Wardrobe Diaries

Why I Don’t Do Capsule Wardrobes

Capsule wardrobe living is a genius idea but it’s not for everyone. Here’s why the concept doesn’t jive with me.

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Let me start off by saying this – I think capsule wardrobes are a great idea. However, I don’t think they are for everyone. If you aren’t familiar with the concept, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothes made up of a limited number of versatile pieces to wear for a season. I get asked about capsule wardrobes a lot more times than you would guess. I’ve put together capsules for work wear (here and here) and for travel, I even participated in Kendi’s 30 for 30 challenge back in the day. But to take on the challenge of pairing down my closet and working with just that and nothing else, well that doesn’t seem appealing to me right now.

There are a crap ton of ways to do a capsule wardrobe. Some people have 10 pieces of clothing or less (on Instagram lookup the hashtag #10x10challenge), but 30 pieces is about where most people fall, hence the seasonal challenges. The idea is that having less clothing options allows you to cut down on your getting ready time in the morning, as well as freeing up any unnecessary decision making. It’s all about minimalism.

As both a blogger and a woman that really enjoys expressing her personal style, it is of no surprise to say I have a lot of clothes. But this isn’t necessarily a blogger related thing, I’ve always been obsessed with clothes. Seriously, ask my close, personal friends, they always say they’ve never seen me in the same outfit…and they never will! Capsule wardrobes make total sense to me, hello, the Wardrobe Remix is all about having a versatile closet. But that leaves the question – why don’t I have a capsule wardrobe?

I love clothes and personal style! The whole act of sorting through my closet, pairing pieces together, conceptualizing my vision and then executing that vision brings me such joy. Like, a ridiculous amount of joy that sounds weird as I’m typing the words. I just love getting dressed and putting outfits together, it’s one of my favorite parts of my day (and why I love blogging!)! Having a larger wardrobe allows me to be creative, and that creative outlet amongst my non-creative job is oh so necessary and a reason why I think I’m still blogging 7 years later.

When I was doing the 30 for 30 challenge all those years ago, I liked the idea of simplifying that aspect of my life and getting creative with the ways I wore clothes. But as time went on, I felt like I was being robbed of my creativity and the joy of getting dressed in the morning slipped away. This is not saying that you can’t be creative if you are doing a capsule wardrobe, it’s just saying that for me the idea doesn’t work.

So while some people do capsules effortlessly and stylishly, ahem Un-Fancy is the queen of capsule wardrobe living, I’ll just be over here working with my unnecessarily large wardrobe, cleaning it out every several months, and trying to find new and inventive ways to style various pieces. I’ll stick to only pulling together capsules for my travels and leave the rest to the pros;)