Create Your Capsule Wardrobe
When I started decluttering my closet, I was unknowingly creating a capsule wardrobe. It’s really a big thing in the lifestyle blogging world and is a great concept for simplifying your style.
What is a capsule wardrobe?
It is a limited collection of clothing and accessory items based on your personal style needs. The aim is to pare down your closet and focus on your style.
History of the capsule wardrobe.
Designer, Susie Faux first used the term in the 1970s and Donna Karan popularized it in the 1980s with her “7 Easy Pieces” collection.
“Faux defined it as a collection of essential pieces which do not go out of fashion and can be worn for multiple seasons. She suggested that you update your wardrobe with seasonal items to have something to wear for any occasion without having to buy a lot of things. Her list contained two pairs of trousers, a dress or skirt, a jacket, a coat, a knit, two pairs of shoes and two bags.” (source)
Donna Karan's collection consisted of a bodysuit, pair of pants, coat, jacket, blouse or turtleneck, skirt, and evening dress. I think their lists were super minimal and serve as a good base to work from when creating your own capsule collection.
Number of items
There is not an absolute need to count your items or reduce them to a certain number of items, mainly because the right number of things is different for every person.
There is a popular challenge from Project 333 to create a capsule wardrobe based on 33 pieces of clothing.
Shopping for items to complete your capsule wardrobe.
How this generally works:
- You create a list of items (checklist) you think you need for the season or year.
- You look through your closet to find the items on the checklist that you already have.
- You go shopping to fill in the rest.
Tread lightly on #3. Remember you just decluttered your closet so you don’t want to go buying stuff that will clutter it up again.
Also, if you’re a recovering shopaholic, please do not use #3 as an excuse to go shopping. Scrutinize your closet and your list.
I guarantee you already have everything you need because what have you been wearing all this time? It’s really a matter of keeping it pared down. If you must buy something, make sure it is an absolute need.
Benefits of Creating a Capsule Wardrobe
- A closet that speaks to your style.
- Discover how creative you are with a limited wardrobe you must make work for 365 days a year.
- Less wondering about, “what will I wear today” and more style confidence.
- No more storing your off-season clothes in a spare bedroom, attic, garage, or storage unit. Ideally, all your clothes will fit into your closet.
- Savings galore! Less time wasted, less money spent, less hassle.
Tips for creating a capsule wardrobe.
- A neutral color palette is more versatile, but pick a color scheme that works for you.
- Accessories are everything. They can change the mood and tone of an outfit. You can also add pops of color via your accessories and makeup.
- Document your outfits. This is a great way to save time and take the guesswork out of figuring out what to wear. You'll have plenty of style options at your finger tips. The Stylebook app and Polyvore are great ways to have a visual representation of your wardrobe. I used Polyvore to create the images in this post.
- Consider your weekly activities (work, errands, church, leisure).
- Have two wardrobe subgroups: spring/summer and fall/winter. You can also do one for each season.
- Layering pieces are essential. Cardigans, blazers, jackets, and scarves help you create more wardrobe options and transition between the cooler and warmer seasons.
- Accent your capsule wardrobe sparingly with fun, trendy, of the moment pieces.
- Tops are more crucial than bottoms. You can wear neutral colored pants over and over again without anyone paying much attention, but use your tops to add variety.
- Know your body. Every item of clothing should accentuate the body you have.
My (current) capsule wardrobe.
Items:
black leather jacket
black suit (blazer + pants)
blue jeans
black jeans
stonewash jeans
grey twill slim leg pants
black twill slim leg pants
black + white striped dress
black dresses (2)
black mini skirt
blouses (black + white, long + short sleeves)
black cardigan
white cardigans (2)
grey cardigans (2)
green cardigan
black + white sweater
jean shirt/jacket
black flats
black moto boots
pink converse sneakers
nude sandals
black flip-flop sandals
cotton t-shirts (black + white, long + short sleeves)
black sandals
Creating a capsule wardrobe is a great way to discover your personal style. It may take some time initially, but it's worth the investment to have an edited closet with only the quality pieces you love.
What are the staple items in your capsule wardrobe?
Declutter Your Closet: 21 Tips to Spring Clean Your Wardrobe
Spring (or anytime) is the perfect time to spring clean your wardrobe and declutter your closet.
General rules to declutter your closet.
- If you haven’t worn it a year, get rid of it. A year is a good rule of thumb because it covers all of the seasons.
- Multiples. How many of the same or similar items do you need? Two pairs of blacks pants is ok if you wear them all the time. The same shirt in two different colors is also cool. What’s not cool is five black blazers. Two of any item is a good rule of thumb.
- Toss any item that is faded, worn out, holey (in a bad way, not talking about ripped jeans, those are cool) and any accessory that is broken or has turned colors.
- Keep your favorite things to wear. The things you love.
