I love fashion and style as much as the next girl. But, I decided a few months ago that I spent way too much time, energy and money shopping for clothing. After reading about Project 333 and being inspired by the blog Unfancy, I was convinced that living with a very minimal wardrobe was the way to go. The women that wrote about their experiences on these blogs reported that by living with less they actually improved their style, gained more money, time, energy, contentment and joy. Sounds pretty good, right? I decided to create my own capsule collection and thought I would share my process here in case you want to join me.
STEP ONE: Gather inspiration and define your style goals. For me this meant gathering images from favorite magazines, creating an aspirational style board on Pinterest, and defining my personal style goals. It’s also important to ask questions like: How do I want to present myself to the world? What do I want to convey? What types of clothing do I need for the life and career I lead? Write down a few words to define your style and keep you on track for the next steps.
STEP TWO: The Edit. It helps to take everything out of your closet and create a big pile on your bed. This way you can also clean out your closet, dust off those shelves, and start with a clean slate. Now you can evaluate each item and see if they make the cut. My rules were that I would only keep things that fit well, were in good condition and made me feel great. I also decided to respect the limits of my small closet. I wanted a clutter-free space so I was guided by how many hangers fit comfortably on the rod, how many shoes could fit on the shoe shelves, etc. Another approach is to pick a number of items to shoot for – i.e 40 pieces total including shoes.
STEP THREE: Fill in the gaps. Once you have edited, you should have a pretty good sense of which pieces you need to complete your collection. I found that I needed a warm coat, a pop of color (since my whole wardrobe is grey, black and white!) and a structured black bag. Make sure to make a very specific list and bring it with you when you go shopping. Only buy what you truly need and stick to your list and budget.
Stay tuned: I’ll be back next week with the big reveal of my capsule wardrobe. Until then, here is a great quote from writer and minimalist, Joshua Becker: “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.”
photo credit: vivian johnson
