Hi friends! Let me start out by saying that in all my years of managing my wardrobe, I never once purposefully chose the capsule wardrobe method. It actually kind of freaked me out. Probably because I was uncomfortable with the idea of restricting myself to only a few pieces of clothing, shoes, and accessories. You just can’t do that living in Ohio! The weather changes at a given moment, so you don’t want to be stuck without rain boots when it’s raining, or a jacket when the temps cool off.
On the other hand, I’ve never been one to have excessive amounts of clothes. The idea of having stuff hanging in my closet unworn is an aggravating one. I know there are some girls who like extra clothes, but not I. Wouldn’t you know it though, “too little” and “more than enough” is actually the perfect recipe for a capsule wardrobe! Which by the way, is the only reason I say it chose me.
Build Your Capsule Wardrobe by Colors
When it comes to curating my closet, the best place to start for me, personally, is deciding on the colors I want to wear. I tend to look nice in cooler, earthy tones. I have tried pure hues, shades (dirty looking colors), but when it comes down to it, I naturally gravitate towards the colors with tones of gray in them. These colors are “toned down” if you will, and feel gentle and subdued.
I learned very quickly that when I narrowed down my clothing options through colors, I would end up with pieces that coordinated with other pieces. This meant I could throw together just about any number of outfit combinations from a handful of tops and bottoms and never once feel like I had nothing to wear. Pure genius!
Know Your Drape & Textures
The drape, or fall, of a garment, can be critical when you’re looking to improve your wardrobe selection. I love softer fabrics that are comfortable to wear and give me plenty of ease of movement. So clothes that have a soft drape to them are most likely what you’ll find in my closet. Again, it all comes back to what you’re naturally drawn to.
I absolutely love intricate details and elegance, so the textures and prints of my clothes will likely be lacy, elegant and have a refined appearance.
Jewelry that Makes Sense
For someone who loves to stay active around the home, jewelry is the very last thing I ever think to put on for a normal day of work. If I’m going out, I’ll put something pretty on, of course, but I don’t like to be fidgeting with necklaces or bracelets all day just for their complementary features. My love for practicality is too great for that. 😉
Just as it is with my clothes, so it is with my jewelry choices. I look for pieces with rounded edges and soft gray tones. Teardrops are key shapes I look for in earrings and necklaces. They have a natural refined elegance out of all the possible geometric shapes. You’ll also be surprised to know that I no longer wear gold, brass or bronze. They’re all just little bit flashy for me. But silver, especially brushed silver, is queen!
This might sound like my options are pretty limited. But let me tell you, for a person who gets easily overwhelmed with making decisions on clothes and accessories, it is so much easier looking for just a few key things than trying to decide from a huge menagerie of styles and colors! Again, like I said, knowing what truly brings out your unique features brings more freedom than you imagined possible.
Shoes and Scarves
Any time I go out shopping, I must stop by the shoe department. What can I say, I just love shoes! I have about 3 pairs per season and no less. That might sound excessive to some, but for me, that number is just right. One pair for causal, one pair for bad weather, and one pair for special occasions.
Scarves used to annoy me, but not these days. This past Winter I fell in love with how their multicolored prints, textures and soft drape added so much interest to my outfits. I doubt I’ll be wearing them during the humid Summer months, but they’re definitely a Fall/Winter staple!
Dress Your Very Best You
When it comes to my wardrobe selection and growing up with sisters, I’ve realized something: they definitely influenced me to like certain styles, even though I wasn’t naturally drawn to them. Influencing each other isn’t bad. We all do it without thinking, really. But it’s when we start to dress for other people that it steals our true authenticity. These days, I dress my very best me. And because of that, I feel like I’ve succeeded in curating a wardrobe that makes me feel wonderful every day.
I would encourage each of you to go take a second look at your own wardrobe. When you look at each piece, ask yourself, “Is there anyone who I’ve allowed to influence me as to whether or not I wear this? Did someone encourage me to buy this because that’s what they enjoy?” Be completely honest with yourself. Discover how much of you is or is not reflected in your clothes!
Again, when you honor your true preferences, you will find so much joy in what you wear every day. Your confidence will rise to a healthy level, and you will feel authentic in every way. I can promise you it won’t be a drag anymore to have to figure out what to wear each day. In fact, so long as you dress the best you, I believe you could be satisfied with any number of items of clothing because they make you feel like the wonderfully unique person God made you be!
Blessings & love,
Jessica B.
P.S. For those of you who just can’t put your finger on why your wardrobe seems dysfunctional, as I have in previous years, I would highly recommend you check out Dressing Your Truth! I gained so much insight through that free course! By the way, I am a Type 2 with a secondary Type 3. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go check out the course and find out all about it! I’d love to know how many other Type 2/3s are out there!
The last section on dressing for yourself rang particularly true for me. I’m part of the sewing community online and it always seems to go through phases: everyone latches on to a particular pattern or a particular style and suddenly, everyone seems to be sewing and wearing them to the point where I think I need to join in.
Let me tell you, I’ve made more than a couple of items this way that never got worn.
This year, I set out with a particular silhouette that I wanted to wear and it has been the most helpful thing I’ve ever done. Whenever I’m tempted by a particular garment, I take a step back and assess whether or not it fits with the silhouette I’m aiming for; if it doesn’t, then it’s a pass; if it does, then I get right to it! It’s lovely to open your wardrobe and want to wear everything in it. 😀
That is so wonderful you’ve discovered this about your creations, Katie! It’s kind of sad when we become so influenced by other people that we loose our own preferences and take so much time to make clothes for ourselves. There were several items I spent long hours creating, back when we sewed together, that I just didn’t wear, and still don’t. But, in the spirit of Thomas Edison, the mistakes don’t define you, they grow you.
