The Ultimate Capsule Wardrobe Planner For a Closet You’ll Love

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If there’s one place in the house that clutters faster and more than any other, it’s the closet.

That’s why I’m so interested in capsule wardrobes right now. And in an attempt to achieve my own, I’ve made a capsule wardrobe planner for everyone else who’s trying to achieve minimalism in their closets too!

I’m always trying to get rid of clothes and yet I still find my closet a cluttered mess of loved, unworn, and unwanted items.

Not only does this give me closet anxiety (pun intended) but I feel like I wear the same things over and over without taking care of them properly, lessening their usefulness and, that I have no real identifiable style.

Anyone else with me?

Well, there’s a very big change coming up in my life and it’s finally the perfect time to attempt my dream capsule wardrobe: I’m pregnant!

Yep! Travis and I are going to have a tiny curly-headed human in May and my extensive wardrobe is becoming very limited.

It might sound like a weird time to be planning a capsule wardrobe but I think it makes perfect sense. I’ll be borrowing maternity clothes and unable to wear all my regulars which will give me space and perspective to decide what I want my “mom style” to be.

I’m looking forward to having a comfortable and classic style that I’m proud of no matter how tired I am. I’ll have to wait until I get my pre-baby body back to do any shopping for my capsule but it’ll also give me forced patience to find the right pieces at the right prices. Win-win!

So here’s the process I went through to create my perfect capsule wardrobe. There are quite a few steps but they can all be boiled down to three: identify, create, and be.

1. Identify Pieces You Own And Love to Wear

In an effort to not spend thousands of dollars on a new wardrobe, start with what you have and love. Pull out your 10 favorite pieces from your closet and drawers and start there. If you have more then you can pull those out after you pick the top 10.

What if I don’t like 10 things in my closet? Pick your favorites and fill in the rest with items you hate least. You can always take away from group once it’s laid out.

Then identify your go-to uniforms with these pieces. Do you tend to wear shorts with those V-necks, or button-up blouses with your high waisted jeans? Identify what you like to wear with your core pieces, even if you didn’t pick any of those accompaniments in the original 10.

2. Identify What Your Favorite Pieces Have in Common

Inspect your core pieces to see what they have in common and what you like best about them. Some important things to identify are

• Fabrics
• Fits
• Brands
• Colors

This’ll help when you’re searching for new items or having trouble getting rid of older pieces. Even once you identify your style you don’t have to subscribe to every part of the style. You can pick and choose the aspects that make you feel your best.

I’m partial to comfortable cottons that don’t wrinkle and can stand up to years of machine washing and drying. I’m flexible on colors but I don’t do pastels or florals.

3. Identify Your Real and Dream Style

Your real style and your dream style might be the same but it might be different, this is the time for those styles to collide. That being said, don’t continue to trick yourself into trying to be boho when you don’t have a single boho item in your core pieces.

Look at the pieces you’ve already decided you love and wear frequently and let them inspire you. Here are some common style labels to get you started:

• Vintage
• Bohemian
• Classic
• Feminine
• Neutral
• Preppy
• Outdoorsy
• Colorful
• Modern
• Relaxed
• Artsy

Pick two or three that align with who you are and who you want to be. I picked classic and casual.

4. Identify Your Lifestyle & Climate

There are checklists that tell you how many of what items you should have in your wardrobe and seasonal charts that can leave you with a closet not much smaller than you started. That’s why it’s identifying the places and outfits that make up you day as well as the climate you live in, makes your capsule uniquely yours.

My climate is pretty straight forward: Florida.

My whole wardrobe is warm weather but I do need a few coats and boots for the days it gets into the 50’s (because hey, that’s cold for us!)

As for my lifestyle, I spend most of my time at the office, at the gym, or at home. I know, I lead an exciting life. Once a week I’ll go to church, occasionally to a party, or to run an errand, those are all casual.

5. Create a Vision Board

Now we’re ready to start creating! Some people say to start with a vision board but how are you supposed to know what to put on it without the foundation set in the first four steps? I’d be Google-ing aimlessly for hours.

To get images for my vision board I searched Pinterest and the rest of the web for the items I identified earlier. I searched terms like

• Jeans
• Black Slacks
• Casual T-Shirt
• Cotton
• Denim
• Neutral
• Classic Style
• Casual Style
• Mom Style
• Summer

Find pictures of outfits that incorporate your core pieces and pictures that inspire you. This isn’t my forte so I found it rather difficult (After searching for 30 minutes I had 2 pictures on my vision board.)

So I started searching “capsule wardrobe” to see other examples. It was helpful to have “pre-assembled” ideas than to be left to my own devices. I picked and choosed the pieces that I liked from each.

6. Create a Color and Pattern Palette

After looking at my vision board and core items I made a palette in Canva to inspire my future fashion purchases.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty basic. But fashion has never been my passion so I’m just happy with a cohesive wardrobe that will cut down on clutter, last a long time (so I don’t have to spend money replacing items), and that I want to wear.

7. Create Your Shopping List

This includes a budget and a plan for getting the pieces to complete your capsule. There are a few things that I need to add and a few things I should be on the lookout to replace. Thankfully, I have plenty of time to get them.

For my budget, I want to set a reasonable amount on these items so I can make sure I’m getting them from retailers that have a solid manufacturing reputation and styles I like. I’d like to stick to around $200 for everything.

8. Be Able to Let Things Go

Pull out 6 items in your closet that you never wear and write down the honest reasons why you never wear them. Be honest with the rest of the pieces in your closet if they fall into the fabrics, styles, fits, etc that you don’t wear or like.

Forget the sunk cost in your closet and let things go. Take a note from Marie Kondo, thank them for showing you what your style is not, count the cost as what you needed to spend to learn that lesson, and commit to not spending another cent on clothes that aren’t your beloved style.

Keep in mind why you’re downsizing your closet. Is it to make better use of the space? To lead a more minimalist lifestyle? To make some extra money selling unworn clothes? Whatever it is, keep it in mind when you’re letting things go.

Moreso, your capsule wardrobe is you in clothes form! Shed the things that aren’t you to make room for the things that are.

9. Be Patient

Don’t settle for the first thing you see that kind of matches the item on your wish list. Take time to curate the perfect capsule wardrobe for you.

I looked at lists that say how many of each item I’ll need and couldn’t find one I completely agreed with. I think, like anything, it’ll also take time to figure out how many shirts I need, how many pairs of shoes, etc.

Trust the process and you’ll end up with a clean closet full of loved pieces that you actually wear.

Whether your closet is tiny or walk-in, you can have the style you’ve been envying all these years. It just takes a small amount of focus and intention to identify, create, and be the fashionable person who’s been there all along!