My capsule wardrobe is making me happy.

Creating a capsule wardrobe has been all the buzz for a while now, but in reality it always sounded like the antithesis of what a woman really wants. We want all the clothes and all the shoes and all the accessories in a giant closet with a revolving shoe rack a la Cher Horowitz. Right? Alas, the tyranny of choice [link just because I like science; you’re welcome for helping make you smarter] has got me down lately. And the solution? The capsule wardrobe.

A million pins and instagram hashtag searches later and I decided it was time to take the plunge. I need more simplicity in my life and less time staring at my closet trying to figure out what to wear. I want to look great and feel great every day and not have to worry about whether my outfit choice will stand up to the light of day test (Anyone else deal with this? When you think you look good when you got dressed in the dark so as not to wake up the rest of the house and then you get where you’re going and it’s like……………..oy. No? Just me?). Here is how my plunge into encapsulation took place:

I started by doing a major purge of my current wardrobe and truly either donating or getting rid of about 50% of my clothes.
I found this blog post and her style totally meshed with mine, so I pulled what I had out of my current wardrobe that lined up with her suggestions and then shopped Nordstrom’s sale section for the rest. I didn’t buy any new shoes, so that kept my spending much lower and allowed for more high quality piece purchases. I went for the good quality stuff since I’d be wearing it more often and it needs to hold up better. Thankfully, almost every single piece I bought was on sale!
I laid everything out and took photos on my bed to load up Stylebook (because I still haven’t let go of my need to want to be more like Cher).

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Then I sat down to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy and build some outfits with Stylebook. I came up with 23 outfits from the 15 pieces I’ve got and could probably keep going. But the idea behind this is to make life easier. And it has.

Where to buy: tee – madewell | tank – everlane | jeans – target

Why is my capsule wardrobe making me happy?

Because it literally meets 99.8% my outfit needs.

The other .2% are made with spandex and only belong at the pilates studio or on a run. I’ve got work outfits, casual day outfits, date night outfits, running errands outfits, or just hanging out at home covered. Every once in a while I’ll mix and match and throw in a different pair of shoes than what’s technically in the “capsule” but it adds to the fun.

where to buy: sweater – free people | cargos – target | boots – minnetonka

Because it makes my mornings so much easier.

Most days know, I have a good feel for what’s in the capsule and grab pieces I know go together. Some mornings though, if I haven’t had enough coffee or stayed up too late binging Stranger Things, I need to check Stylebook for an idea. And then I’m dressed and ready to go in 2 minutes instead of the usual 15-20.

where to buy: scarf – huxen & co | tee – BP | jeans – target | boots – minnetonka

Because it’s less laundry.

I had gotten to the point where half my clothes were in the laundry at any given time and I would be at a major loss as to what to do if my outfit concept was dirty. Now? Laundry is much faster and most of the capsule stays in my closet or drawers most of the time.

where to buy: tank – everlane | jeans – target | sweater – leith

Because I feel like I’m put together.

That’s big for me. I don’t like feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and I’m sure you don’t either. Having my wardrobe organized and starting the day with a plan instead of chaos gets things off to a good start. I feel organized, in control, and ready to kick butt. And look good doing it.

where to buy: jacket – levis | jeans – target | booties – frye

I snapped just a few of the outfit combos because they really are seemingly endless. Especially when you combine in some pieces that you already have. But the point is you have a base to work from and know what’s in your closet so when you need a pretty outfit, you already have 10-20 options that will work!