If you’re wondering how to build a capsule wardrobe in 2022, you’ve come to the right place!

In a world with fashion trends that come and go faster than ever, it’s easy to indulge in impulsive shopping! Besides being a drain on your bank balance, you can quickly accumulate unnecessary clothes and add-ons that don't reflect your individual style, and aren't sustainable either.

But for many shoppers, the pandemic has  been an eye opener, upending our lives, and with it, our shopping habits. During Lockdowns, most of us found ourselves spending more time at home, lounging around in our comfort clothes.  With nowhere to go, our mindless collection of clothes, shoes, bags and accessories have been lying untouched, not to mention all those new outfits that have never been worn! What a waste of money, materials, and space, right?

Here's some good news: you can still enjoy shopping and building your wardrobe without sacrificing style, comfort, functionality, or your ethical values.  It all boils down to developing and curating a sustainable closet full of timeless pieces that speak of your signature style: it’s called a Capsule Wardrobe.

Defining Your Style

Are you often rummaging through your overflowing closet deciding what to wear? It can be a daily nightmare! Most often instinctively we reach out for our favorite pieces, with so many remaining unworn. If this is you, it’s a sign that it’s time to declutter…  Now!

Creating a capsule wardrobe really means refining your style so that you can be yourself  in every outfit you choose. It’s about thoughtfully choosing pieces you really love, and simplifying your life.

Start with the Basics

1. First, think about your favorite pieces of clothing in your closet. What do they say about you? Think about what clothes and details make you feel the most beautiful and the most “you”.  These pieces complement your body, your lifestyle, and most importantly, you feel happy when you’re wearing them.  Clothes that express you instead of stifle you, pieces that reflect your unique personality. 
2. Once you’ve found these, set them aside and clear out the rest. Your closet will now turn into something that represents you, no matter what you pull out of it. As a rough guide, aim for 25-50 pieces of clothes, shoes and accessories.
3. When you want to buy something new, go through the same process: ask yourself if this is something that really fits who you are and how you want to express yourself. Don’t buy something you don’t love just because it’s in a flash sale!

Quality over quantity

The key to a versatile wardrobe isn’t based on quantity, it’s based on quality and versatility. This means that you can pair each item in your closet  with different pieces to make up completely different looks. Easy to dress up or down, you can make them work for any event or occasion that might come your way. 

The contents of your capsule wardrobe will vary depending on the season and your individual style. You want to have a balance of tops, bottoms (jeans, slacks, skirts), dresses, outerwear, shoes, and accessories.

 

Here are some tips for putting together your own capsule wardrobe:

• For everything in your closet, think about how it can be easily mixed and matched together, and how easy it is to dress it up, down, or anywhere in between. 
• Choose a cohesive color palette that works both with the current season and your own preferences and colourings.  Neutral colors that pair well are key. 
• Selecting  a few accent colors per capsule really helps to simplify the mix-and-match process, as different pieces will just naturally go well together.

Good For You and For The Planet

The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world, so changing your clothing habits is not just a lifestyle fix but a planet fix, too. 

Increasingly, capsule wardrobes have also been celebrated for the role they can play in reducing the fashion industry’s big carbon footprint. Thinking carefully about how our fashion purchases might improve our daily lives and the planet, helps us to put an emphasis on quality over quantity. 

By choosing fewer pieces that will last us longer, we are helping to reduce waste, and that has knock-on effects for the planet (and saves us money in the long run!). Instead of buying five sweaters that you don’t love because they’re on sale, why not select one or two better quality pieces that you really like and that express who you are? You’ll feel better wearing them, and you’ll be reducing your environmental impact.

Try creating your own capsule wardrobe. By defining your own personal style, decluttering your closet, and finding those items that you feel best in, you’ll start expressing and embracing yourself… and never look back! And don’t forget, an essential to with almost every outfit at home are Dooeys house shoes. Stylish, supportive, and sustainable, they’re ready for everything you do at home.