest choosing your 33 items and putting everything else away into storage.  Both this website and un-fancy.com agree that a rolling capsule wardrobe is the way forward i.e. you wear your 33-39 items for a 3 month period i.e. June-August then modify the 33-39 items for the next 3 month period.  This can be done by swapping items in your current capsule wardrobe with things currently in storage or by buying selected new items.  This idea of a rolling capsule wardrobe works particularly well in a country like the UK where we have 4 distinct seasons and the idea of a capsule wardrobe that worked year round would be virtually impossible to execute.

Some benefits of a capsule wardrobe would be:

• You will always look fabulous as every item as been carefully picked to match your lifestyle and make the most of your colouring and bodyshape and go with everything else in the capsule.
• Dressing becomes quick and painless
• Your wardrobe is co-ordinated and flexible
• There is a huge reduction in  panic or impulsive purchases…saving £££’s
• Shopping for certain key items, which will fit into the pallet of colours, match your lifestyle and suit your shape, will become a pleasure not a chore.

To successfully roll out a capsule wardrobe you will need to have a good understanding of what colours best suit you and what exactly your neutral and accent shades are.  In addition, have a clear idea of your body shape and how to best dress it.  A colour and style analysis would therefore be invaluable to get you going with your capsule wardrobe.

The next step would be to audit your wardrobe and plan the capsule ensuring that your lifestyle and wardrobe were aligned.

For further information on a colour or style analysis or assistance with your wardrobe audit and/or planning your capsule wardrobe please get in touch on 07500 443974. I would love to hear from you!

Details of future Capsule Wardrobe workshops and other workshops will be released over the summer. Please sign up to my newsletter on the homepage to get details as soon as the events are live.