How to build a capsule wardrobe from scratch

Inside: How to build a capsule wardrobe from scratch.

I don’t know about you but I don’t have time to waste sorting through my clothes each morning to see what items go with what. I need to know that everything I own works well with multiple other items so that I can grab something quickly and get on with my day.

A capsule wardrobe consists of a small selection of items, creating outfits that are interchangeable to provide you with a variety of combinations. The emphasis is on style rather than trends, with timeless pieces creating the base of your selection.

If you are tired of battling with your clothes and are forever saying you have nothing to wear, a capsule wardrobe may well be the solution for you. In this post I will go through the basics and how you can start to build your own capsule wardrobe from scratch.

What is a capsule wardrobe?

We all have staples in our wardrobes such as jeans, cardigans and a white t-shirt. The thing is, we also have lots of non-staples or duplicates that we’ve bought in an attempt to create more options.

With the increase of fast fashion brands has come the temptation to buy new clothes more and more frequently. This has resulted in all of our wardrobes bursting at the seams. And yet we still proclaim that we have nothing to wear.

The capsule wardrobe concept promotes the idea of going back to basics again. Having a selection of essential items, with complimentary pieces that provide us with a mix and match wardrobe. Each piece is worn more regularly, moving away from the notion that you only wear things a couple of times and then move on to the next trend.

Benefits of a capsule wardrobe

There are so many reasons why a capsule wardrobe can be beneficial, here are the key benefits…

How to create a capsule wardrobe

The process isn’t particularly difficult, but depending on your current wardrobe and the budget you have available to you, you may want to work in stages rather than do everything in one go. The best thing you can do is to just get started!

Audit your clothes

The first thing to do is to go through all of the clothes you already own and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit you. Holding onto items that “might fit one day” just robs us of precious space. Unless you are actively trying to change your size or shape (in which case put the items away in storage) it is best to let the clothes go and only keep what makes you feel good in the body you have right now.

Once you are left with just the clothes that fit you, go through and get rid of anything that doesn’t make you feel good. Don’t get rid of them just yet (I’ll explain why later) but just remove them from the pile of clothes that you really love.

Next up is possibly the hardest step as you need to be honest with yourself as to how often you wear each item. Apparently we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time, meaning 80% of our clothing is left gathering dust.

If you haven’t worn something in the last 3 months then you aren’t likely to wear it in the following 3 months either. Of course there are seasonal pieces but if there is an item that you haven’t worn for the last 3 summers for example, you aren’t likely to wear it in the coming summers either. Just let it go and let someone else enjoy it.

All that should remain is a pile of clothes that fit you well, make you feel good and are worn regularly each season.

ACTION: Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, doesn’t make you feel good, or that you haven’t worn in the last 3 months.

Determine your preferences

You should be able to see quite clearly the type of clothes you gravitate towards. For example, if you looked at my pile you’d see denim and blacks as a theme. You will also find practical clothing, as being a mother means I need to be comfortable sitting on the floor playing games or walking back and forth from school each day.

If there is anything that stands out as being the odd one out then you need to really look at it and decide when you might wear it. Unless you absolutely adore it, there is little point keeping something that only goes with one particular pair of trousers and only ever sees the light of day every other month.

This could be the stage that you realise actually you don’t like the ‘apparent’ preferences lying in front of you, that actually that one random item is more ‘you’ than everything else combined. In which case, you need to decide to wear more of what makes you feel like ‘you’ and phase out the other clothes.

TOP TIP: If you feel like you have lost any sense of personal style then Pinterest is a great place to go find inspiration. Simply create a board and start pinning anything that you like the look of. Search celebrities you admire and see what pops up. After a while you’ll start to notice a pattern of what you are drawn to in others.

Your base palette

The key here is to have a neutral base palette. So this would be black, navy, white or cream and depends on your skin tone and personal preference. I really suit the colour brown but it isn’t a colour I like to wear so my base colour is black with some beige elements.

There are no strict rules here, you have to do what makes sense to you. So I actually enjoy a bit of navy as well as black – that is totally ok.

Looking at your clothes, determine whether you are drawn to black or navy as your main colour this is your base colour.

Then, determine the main colours you are drawn to as complimentary colours. These could be white, cream, beige, grey, blue or khaki – colours that are relatively neutral and go with many other colours.

ACTION: Spread everything out to determine the colours you seem to be drawn to. Remove anything that doesn’t fit the theme. You want 1x base colour and 2x complimentary colours.

Establish the basics

Once you have your colours sorted and know what you already own, it is time to start working out what the basic pieces of your wardrobe will be and what will go with them.

Of course, this all depends on your lifestyle, where you live and the climate there. If you live in a hot country you’ll need more shorts than someone who lives in a cooler climate. A mum who spends all day running around after her toddler might have more leggings than someone who spends all week at work. Your wardrobe has to work for you.

