The Benefits of a Capsule Wardrobe

“Dress with less and create a life that is full of what matters most to you.”

– project333.com

It’s been just over a year since I decided to significantly pare down the clothes in my closet and see what this capsule wardrobe hype was all about. I’m super happy that I decided to give it a try because I haven’t looked back, and I absolutely love having a smaller, simplified wardrobe. My closet has room to breathe and there’s just something about having visual space in a closet compared to having everything so full and packed in that you don’t even know what’s in there.

What’s a Capsule Wardrobe?

If you’ve heard the name thrown around but aren’t quite sure what it means, let me help with that. Basically, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion. This will look different for everyone depending on their style, profession and lifestyle. The idea is to be able to have items that will easily mix and match to create multiple outfit options.

The Benefits

Here are a few of the benefits I’ve experienced since starting my own capsule wardrobe:

1. Less Laundry

The more clothes you have, the more you’ll usually wear before you must do a load of laundry. When I had more clothes in my closet, I would do exactly that. I’d let my dirty laundry basket pile up until it was extremely full and then when I did get around to doing laundry, there was so much to do.

2. More Time

When you’re able to easily see all the clothes in your closet, in addition to having less to choose from, it makes your decision of what to wear each day a quicker one. Less time is wasted on deciding what to wear because you’ll know that you enjoy wearing everything that you have in your closet. You’ll also have more time because it won’t take as long to put all of your clean clothes away.

3. Everything Fits

When you create a capsule wardrobe, you make sure that the clothes you keep in your closet are items you feel good in and fit properly. Since you’ll have less items to choose from, you’ll have to be wise with the ones you keep in circulation. Another great thing about knowing everything in your closet fits the way it should, is that you no longer experience feelings of guilt or sadness for looking at pieces of clothing that no longer fit how they used to. You may be bigger or smaller than you were over the years and might have held onto clothes that used to fit. Once you remove any items that are no longer even an option of currently wearing, it helps to streamline the process.

4. Save Money

It’s interesting that when you have less clothes, it can feel quite freeing. I’ve found I don’t have the desire to go shopping. Those sales that used to draw me into buying unnecessary items because they were “discounted” have stopped feeling so appealing. You’ll start to appreciate that when it’s time to purchase something to replace or add to your capsule wardrobe, you’ll have a much clearer idea of what you’re looking for and won’t be sidetracked by random discounts or sales. It feels great to know exactly what you’re looking for and not get distracted by any kind of shiny objects along the way. Your bank account will thank you!

The reality is that most people are already wearing a capsule wardrobe, they just don’t realize it. Most of us only wear around 20% of the clothes in our closets, so wouldn’t it make much more sense to remove the excess clutter that’s more of a distraction than anything and keep the clothes you’re constantly reaching for anyway?

Challenge yourself and give the capsule wardrobe a try to see how you like it. Let me know how it goes.

Keep it Simple,

Jillian