- To quote Johnny Cochran, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit”. Throw it out. Real talk, work with the body you have now, excluding any significant situation like pregnancy. If you're dropping pounds consistently while on a fitness plan, don’t buy any new clothes until your weight stabilizes. Consider getting your current clothing altered where appropriate while in transition.
- Remove anything you don’t like. It’s amazing how much fugly stuff we keep in the back of our closets.
- Keep classic pieces. They are timeless and will help you build your capsule wardrobe.
- Make three piles. Toss, keep, I don’t know. Separate the "i don't know" items into a box or different part of your closet. Monitor if you wear any of them over the next few months. If not, toss them.
- This is purely an aesthetic item, but I like to have all the same hangers. At one point, I had all wooden hangers from Ikea in my closet. When I move, I would really like to purchase those slim black ones because even though I love the wood ones, they're a little bulky. Anyways, if you have a lot of hangers that are all different colors and materials, choose one type or color of hanger to hang the items you’re keeping and toss the rest.
Wardrobe Sub-sections
The same rules still apply mostly, but here are some additional things to consider when deciding what to toss and keep.
- Shoes. I’m separating them from accessories. You need shoes that are casual, dressy, work and seasonally appropriate. You do not have to sacrifice style, comfort or quality.
- Outerwear- You need a sturdy winter jacket (where appropriate), and a jacket or two for spring and fall. A thin sweater or cardigan for chilly summer nights and air conditioned spaces. A blazer can complement your work wardrobe and dress up anything.
- Intimates- How many underthings you need will depend on how often you wash your clothes. One to two weeks worth of underthings will be sufficient in most cases. This includes bras, underwear, socks, and tanks.
- Accessories and makeup. How many stud earrings or lipsticks do you need? Choose the ones that are your favorite, most versatile, and flatter your skin tone. Things like diamond studs or a pearl necklace are classic. Keep items like this if they are your style. Also, keeping old makeup is nasty. Do you know how many germs are on it? Throw it out and buy a new one if you love the color or it’s an essential item.
Tips for making your clothes last longer.
- Wash them on the gentle/delicate or short cycle and hang or lay flat to dry. The lint your dryer accumulates is your clothes’ fibers. Also, air drying uses less electricity and drying racks are inexpensive.
- You don’t need to wash your jeans or pants as often as other types of clothing. Wash them when/if they have visible dirt, stains or smell.
- Get the heels, tips, soles of your shoes replaced by a cobbler periodically.
- Invest in conditioning and weather resistant products for leather and suede items.
- Find a dry cleaner or tailor to make alterations and repairs.
- Learn how to mend small holes and sew on buttons.
- Items in storage. This shouldn’t be an issue since you’re decluttering your closet and can fit everything into one closet, but should the need arise, make sure your clothes are placed in a properly sealed, temperate location with covers.
- Pay attention to the way your items are stored in your room. Whether they are hanging in the closet, sitting on a table or open shelf, or folded in a drawer, do so with care.
Watch me declutter my closet.
Learn how to create a capsule wardrobe.
What are you tossing and keeping in your closet?
Productivity in 6 Minimalist Quotes
Source: CreateHer Stock
One principle of minimalism is to eliminate what is unnecessary and this is the key to productivity.
The reason you are not reaching your personal and professional goals and living the life you want is because you are too concerned with things that don’t matter.
This particularly concerns our daily schedules which are often cluttered with useless activities.
Here are six minimalist quotes I love that'll help you change your perspective on what it means to be productive and just busy.
“Time is what we want most but what we use worst.” -William Penn
A simple google search reveals millions of resources on time management. It would seem that we don’t quite understand how to manage our time properly, but I don't agree.
We talk about time slipping away from us and not having enough of it, but how many of us are doing what we really want to do with the time we have?
We know exactly what we need to do in our lives and what we want, but we avoid them by procrastinating and doing everything else under the sun we can think of.
Time is the one resource we have that is finite and uncertain, use it well.
“Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.” -Socrates
If you want to have a full life, stop being busy.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines busy as engaged in action, full of activity, foolishly or obtrusively active and full of distracting detail.
You only have to scroll through your various social media feeds as proof of the glorification of busy and our obsession with proving we are doing something worth posting about.
Stop trying to appear busy and go do something that matters to you.
“Never mistake motion for action.” -Ernest Hemingway
For all the time wasted being busy, the things that matter: our health, relationships and goals, take a backseat to our to-do lists.
Just because you’re constantly on the go, doesn’t mean you’re achieving anything of value. You're exhausted and you don't have anything to show for it.
If you stop moving for a moment and focus on what’s important to you, you can accomplish a lot more.
“You don’t need more time...you just need to decide.” -Seth Godin
Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize.
Prioritizing is the first key to being productive.
Start with your to-do list and whittle it down to only the essential tasks.
