How a capsule wardrobe can change your life

Building a capsule wardrobe is very popular nowadays. So many people, including me, are raving about it. But why is having a capsule wardrobe so life-changing?

And I’m not exaggerating when I say it is.

I started doing capsules more than two years ago, and since then I discovered what makes them so unique and lovable, so now I’m going to break everything down and share four different ways they will change your life forever.

*If you don’t know what capsule wardrobes are, check the link here, but otherwise let’s continue 😉

1. PICKING OUT WHAT TO WEAR WILL BECOME JOYFUL INSTEAD OF STRESSFUL

One of the biggest issues I had before minimising my wardrobe was putting on several outfits before deciding on one.

My whole closet was a mess by the end of this, and the worst part is that I didn’t even like the outfit I was wearing all that much.

Can you relate to this?

And would you be surprised to hear that doesn’t happen to me anymore? At all!

When we store things that aren’t seasonally appropriate and when we declutter things that are too big, too small, uncomfortable and just not us, what we’re left with is pure joy.

When I was curating my wardrobe, I wanted to get to a point where I can close my eyes, open my closet and take something out knowing I’ll love it.

This can take me some time, but sooner or later, we get there, and that transforms the stress of dressing up to joy.

2. YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SHOPPING WILL CHANGE FOREVER

When I was building my first capsule, I didn’t do it to become a better shopper, but to make my life easier. Now I can tell you that this is one of the biggest reasons why I love them.

When our closet is curated and we’re in touch with what we own (instead of forgetting about what is hiding at the back of the shelves or drawers), shopping becomes much much different.

It’s funny, but I could literally name everything that I have in my closet by memory only. And I can do the same with shoes, bags and accessories. Probably even with jewellery.

And my closet isn’t even that small! It sounds crazy, right?

But when we’re aware of what we own the relationship with our wardrobe changes forever. Suddenly we remember that we have two black t-shirts when shopping, so we know that adding another is redundant. At the same time, this knowledge helps us see the gaps, which makes purchases better and shopping quicker.

In the past, I used to shop by checking everything from pants, jeans, skirts, shorts, dresses, bags, shoes to t-shirt, tops, bras, jackets, coats and accessories. I was just browsing until something caught my eye.

But now I don’t even check some categories. If I have seven pairs of jeans that range from light to dark wash, including a white, black and distressed pair, then I’m good. When I see jeans, I continue walking. The same happens with every other category that I’m happy with.

So if you’re trying to improve your shopping habits without restricting yourself or setting up rules, building a capsule will help you immensely.

3. YOU WILL FIND YOUR DREAM STYLE

Before minimising my closet, I gave up on the idea of finding my dream style. I just got used to being clueless and trying my best but never feeling quite right.

I’m happy to say that all of this has changed. I know exactly what I love and what I don’t like and in which outfits I feel the best in.

Indeed, this one takes a bit longer to find, but our best bet of finding our personal style is by curating our closet.

A lot of people think that they need to find their style outside. They feel what they own is not enough and they have to try new cuts and colours and that the dream style is out there. I thought the same way.

But now, I disagree. I believe the quickest way to find your style is in your closet. What you own at the moment can be a great teaching tool and I wrote about this in details when explaining how to declutter clothes and learn about your style at the same time.

The truth is you already have pieces that you love. And you already own pieces you don’t like. But the questions is, do you know why your favourite pieces are your favourites? Do you know which colours, cuts, materials, silhouettes, and brands do you prefer? And the same goes for the opposite. Do you know which colours, cuts, materials and so on you don’t like?

Knowing this can be absolutely life-changing. Before learning what I like, I had to have everything: crew necks, boat necks, v-necks, scoop necks, off-should tops etc. I had to have all different colours from yellow, blue, green to red, purple and pink. I had to have everything. 

And I know that is how the majority feels. We’re bombarded by new fashion trends, models and celebrities and we think what we have is not enough. And because we also want to feel pretty and stylish, we continue adding new stuff.

But if they would tell you the truth, which is that your style is unique to you and you don’t need to own everything, then they wouldn’t be a multi-billion-dollar industry.

So the quicker you realise you’ve been sold a lie, the faster you can find your way back to your unique style where you feel your best at and ignore the trends that pop up everywhere.

And yes, our style does change throughout our life, but usually, the bases stay pretty much the same. Now I don’t own v-necks or scoop necks, green, yellow, or purple are nowhere to be found in my closet, and I know my favourite cuts, materials, and fits. And most importantly, I don’t even react to trends or advertisements unless they align with my style perfectly.

4. YOU WILL FEEL LIKE YOU ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING TO WEAR

I’m sure you heard one of many variations of “Closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear!”.

But if we look at this logically, how is this possible? How can we have a hundred, two hundred or even three hundred items, but we still feel like we don’t have enough?

Let’s imagine an empty white wall. Now let’s fill this bare wall with two hundred different frames and pictures. How clearly can we see what is on the wall? How quickly can we pick something that we know we love and then match it with a similar thing? It’s hard, right?

But if we remove all the pieces that we don’t like, all of sudden we can clearly see everything that we have, and thus we feel like we have more.

As contradictory as this may sound, by removing excess stuff we will feel like we have more to choose from just because we’re aware of it.

And if you’re still not sure about this, let me tell you I felt the exact same way. 

I remember thinking that if I don’t feel like I have enough now when my closet is 6 meters long (yes, I had a whole room of clothes), how will I feel after I declutter two-thirds of it?

Nonetheless, I decluttered and got rid of more than 50% of my clothes, and the funny thing happened – I felt I had more stuff. And that was just after one decluttering session.

Now I own even less stuff (1-meter closet) and I feel like I have more to wear than I had ever before.

So if you’re scared of minimising your wardrobe out of fear of not having enough, just remember, you’re not removing things you love, only the excess that you don’t like.

These are the four biggest benefits of having a curated closet and even though it can take us some time to get there, believe me, it’s worth it.

I hope this post inspired you to dive into your closet and learn more.

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