In october 2017, la Parisienne in collaboration with Radio-Canada held a capsule wardrobe contest. In case you are wondering, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of few items of clothing and accessories that are meant to be worn often and in different combinations. Rules of this particular one were simple : during 21 days, one could only wear 10 different clothing pieces, excluding coats, active clothing, shoes and accessories (in my case, Halloween costumes).Here are some advices if you want to create your own capsule wardrobe, and what I learned by this experience.
1. Choose neutral colors and garments
It is fine to want to wear your nicest clothes, but when you can only wear 10 different ones on a long period, it is important to choose colors that go well with each other. Neutral colors are essential to that kind of wardrobe (or to any wardrobe for that matter). White, gray, black, brown and khaki are generally considered neutrals. Personnaly, I also include navy blue and burgundy as “fake-neutrals” because they go well with a lot of colors but not all.
There is also neutral patterns like pinstripes, Prince-of-Wales, or small polka dots. These patterns are neutrals because they are subtle but can make a difference between a boring outfit and a nice one. For the bravest, metallics (silver, gold, bronze or copper) are also neutrals that can really add a nice interest to an outfit.
Neutral pieces that can be worn with any other garment are easier to style than colored of fashionable garments. Simple silhouettes, neutral and solid colors and subtle textures are essential to a versatile wardrobe. Jeans are also considered as neutral garments.
2. Choose versatile pieces
The easy choice would be 5 tops and 5 bottoms, which would make 25 different combinations right? Think again! If you really want to do that, you need all of your wardrobe to be neutrals, and where is the fun in that? If you want to have style, you need to take more that just the number of combinations into account.
The best way to change your look everyday while still having some style is to choose garments that can be worn different ways. For example, I wore my plaid shirt as an overpiece, as a long shirt and as a tie front shirt. My shirtdress is also another example, because I could wear it with thights (color thights will be in next summer woo-hoo!), over jeans or as a sleeveless overpiece. The most simple trick is to wear tops tucked-in or untucked to give them two different looks! Garments can be worn unbuttoned or unzipped, with or without a belt, tied or untied, sleeves rolled up or not, etc. You need to be creative, but when you do it often, it becomes super easy!
Don’t forget about layering! Layering pieces such as t-shirts, camis, and other thin and simple garments can make a difference. For example, a t-shirt under a blazer is a nice way to dress down your outfit, and a lace bodysuit can make it a little bit sexy for cocktails and other occasions.
3. Don’t underestimate accessories!
An outfit can seem empty without the right accessory, and with a scarf you can change to whole look of it. Since I have a lot of scarves already in my wardrobe, I made sure that I used them to renew an outfit I had already worn. There are many ways to wear a scarf, which can all change the look of an outfit.
As for the belts, they can change the fit of a loose top or dress, add a color pop (especially important if your wardrobe is composed of neutrals!), keep your mom jeans from falling off, etc. They are especially important these days to finish a blazer outfit. Indeed, the belted blazer is a key trend this season. It is a trend worth trying out, because you probably already have a belt and a blazer in your closet so you don’t have to invest in it!
4. Some clothes I missed, others I didn’t
The hardest part of the challenge was to have outfit ideas only to realize that the garments I needed for that outfit were not in my original selection. Those were the pieces I was eager to wear when it was over! I think that 10 pieces of clothing might be a little bit extreme in long term, but a lot of the capsule wardrobe project I read about have 30 to 40 garments, which offers more styling and versatility options (but some include shoes and accessories!).
I couldn’t wait to go back to my usual wardrobe. I though I was going to wear so many different clothes! All the new ideas I had for outfits! However, I realised a few weeks later that I was still going back to those 10 pieces almost every day. That meant that most of my wardrobe is not being worn. That helped me realize that I was due for a closet cleaning, and it was more easy than ever to give my old clothes away.
5. Even in a fashion office, nobody notices how many times you’ve worn a particular garment
I was anxious that I would get judged for not wearing something different everyday. I came to the realisation that even people who work in fashion don’t really care about what you are wearing. They have so many more important thing to do! If you don’t smell and diversify your outfits enough, you should be good to go.
Even if they judge what you are wearing, they are going to keep it for themselves. However, since you are making a special effort every morning to reinvent your style, you should receive good comments because your looks will be more thoughful. Which brings me to the next point :
6. Having a restricted amount of garments helped me develop my style
Even if I studied fashion for three years and I stay updated on the new trends, my style was always really simple : bottom + top + scarf or overpiece. I would often by really fashionable garments and rely on them to have style. This challenge made me realize that you don’t need to by new clothes every season, you just need to take a moment to find new ways to wear clothes that you already own. For example, my denim shirt has always been a vest to me, but I started wearing it as a shirt under a blazer and I get a lot of compliments on that look. Style is about more that juste nice clothes, it is also about the outfits you make with them and how you maximize them!
7. You don’t have to wash your clothes every time you wear them (no, it is not gross)
When you have only 3 bottoms, 3 tops, one dress and 3 overpieces, you go through them fast! I didn’t see myself do my laundry every 4 days, so I read a but about how often you should do your laundry. First, when you have an active life you don’t have the time to do your laundry that often. Second, it is not really environment friendly! I did my laundry once during those 21 days, when I had worn everything about 3-4 times. Indeed, it is not unsanitary to wait a few wears before washing your clothes (if they are stained or smelly, please do, though). This will even extend the life of your garments! Of course, underwear and socks should be washed every time you wear them, as there is more bacteria found in those.
In conclusion, it is possible to wear a restricted amount of garments, while beign stylish and trendy. A capsule wardrobe might be the best way to become aware about sustainable fashion, and to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone. If you want some inspiration, here are some really nice blogs that I have been reading :
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