What a wonderful guideline to keep! I’m sure it has helped a tone! Thank you so much for sharing with us! 😀
Blessings,
Jessica B.
Yay! I am a type 2 too! 🙂
Love this post- I haven’t ever really done the “capsule” wardrobe thing, but I do tend to stick to the type 2 soft tones. I make sure ALWAYS that I have something that matches the item I’m about to buy. And I like to layer- even in the summer, so sometimes my items can double up 😉
<3 Hadassah
Awesome, doll! I just love that we share the same energy type! Layers are lovely, aren’t they? Although I do have a hard time with them in the Summer. When it gets so hot and humid, all I want to wear is a swimsuit and call it good. 😉
Love,
Jessica B.
Great Post Jessica! I’m right there with ya on minimal to no jewelry on a daily basis (a pair of sparkly stud earring are my go to though) and when I do wear jewelry I tend to gravitate towards silver colored… except occasionally during the summer when a bronze or gold suits my tanned skin and outfit better. I’ve alao pretty much ditched bracelets all together because I find them too fussy. 😂 #practicalforthewin
Seriously, though! The women who pull off bracelets (or keep them on rather, hahah!) so effortlessly must have some super power I have no idea about! I just cannot stand them! Haha! Yes, #practicalforthewin 🙌
Love,
Jessica B.
Love this, Jessica! I never liked the minimalist mindset either because I felt like it was too constraining (give me all the colors!!) but lately I’ve been weeding out my closet to what I absolutely LOVE and what just sits there, never being worn! Although my closet was true to my DYT type color-wise, it wasn’t for fabrication/texture/design lines, and it truly makes a world of difference! Carol’s 3×5 rule helped me put together outfits that I loved and also identify why other outfits didn’t feel like “me”- even if they were my color! As a 3/1, I’d love to see what Charlotte has in her closet!
Many blessings!!!
How cool is that! Thanks so much for sharing your own discoveries, Victoria! Dressing Your Truth really is a great way to streamline your wardrobe and make it everything you always wanted it to be! It even adds some surprises for us when we finally figure out what we truly look good in. 🙂
Love,
Jessica B.
Enjoyed this so very much, Jessica! I am interested in taking the Dress Your Truth course and hope to have time to get into it in the near future. Your wardrobe colors, tones, styles, and jewelry are ever so lovely and beautifully paired.
That is wonderful you are feeling your very best you in how you dress. It is inspiring to watch your style evolution, as well as Charlotte and Brigid’s too 🙂 Thank you also for bringing out the point about dressing to your authenticity- I often feel I start leaning toward feeling I should buy a certain style item because my age group is wearing it, then I realize that it is really not me at all.
Please forgive me if I missed a post or if you already wrote about this previously, but with less vintage inspiration and pieces in your wardrobes than in the past, I was wondering are you sort of weeding out many vintage items permanently or are you passing them on or keeping some? I was just curious… I find it hard sometimes selling or passing on styles that seem like collector/vintage pieces, even if I feel I’ve outgrown their style.
Thank you for this inspiring post.
Many blessings,
Jazzmin
Your question is perfectly valid, Jazzmin. We haven’t spoken specifically on purging or not purging out our vintage clothes. I have kept my most favorite pieces, and still wear them when the mood strikes, but lately I have really been enjoying the modern eclectic styles so much!
The pleasure is all mine.
Blessings,
Jessica B.
I’ve decided that this spring and summer, and am going to sew a few everyday vintage dresses to wear so that I have just enough to keep on hand in my closet, (because at the moment, I’m switching seasons and my closet literally exploded.) So I’m trying to dwindle down my clusters of clothing and have an organized and simple wardrobe this year. That’s the goal, anyway. 🙂
Thanks for the post!
~ Megan Joy
Hi Jessica,
I’m a DYT T2/3 as well! Shopping is so much easier now because the free course brought a bunch of my subconscious preferences to light. Also, no more black clothes! My closet used to be almost all black and I’ve been discovering how much I love heathered grey, maroon, navy, and pink! And I have never thought of myself as a “pink” person!
I would love to see more posts about you and your sister’s DYT wardrobes/types/etc.
-Jen
That is so cool, Jen! I’m really glad for you! It’s funny I always knew I didn’t like black, but I didn’t know why. I like gray and muted tones best, and now that I have it all figured out, I can with full confidence shop for the things I like best! Sometimes we just need some affirmation. Haha, literally as I went through the course I kept shouting, “That’s why!” and, “Of course that makes perfect sense!” 😉
Blessings!
Jessica B.
This was really helpful – honestly I should really try to have a capsule wardrobe. It would save me a lot of time, and I can see how choosing basic colors that I like would really help me enjoy my outfits better. I usually end up having too many pieces of clothing, and not liking a lot of them. I guess I have a hard time figuring out my true style? I still feel like I’m transitioning from “teen-age” clothing to “adult” clothing, so that doesn’t help too much either. 🙂 But this post was helpful to me, thank you!
Rebekah Joy
http://www.moreradiance.com
Wow! What a blessing to read your comment, Rebekah. I am thrilled it was so helpful for you!
Changing out of teen clothes to adult ones never really happened for us girls. We went straight into vintage clothing, and now Charlotte and I are re-establishing our modern styles. A task that is not a little daunting. But truly, knowing what colors and textures look the most comely on us has been SO helpful in streamlining our wardrobes!
I hope you are able to take this info and fly with it! 😀
Blessings!
Jessica B.
When I started dressing vintage, I found my true me. So now I have a closet full of only things Iove. You will never hear me say that I have nothing to wear. I have many dresses, but since it is my style I also have them and wear them for many, many years. And I have waaaayyyy more shoes than you. 😉 Great post. Have a lovely day, dear. 🙂