A seasonal capsule wardrobe is a great start for beginners. If you are new to this whole concept of minimalist wardrobe and capsule wardrobe, a seasonal capsule wardrobe is a great start.
The whole concept of capsule wardrobes is to build a wardrobe that is full of staple pieces that can be matched with one another to create multiple outfits. It focuses mainly on quality rather than quantity.
What is a Capsule Wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is a collection of curated clothing items that are essential and can be paired with each other to put together different outfits for different occasions. A capsule wardrobe consists of staple pieces that fit the needs of your lifestyle.
What is a Seasonal Capsule Wardrobe?
A seasonal capsule wardrobe is a collection of curated staple pieces based on different seasons. They usually last 3 – 6 months and then change to a different seasonal capsule wardrobe.
How Do You Do a Seasonal Wardrobe?
Seasonal wardrobes are great for people who want to make faster decisions to put together outfits and get dressed every morning. They are also great for people who live in a place where they experience different seasons every 3 – 4 months.
There are no set rules for making a seasonal wardrobe. It all depends on your lifestyle and needs. If you are a working professional, then you may need more formal clothes in your wardrobe, while if you are a student, you may need more comfortable and easy-to-wear clothes.
2 to 4 Seasonal Wardrobes
Create a seasonal wardrobe twice or four times a year. You can have a seasonal wardrobe for the cold and warm seasons or you can have a cold, warm, and in-between seasonal wardrobes.
If you want a very curated in-season wardrobe, then you can create one seasonal capsule wardrobe for every season. The seasonal capsule wardrobe includes clothing items, accessories, shoes, and bags.
Put them in a box
After you have finished creating your seasonal wardrobe, you can put it in a box. Choose a good quality storage box to prevent damage to your clothes like mold. You can store your clothes in a cotton bag and then put it in a box.
How to Create a Seasonal Capsule Wardrobe?
Building a seasonal capsule wardrobe is similar to building any capsule wardrobe with the additional step of storing the other seasonal wardrobes. This process can be done in one hour or can take the whole day depending on how many clothes you currently have.
Before starting, take a deep breath and get your music started!
1. Pile up
Take everything from your closet and pile it up on the floor or on your bed. This helps you see just how many clothes you actually own. You may realize you have more clothes than you actually estimate.
Make sure everything is visible to you and you can see all the items you have from tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, shoes, bags, and accessories.
2. Sort and declutter
Next, declutter your items into different clothing categories:
- Tops – t-shirt, shirts, sweaters, tank tops
- Bottoms – pants, skirts, shorts
- One piece – dresses, jumpsuits, overalls
- Outerwears – jackets, cardigans, coats
- Bags – handbags, tote bags, backpacks
- Shoes – sneakers, heels, sandals, flats
- Accessories – necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, belts, hats
After you have decluttered everything into its own clothing categories, sort them into different categories. You can put the items into one of the followings:
- Rarely use
- Sometimes use
- Often use
- Never use
3. Pick and gather
Pick the clothes according to seasons from the often use and sometimes use pile and gather them together to put them in a seasonal wardrobe box. You can separate the items for 2 to 4 different seasons depending on your preferences.
You can create seasonal wardrobes by cold, warm and in-between seasons or create seasonal wardrobes by spring, summer, fall and winter seasons.
4. Try to put together outfits
For each season pile, you can try to put together outfits and identify if you have enough pieces to create multiple outfits for the whole season (2 – 5 months).
There is no fixed amount of clothes you need in a seasonal wardrobe, but generally it consists of 25 to 50 pieces.
It is important to include the basics in your seasonal wardrobe that can be paired with most clothing items. They are the foundation piece to build any outfit.
5. Donate, sell or give away clothes
After sorting the clothes in 4 boxes, you can decide to donate, sell or give away your never use box and rarely use box. You can donate to shelter homes or thrift stores.
Another option is you can sell them online, during garage sales or locat market. You can give away clothes to your family, friends or neighbours.
6. Repeat the steps
That is all you need to do to create a seasonal wardrobe! Now you have less clothes but more options to wear! The steps can be repeated during the seasonal change or you can prepare early for it.
Seasonal Capsule Wardrobe Essentials
There are staple pieces needed for every seasonal capsule wardrobes. They are mostly layering pieces and easy to wear items. The materials can vary to suits different seasons and weather. The most versatile fabrics that can be worn during warm and cold seasons are cotton, silk and polyester.
Here are seasonal wardrobe essentials:
1. T-shirts
T-shirts are a great layering piece. You can wear it on its own during warm seasons or layer it with knitted top or vest and cozy coats during the cold seasons. It is possible to get t-shirts with different materials for different season, for example, linen t-shirts during summer and wool t-shirts during winter.
2. Button down shirts
Button down shirts are one of the must-haves for every capsule wardrobe. You can get fitted shirts for clean and smart look or an oversized shirt for casual and laid back outfit.
It is also a great layering piece. You can pair it with a vest, corsets or with cardigans and coats.
3. Jeans
Jeans are versatile and can be matched with anything. You can style it with a t-shirt, shirts, sweaters and even dresses. Opt for timeless and evergreen jeans like straight cut jeans or wide legged jeans. Choose the classic blue denim color as it is easy to match and style.
4. Trousers
Trousers can be dressed up or dressed down. It can be worn to formal events or for casual days. Opt for solid colors like black, navy blue or neutral colors. Straight leg trousers are timeless and look clean.
5. Sneakers
Sneakers are the go-to shoes for comfortable day. If you are walking a lot then comfy sneakers are the shoes to wear. They can also be paired with any outfit.
You can pair a matching suits with sneakers or a summer dress with sneakers. They are one of the most versatile staple item.
6. Handbags
Handbags complete the whole outfit, without it, the overall look may look like it is missing something. They are a great addition to the overall outfit and provide space to put our things when we are outside. A simple black handbag is a must in every capsule wardrobe.
