Minimalist Style : The Capsule Wardrobe, Summer Edition

Since my transition to natural makeup is complete and has been checked off my 2014 project list, I want to blog a little bit about Project #2—refining and minimizing my wardrobe (and, to a greater extent, my possessions as a whole). This process has been in progress for several months now, and I've already made numerous dropoffs at Goodwill and have a corner piled high with items reserved for a garage sale or Craigslist/eBay.

The why's behind this minimizing effort are pretty simple. At some point, I became quite uncomfortable with consumer culture, likely due in part to my academic studies and experiences working in the advertising industry. Once I started questioning the norm, I couldn't stop. What is the point of being "in fashion?" To whom does it matter if you have the latest and greatest gadget? Does "stuff" make you happy? (No. Numerous studies have shown that happiness resulting from the acquisition of material items is temporary and part of an ongoing consumer cycle.) If not, then why do we care so much about clothes and belongings? Why do we crave newness and change through the stuff we own? Why is shopping such a common pastime, especially for women? What are the environmental costs of always trying to keep up with the Joneses—what happens to all the outdated and discarded stuff?

These questions only got louder as I realized I was not happy with my career. Once I put it together that I could change my lifestyle and spending habits (which were not all that out-of-control to begin with) and allow myself the flexibility and freedom to explore new paths, travel, and do more of what I actually want to be doing, I saw no reason not to give it a try. The story of the Businessman and the Fisherman and Alan Watt's "What if money was no object?" definitely resonated with me at this point.

I got to put my ideas into practice when we lived in Ireland in 2012, and I wrote about the lessons I learned from living with less in a post on my previous blog. At its core, a simpler lifestyle allows for more freedom. I'm very privileged to be able to say that, as some people live frugally or have a smaller income not by any choice of their own. But for us it is a welcome choice to have one car, live in a 700 square foot condo, to walk almost everywhere, and to spend discriminately, primarily choosing experiences over material items.

The paring-down process is an ongoing effort though, and I certainly do not call myself a minimalist, at least not yet. This year I've been focusing on the idea of a capsule wardrobe to make dealing with clothes even easier. The concept is to first determine your signature style and then to pare your wardrobe down to a reasonable collection of basics that you can use in countless combinations. If you've heard of Project 333 before—where you limit yourself to 33 pieces for three months, capsule wardrobes follow the same general idea.

Above you can see a representation of my summer capsule wardrobe. I first took a look at my style and celebrity fashion boards on Pinterest and compared them with the clothes I own and wear regularly. I created this collage from internet images (totally easier than taking a photo of every item for this post myself), but each of these pieces can already be found in my closet. I didn't depict every single item, as I do have some pieces in a range of colors, like the tanks, t-shirts, skinny jeans, and shorts. But I'm essentially working with a neutrals + blue color scheme, and going for a classic, relaxed vibe with a few bohemian touches.

Here are the biggest benefits I find in a simpler wardrobe (many of which are also applied towards home decor and other lifestyle areas):
• Less investment: Knowing that I have a defined capsule wardrobe eliminates impulse (and often regrettable) clothing purchases and saves a great deal of money. If you want to change your look a little bit, you can do that through smaller pieces like jewelry and scarves (I personally won't change up my accessories very much, however). 
• More flexibility: The clothes work together in several different combinations, giving my wardrobe more versatility than when I had specific outfits or items that needed to be worn together.
• Less time/brain power: With fewer options, less time is needed to get ready in the morning. I also save a considerable amount of time because shopping for fun is not something I do anymore, ever. Shopping has never been that fun for me, so I happily avoid stores and malls unless I need to replace an item or need to add something specific to my capsule, which can usually be a quick in-and-out trip.  
• A better-defined style: Creating a capsule has given me a clear picture of what I like, and feels like it represents me much better than the random collection of items that I liked and purchased in the past. When I think about celebrities or people I know with a very defined look, it's usually because they are known for sporting the same kinds of items all the time. It's not boring, it's a signature. Creating a capsule wardrobe is helping to start to establish this signature look for myself.
• Realistic: This wardrobe works for the life I have. It removes the need for those aspirational pieces that I may or may not fit into "someday," and embraces the fact that I am: 1) not very fancy and 2) mostly boring. Aside from one nicer wedding-appropriate dress, I don't need formal or evening attire because I rarely attend events requiring this kind of clothing. I'm all for embracing what is real—and comfortable ; )    
• Quality over quantity: Since the capsule wardrobe pares down your clothing to the basics which are worn quite often, the quality of the clothes does matter. This often means you might need to skip Target and Forever 21 and spend a little more to get something that lasts, but I believe that is better for your wallet and the environment in the long run. Fast fashion is an awful industry; I hope to do a book review on Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion in the next few weeks. When it comes time to replace some of my clothes, I will be looking into companies like Everlane and Seamly.co, or even some higher-end brands for everyday items requiring significant longevity (like shoes).

Even though I'm happy with my summer capsule wardrobe, I already can see that there are some holes that I need to fill in, so it's not like I've eliminated shopping or spending completely. At home, I mostly wear loungewear, which currently means old holey yoga pants and faded, grungy, cotton t-shirts. Since I wear these items everyday, it's time for an upgrade. I started a Wunderlist on my iPhone with a small list of items that I need to buy and I'll be sticking to this list when I go into any stores.

Other than the book review I mentioned and sharing my fall/winter capsule later in the year, I'm not yet sure how this project and series will play out on my blog. If you have any particular questions about my capsule wardrobe experience or the process of minimizing, please let me know! 

P.S. - A huge motivation for me in finally embracing the capsule wardrobe idea was recently finding the YouTube channel Light by Coco. Coco vlogs about living light, capsule wardrobes, fitness, and traveling, and her fashion videos are edited beautifully. Plus she's tall and gorgeous and basically a model. Check out her channel! Here's her most recent video:

 

P.P.S.- I also found this video last night from YouTube user Carrie LeighAnna, and when she showed how you can wear some dresses BACKWARDS to play with the neckline and increase their versatility, my mind was BLOWN. I think it works better with some of her dresses over others, but it's an amazing idea nonetheless. I checked out my closet and this trick totally works with two of my dresses, and also looked awesome when paired with a cardigan or jacket over the dress. So cool.