How do you decide what is essential? This is where the importance of big picture planning and goal setting comes into practice.
Ask yourself, “is this task or activity moving me towards my goals?”. If the answer is “yes”, press forward. If the answer is “no”, cross it off your list. It’s that simple.
“Life is frittered away by detail. Simplify. Simplify.” -Henry David Thoreau
You may have heard the expression “the devil is in the detail”, meaning beware and look closely at things, but did you know that it was actually preceded by the phrase “God is in the detail”.
Both expressions mean essentially the same thing, it’s important to pay attention to the details.
What Mr. Thoreau was getting at is not to get stuck in the minute, petty details, and busy work.
Active and intentional planning leads to increased mindfulness and productivity while we are in the midst of our detailed lives.
“Do less with more focus.” -Unknown
Presence, also related to intent and mindfulness, is the other key to being productive.
When you know the purpose of your actions and see how they relate to the big picture, you are fully engaged in the experience.
You also realize that you don’t need to do all that extra stuff. Not only will you become more productive, but you may even understand happiness.
Here is a simple equation you can use to be more productive:
Prioritizing + Presence= Productivity
"Stop being busy and start being productive." -Yolanda
What are your tips for being productive?
What I Learned From Mexico
I love traveling. I don’t do it as often as I would like to, but I’ve done it enough to know how beneficial it is.
Everyone needs a periodic disruption. Routines are a part of life, but when you get stuck in those routines you are prone to stress, burnout, jaded perspectives and lack of creativity.
Disrupting your daily routine removes the cobwebs and sweeps the dust out of the corners of your brain. It also challenges you to think differently about your daily existence.
I went to Mexico in July 2013 to break the routines, be inspired, to wander, and to simply be with no expectations or obligations. I also went to see what I could (re)learn about my life.
So what did my Mexican disruption teach me?
Don’t give into distractions.
A man screamed an obscenity at me.
Now to be honest, I have no idea what he said, but his intent was crystal clear.
It was around midnight and I had just gotten back from a bus trip to San Cristobal de las Casas. I was attempting to give my friend’s address to the taxi driver in my broken Spanish and he was not understanding or I was not understanding his responses.
I was tired from being on a bus for five hours, hungry and on my cycle. A man appeared at my window and started begging for money.
Ain’t nobody, me or the cabbie, have time for that.
All I wanted to do was get safely to Sylva’s house and lay my black ass down. I shook my head “no” and the taxi driver told also him “no”. I thought that was the end of it.
I turned back to the cabbie so we could continue our convo and then I hear the man yell something at me. I turned to look at him with a shocked and confused look on my face.
Whatever he said he was dead serious about it, but I couldn’t comprehend. My heart flashed with fear for a second, what if he tried to reach through the window and hit me?
The fear passed just as quickly as it came and I got back to the task at hand: getting to Sylva’s.
Lesson: I could’ve allowed myself to be offended and responded with some choice English words of my own, but I didn’t because I was focused on getting where I needed to be.
That’s what you have to remember when pursuing your goals and living in the present.
There will be a lot of distractions vying to pull you away from what you need to be doing.
You will have to choose if you’re going to react or stay focused. Acknowledge what will move you forward and ignore the rest, but If I see him in the streets again... it’s on!
Remember who you are.
I was racially profiled. How do I know that? I was the only black person on the bus and I was the only person the border patrol agent asked for identification.
I know this because I watched her walk the rest of the bus and turn around and she didn’t ask any other person for their documents.
Also, it wasn’t just because I was assumed to be a foreigner because there were other non-black foreigners on the bus as well. I kept calm because well, this is Mexico and shit happens.
I later found out this is not uncommon and she might have suspected me of carrying drugs, prostitution, or being an illegal immigrant. Understandable, but not.
Lesson: Prejudice, stereotypes, and racism are alive and kicking.
People will make negative (and positive) assumptions about you based on all types of things, some you may not even be aware of including their own experiences.
It is not your job to confirm or refute those assumptions. Your job is to remember who you are at the core of your being and live that authentically.
When she got on the bus, the agent's eyes focused on me immediately, so I knew what was up. When she asked for my papers I confidently handed them to her and looked her directly in the eyes when she asked me where I was from and what I was doing in Mexico and I told her the truth.
Take everything one step at a time, sometimes literally.
I climbed to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. I went to Teotihuacan to see the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon and the Temple of Quetzacoatl.
The Sun pyramid ascends over 200 feet into the sky and has 248 steps. At first I was like nah, I’m not going all the way to the top. Then I said well maybe I’ll do a couple of levels.
As I would stop and take a break on the lower levels, I saw little kids, old people, and other people who didn’t look like they were going to make it, continuing to climb.
My ego knew I was not going to let them show me up. So I took a deep breath, a sip of water and got my tail on up there. Still stopping to take breaks and holding on firmly to the security rope, I did it!
