My Road to Minimalism: A Capsule Wardrobe

Many people that know me will not believe me when I say I am trying to become a minimalist. I've been thinking about this for a while, starting with the book I read about French parenting, I started getting interested in the "French ways" so to speak. It took a while to get into the whole idea of a capsule wardrobe, but I was definitely intrigued by the simple, yet chic French style and attitude overall. Yes, it definitely would take a lot of discipline to do this, and I must admit I am failing very hard at it, but hey...Baby steps. Am I right?

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The many benefits of a capsule wardrobe are endless. The most obvious one is the  time spent getting ready in the morning would get dramatically reduced. No more, "I have nothing to wear" tantrums because you are only picking the few items you truly love and are easily paired with everything else in the wardrobe. No more wasting money on clothes you never wear, because honestly... you probably wear the same bunch of items over and over. While going through my closet to declutter, I can't tell you how many clothes still had their tags or I haven't even worn in ages. Of course, you can make it a thing to always make sure to rotate your wardrobe, but there is something so liberating about the capsule wardrobe or project 333. Packing to move this past week was such a nightmare, and just imagine how easy it would be to have your whole wardrobe fit in one suitcase. On the go at all times, and you can spend your energy worrying about other things. Especially for a globe trotter, that is the epitome of being on the go. I can go on about how eco friendly it is, how much you would save, how great is it to see a decluttered closet/room/home, but there are plenty of sites about project 333 and capsule wardrobes that will tell you that. 

So What I am Doing:

Now I am not ready for project 333 (baby steps right?). Not to mention I'd rather work with even numbers... Instead, so I will go with 40, not including shoes, basics, underwear, jewelry, or workout clothes. Maybe one day I will be able to go full minimalist, but today is not the day. 

10 - tops

10 - bottoms

10  - dresses

10 - sweaters and outerwear

You'd have to stick to a colors that would work together. Everything would literally have to match each other, and only pick things that look great on you and you absolutely love. 

I think with the capsule wardrobe, the benefits come from being able to mix, match, and remix items and also accessorize. Thus, I would allow myself to keep a bigger collection of those items (I know, I know, that's not very minimalist of me). But I still like a little flavor in my life, and accessorizing can make even the same outfit completely different.

Of course, the items get rotated out every season, so no, I will not be wearing the same wool pants next summer. Of course, since you will be wearing these items many times, you will need to invest a bit more in each item and take better care of your clothes. That's right. You need more discipline with routines for taking your clothes out to the dry cleaners, cleaning, mending, etc. 

As I go through my days, I plan on tweaking and getting it down to what is practical and not just ideal, but I can say that I look forward to the simple capsule wardrobe!

"SIMPLICITY is the key note of all true elegance" - Coco Chanel