The first step is to lay out your bottoms – your skirts, trousers, shorts and jeans. How many do you have? Do you need 6 pairs of skinny jeans? Remember, less clothes mean less washing so could you cut down to 2 pairs with the knowledge that you’ll be able to stay on top of the washing better?

As a guide you could have 2 of each item if you have a mix of each category. That way, you will have 8 days worth of bottoms with no washing required at all in that time. Factor in the fact that you can wear each item a couple of times (generally) that actually gives you 16 days worth of bottoms with no washing in between.

If all you wear is jeans, you may want to have more than 2 pairs – but even then, with one pair clean on and one in the wash, you wouldn’t have to!

Do you see how unnecessary it is to have 6 skirts, 5 pairs of trousers, 3 pairs of jeans and 4 pairs of shorts? Just think of the washing!

Now that you have a good base selection of bottoms, you can start to look at the tops.

Pick up the first top, how many of the bottoms does it go with? If it only goes with one pair of trousers then it isn’t a top that is going to work hard for you. You want a top to go with the majority of your bottoms so that you can mix and match to create a variety of looks.

Go through each top in the pile, only keeping those that will mix and match well.

Remember those clothes that we put aside earlier that didn’t make us feel good? Some of these might have made the pile because they are plain and boring. However, sometimes these are great versatile pieces that can be paired with something a little more interesting.

For example, I have a plain white t-shirt that on its own isn’t something I love. However, when paired with my leopard print skirt, I feel amazing. If you’re looking for quality modest skirts, you should check out Inherit’s selection.

ACTION: Go through your bottoms, checking they fit your base colour palette. Go through your tops and check if they go with at least 3 of your bottoms (again checking they fit your base palette).

The basic capsule wardrobe

Remember, different pieces will appeal to different tastes, do what works for you.

5-7 Bottoms:

10-12 tops

Accessories

With these key staples alone you can create so many different looks, all of which will look ‘put-together‘ because of how well everything will mix and match.

Make sure you spend time finding the right sweaters for your wardrobe. For capsule wardrobes, it’s really important that you find sweaters that will last you a long time.

ACTION: Go through the clothes you already own, checking them against the example list. What are you missing? What do you have an excess of?

Explore a world of fashion possibilities with timeless dresses that cater to your capsule wardrobe ethos. Whether you’re building from the basics or seeking standout pieces, it’s essential to have versatile options that match your style easily.

You can also find your perfect dress in Saudi Arabia as part of creating a seamless and balanced wardrobe. Discover a variety of styles that blend sophistication with everyday wear, making your dress selection both practical and chic.

Adding accents

Once you have your classic pieces, with bottoms, tops and dresses in neutral colours that mix and match together, the last thing to do is add in a few statement pieces to give it your own flare.

For example, I love stripes and so have a couple of striped tops mixed in with my plain white and black basics. I also adore leopard print so I have an A-line leopard print skirt as well as a leopard print bag that goes well with my staples.

If there is a print you like or a colour that you adore, add a couple of pieces into the mix. You might want to add touches of pink in the spring, blues in the summer, oranges in the autumn and reds in the lead up to Christmas.

A coloured top here, a patterned scarf there, you can add your own style to your basic capsule wardrobe to add an extra dimension to it all.

ACTION: Add in anything you may have put aside earlier that isn’t a neutral or basic piece if it is something you love or that shows your personal style.

Adding to your wardrobe

Whether you are starting from scratch or wanting to add one or two new items to your collection, it is a good idea to bear in mind a few things before you go shopping.

• What do I actually need? What is missing from my capsule wardrobe?

• What colours am I going to focus on? Do I want to add colour or pattern with the new pieces?

• Where am I buying from? Is it worth spending a little more on high-quality pieces as they will last me a long time.

Adding in this simple step of planning ahead with mean you avoid unnecessary purchases. Plan out what you need and go armed with a list so you stay on track.

Once you are in a shop with an item in your hand…

• Will this go with 3 other items I own?

• How many outfits could I make with this piece?

• Does it match my base colours and preferences?

• Will it suit my lifestyle?

TOP TIP: If you know you are going shopping for a new top, wear your most versatile bottoms and take a neutral cardigan with you so you can see exactly whether it will go with items you already own.

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As I said at the start, this doesn’t necessarily have to be an overnight job but can be done in stages as you work through finding your style and preferences as well as having the budget to make the changes. Before long you will have the perfect capsule wardrobe that works hard, saves you time and makes you feel good every day.

If you live in a seasonal climate you will have seasonal capsule wardrobes, switching out the warmer clothing for looser, cooler items etc.. as the seasons change. However, many of your clothing items will remain in your wardrobe throughout the seasons, tying everything together nicely.