The view alone was worth every step, sweat bead, deep/shallow breath and ache in my feet.
Lesson: Obstacles will arise in your life that look daunting and you can’t see any way over them or around them.
That’s ok. Whether you know what the result will be or not, all that’s required of you in that moment is to take the first step and keep taking one more step, until you reach the desired destination.
The thing that really got my ass into gear was knowing that I didn’t know when I would have another opportunity to climb the Pyramid of Sun and that leads me to my next lesson.
Take advantage of opportunities in the moment.
I don’t have a story for this lesson.
Don’t allow apathy, laziness, and stubbornness, all symptoms of fear, stop you from having a great experience or getting something you need.
There were several times when I said I would come back to this market or neighborhood another day to look around and I never did. Something else always came up.
I wish I had bought more silver jewelry in Taxco. I wish I had taken more time to explore the cities’ neighborhoods. I wish I had taken a ride on a trajinera in Xochimilco.
Lesson: It’s what you don’t do that you regret. Make memories rather than regrets. You will not live forever and second chances are not guaranteed. Seize the moment.
Education does not require a diploma or degree.
This is something I already knew and why I value my formal education, my life experiences have taught me the most.
Mexico offers a very good informal, but structured education. It's called a museum.
The thing that pleasantly surprised me was the number of museums in Mexico and particularly in Mexico City. Every subject has its own museum.
My favorite was the National Museum of Anthropology and History, but there were also museums about torture instruments, tequila, pop culture, jade and even the Corona factory had its own museum.
Lesson: Whether in a museum, a book, or on the internet, you can practically learn about anything that interests you so there are no excuses.
Being different is cool.
Let’s clarify a few things. I’m black. I have big natural hair. I’m taller than at least 75% of Mexicans (by my estimation).
The staring, the pointing, and the laughing were unnerving at first, but after a while, I learned to ignore it and even embrace it.
It was fun talking to strangers and watching people’s reactions to me. I received many compliments and I was interviewed a couple of times by university students.
Lesson: In a city of 20 million people (I forgot Mexico City was the second largest city in the world. It honestly had me shook for a minute.) and a world of 7 billion, it’s a good thing to be different.
I learned to trust my intuition more.
When I told people I was going to Mexico alone for three weeks, people thought I was crazy and were concerned for my safety.
The thought was a little scary for me too, but I knew if I didn’t take this opportunity I would regret it.
There were some situations where I had no clue what I supposed to do next or could not find the words to explain what I needed.
I made wrong turns attempting to navigate the streets or got off the bus too early or too late.
The miraculous thing is I always managed to find my way and end up where I needed to be.
Lesson: Intuition is not always about knowing exactly what to do next.
Intuition is about trusting that even if you make a wrong turn you will still arrive at the right destination.
It’s about picking out the one person in a crowd who can help you.
It’s about feeling safe and like you belong even when you’re surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
In life, it’s about having faith and knowing you are walking the path meant for you even when the world is telling you something different.
This last lesson was the most important to me because by trusting my intuition I am also more courageous.
I returned determined to figure out my business and take whatever risks necessary to make my dreams and goals a reality.
A year later my website is live, my message is clearer, I have done trainings to improve my entrepreneurial and life coaching skills, and I have more creative ideas flowing out of me.
Would I still be at this point if I hadn’t gone to Mexico? Maybe, but I don’t know and it doesn’t matter.
What matters is you live a life that is fulfilling to you and you do things that challenge you to grow.
What matters is you’re not afraid to be yourself in any situation and you’re willing to take risks.
What matters is that you’re open to adventures and you recognize the signs.
What matters is that you don’t accept less than the miraculous for your life.
Clear out the cobwebs, the dirt, and the fog and go do something that matters.
For my travelers out there, what have you learned about life on your disruption vacations?
Creativepreneuers: Kaneisha Trott
Source: Kaneisha Trott's Facebook Page
What I enjoyed most about Kaneisha's interview was her transparency and authenticity.
I know Kaneisha Trott as "Nee Cee" and have known her since freshman year of college way back in 2001. We met in our freshman english class, took calculus together, and lived in the same dorm complex.
The essence of who Neecee is hasn't changed. She is intelligent, hilarious, generous, and kind. It's been great to watch her mature in her perception of self and on her spiritual journey.
Watch my in-depth interview with Kaneisha Trott as she talks about her dreams and music ministry.
She has already impacted many through her music ministry and her daily walk with God and I know she will touch so many more with her gift.
Support NeeCee on Facebook and Twitter.
She debuted last spring, live in concert, to a packed house at Power City in Smyrna, Delaware and I was fortunate to attend.
She brought down the house, with the help of Jesus of course.
You can hear a snippet of one of her tracks here.
What did you take away from NeeCee's interview?