At Born, we are passionate about fashion, style and beauty – but we also like to be practical. When it comes to wardrobe building, we think that a capsule wardrobe is the way forward. Now, this doesn?t mean that your wardrobe will become boring, or mean that you won?t be able to wear exciting pieces. On the contrary, we think that a capsule wardrobe is a fantastic way to create a wardrobe made up of versatile pieces that you should love to wear and feel great in.
If you do it properly, the beauty of a capsule wardrobe is that you will never say- ?I have nothing to wear!? We think it is fair to say that most ladies have closets stuffed full of clothes that they never wear – because we don’t love them, or they don’t fit properly. Just think how wonderful it would be to have a wardrobe full of clothes that you absolutely love to wear and which can be styled for any occasion. With the right pieces, you can ensure that you have a knock out outfit for everything from a night out with the girls, to a Sunday brunch date with somebody special.
Truly, a good capsule wardrobe can be life-changing, as instead of spending your time worrying about what to wear, you will have more time to do other things that make you happy. You can also save lots of money by condensing your wardrobe to a few classic and interchangeable pieces. Who says clothes can’t change your life?
The best way to start living the capsule wardrobe life is to clear out your closet. There are a million and one information sources out there telling you the best way to do this, including the life-changing ‘Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying’ by Marie Kondo. This revolutionary book is big this year, as the author says that you should only have things in your home that give you joy – and who doesn’t want to throw open their wardrobe and feel joy? Surrounding yourself with things that you love and which bring you happiness is surely the ideal situation? The way to achieve this is to remove every single item of clothing and all of your accessories from your closet. We know this sounds like a lot of work, but trust us, it is the only way. Take everything you own and lay it onto your bed.
Then look at each item individually and put it into one of four piles:
- Love It! This is for any items that you want to put on right this minute, as you feel so confident wearing it – put it back in your wardrobe right away!
- Maybe Baby! This is the pile for items that you are not sure about – maybe the colour isn’t quite right, or you love it for sentimental reasons, but never wear it. When you have finished put everything in this pile into a box and put it in your garage. If by the end of the fashion season you haven’t pulled an item out of the box to wear then get rid!
- No Way Jose. Pretty self-explanatory. Put it on eBay, give it to a friend, or donate it to a charity shop.
- Four Seasons. You probably have items that are seasonal, for example, a thick winter coat, which is no good in summer, but you don’t want to get rid of. Items like this can be put in a box under your bed and stored until next season, freeing up space.
Now, when all of this is done you should be able to look in your wardrobe and see the clothes and accessories that you love, and this will give you some idea of your preferred style. Don’t rush out and go shopping right away though, (unless you only have one t-shirt and a pair of jeans left!), try and live with what you have got for a while and you will begin to understand the items that you really need.
That?s all for now folks. In next month?s blog post we will explore: some of the staple items in capsule wardrobes, how you can tailor a capsule wardrobe to suit you, and give you some ideas, tips and tricks on how to mix and match items.
If you are a trans person, then Born would love to hear from you. Please get in touch today to book one of our bespoke services, or just to talk. Call us on 0161 235 0788 or email us at hello@born.uk.com