Lately I’ve been going through what I’m calling a ‘style crisis‘ for want of a better term. I’m finding that most of the items I own are unflattering and cheap – I tend to buy stuff impulsively and don’t think about the amount of wear I’ll realistically get out of it. This basically means that my current wardrobe consists of items that don’t make me feel good and are horrendously outdated.
Over the summer I’m trying to, not reinvent myself, but narrow down my wardrobe to pieces I need and will wear rather than random t-shirts I’ll wear maybe once, you know? I’m sort of trying out the whole minimalism trend, but with a bit more of a fun twist.
A good way to get rid of the stuff you don’t wear and replace it with stuff you need is by creating seasonal capsule wardrobes. A ‘capsule wardrobe’ is basically a curated collection of clothing that is based on what your week consists of and what kind of clothing is required for whatever you usually have going on. It’s organising your clothes in a way that ensures you actually wear each item you own. This also means that you aren’t wasting money on things that you’ll never wear. For example: my usual week is: Monday-Thursday I go to college, and then Friday-Sunday I either go to work, relax or socialise. Therefore my capsule wardrobe should be mostly casual stuff with a few more formal/evening-wear pieces so that, on the rare occasion I decide to go on a night out, I’ll have something a bit more fancier to wear.
I know the idea of getting rid of all your clothes and replacing it seems a bit daunting, so here’s a few easy steps to help you get through this transition!
- Work out and write down absolutely EVERYTHING you currently own and put it into sections so it is clear (organise by t-shirts/trousers/shoes etc)
- Go through your average week, work out what you usually do and what type of clothing you’d like to wear for each (e.g. when I’m in college I’d prefer to be comfortable, so the clothes I need for college need to be casual and easy to wear)
- Look at the lists you’ve created and figure out what you’re missing. I’ve found that I own a lot of t-shirts, but hardly any jumpers
- Try to get rid of the items that aren’t making you happy! This means you can make room for alternatives that you will be more comfortable in
- Now that you have room, go on Instagram/Pinterest and find styles/trends that you really love that you could base your new wardrobe off
- Work with your ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ – if you know you need some casual boots that will go with loads of outfits, maybe don’t prioritise buying faux fur leopard print ones that you’ll literally wear twice… like I did
- Go shopping!!!
The idea of buying things that are sensible choices sounds painfully boring I know, but it doesn’t have to be! Creating these capsule wardrobes allows you to express yourself in a concise and clever way – and you can switch things up whenever you like! I’m personally aiming to have a few staple items that I’ll wear all year round, and then each season I’ll go out and buy things that are appropriate for that season.
I know that this can seem like another one of those over-hyped-millennial-hipster trends that would only work for that ‘privileged influencer‘, but if you think about it – it’s a great way to make sure you are buying sensibly & getting the most out of what you do buy. I also think it’s a really good way of practicing self-care! Personally, I hate owning loads of stuff and I especially don’t like owning loads of stuff that doesn’t work together. I also think that really thinking about how you feel in your clothes is important because you deserve to feel great in everything you wear!
Here’s a link to Youtuber- Lucy Moon who helps show you how to create a capsule wardrobe- https://youtu.be/CYa6VUK2dM0
