Capsule wardrobe. It’s been a trending topic for a long time for good reason. A great mom capsule wardrobe can save you money, time, and stress. It makes it so much easier to get ready in the mornings and can bury that “I’ve got nothing to wear” mantra for good.
But, alas, it’s not without its issues.
So in this blog post, we’ll cover how you can create your capsule wardrobe template and make it work for you along with overcoming some potential capsule wardrobe challenges.
But first why?…
Why Is Caring About Your Wardrobe Important?
Why is building a capsule wardrobe important, why even bother curating your wardrobe especially if you’re a stay-at-home mom?
Look, Momma, I so get it. There are so many more important things in the world. Sometimes it feels like why bother? What does it matter if I stay in my PJs all day? The truth is it matters for you.
The thing is how we dress impacts how we feel. It impacts whether we feel ready to tackle all the things we need to do for the day and even those impromptu grocery shopping trips. Have you ever been grocery shopping in your “house clothes” and walked through just praying you would not run into anyone you know? It doesn’t feel great, does it?
The behavioral act of getting dressed can have a significantly positive impact on our mood, confidence, and behaviors, according to Sheva Assar, a licensed clinical psychologist in Orange County, California. She believes the act of getting dressed up first thing in the morning may “increase our motivation to do other things throughout the day, to experience more energy and to want to do more things.”
Akutekha, E. How getting dressed up (or not) to sit home all day affects your mood. HuffPost.
Getting ready helps you feel more ready for whatever comes your way. I gave myself a challenge to get ready every day for 31 days, even on the weekends. I’m on day 21 and can tell you it truly does make a big difference.
Now on to creating a capsule wardrobe template.
Create Your Capsule Wardrobe Template
A template is simply a guide or pattern. Every one of us has different lifestyles, styles, and wardrobe needs. To build your capsule wardrobe think about what you need from your clothes. Do you go to a lot of networking events or outings? Or do you stay home most of the time? Are you involved in your children’s sporting activities or more of an artsy mom? Do you own your business or work outside of the home full-time?
Give it some thought.
Make It Relevant To Your Lifestyle and How YOU want to feel!
So many great tips in this video:
Make it too fancy and it won’t work for your everyday life. Make it too causal and it won’t feel elevated enough to have an impact.
The Daily Connoisseur has a great video on being too causal with our lives if you want to check that out. 5 Signs Your Life is Too Casual *Hint #1 is Not Dressing Appropriately.
An Outfit Formula
A great way to build a capsule wardrobe is by having an outfit formula. My go-to formula is slacks or jeans, a nice blouse, and a blazer with ballet flats. Some days it’s a dress instead of slacks and a shirt but I still use the blazer option and flats.
One of the challenges with a capsule wardrobe is that it may feel too neutral to you.
While I love a great neutral Parisian capsule wardrobe, you can make a more colorful wardrobe work also. The key is to have pieces that will combine so you have fewer clothes and fewer decisions to make. You can use an outfit planner app or even a calendar page if you want to write down your outfits for the week. You can use a Notion Wardrobe template if you use Notion for project management like I do.
Another option is to have a hanging clothes rack and hang up your outfits for the week over the weekend so you are ready to go with different looks. You don’t have to use any of these options but the idea is to prepare ahead and stick to your new goal.
I recorded a short video for Instagram about how I make it work. And if you’re thinking you have to go out and spend a lot of money you don’t. Everything on the rack in my home office wardrobe was thrifted!
A Colorful Thrifted Capsule Wardrobe
Even though my wardrobe has colors, the colors are consistent. I have red, pink, blue, and green along with neutrals.
For inspiration follow our capsule wardrobe for moms board on Pinterest.
I suggest keeping a smaller wardrobe out and switching out for the seasons. I happen to live somewhere that doesn’t have very extreme weather changes but we do have warmer and cooler seasons. Different seasons will require different wardrobe basics. Keep out what you need and store the rest so getting dressed is easier and less overwhelming.
What If You’re Starting From Scratch?
One of the challenges of a capsule wardrobe is feeling like you have nothing that works and starting from scratch. You can certainly start with what you have but if you do want to purchase some items keep the number to a minimum and see how it works.
You could try something like the viral 333 challenge. Slow Fashion Content Creator Alyssa Beltempo tried it and came up with these staple pieces:
- 3 bottoms- high-waisted flair jeans, medium-washed straight-leg denim, leather skirt.
- 3 Tops- lightweight turtle neck, denim shirt, striped jumper sweater.
- 3 Shoes- knee-high boots, metallic low waterproof boots, sneakers.
Alyssa’s 333 choices may not be what your wardrobe needs but the 333 concept is a great way to get started brainstorming your wardrobe update. If jeans are more your jam you can add three pairs of jeans in different washes and styles. Alyssa has some great info on building a travel capsule wardrobe also. As you figure out your base capsule wardrobe you can then use those outfit ideas to create multiple different outfits and even different capsules for travel and other activities. You could even match your workout gear to your main capsule so all your outwear goes with your workout clothes.
Here’s a breakdown of what I’m currently using for inspiration:
Tops
For tops, I love to have a classic white T-shirt with a nice neckline, a leopard print blouse in a neutral color, a striped blouse, and a black sleeveless shirt with sequin details for under blazers as you can see in the video. While I used to love black I don’t wear much anymore because I just don’t find it as energizing or inviting. I also have a white blouse I can wear under anything when I want to feel fresh.
In this process remember you are allowed to change. Fit your style to who you are now or even who you want to be. I also have warmer tops out for chiller days.
As mentioned in the video, if you are a breastfeeding momma you want to look for tops that make it easy.
Bottoms
When creating your template think about appropriate bottoms. I like to have 4 bottoms to rotate through with different silhouettes. For instance a pair of skinny jeans, a pair of wide-leg trousers, a more baggy “mom jean”, and a skirt.
For pants, I like to stick to black, blue, and green.
Dresses
I cannot wear some of my staple dresses at the moment and easily breastfeed so they are being saved but I have a fun polka dot print one in a vintage style that I love and can breastfeed in.
Outerwear
I have blazers in a few different colors, a puff army green jacket with lovely button details, and a tan trench coat that I’ve been loving and wearing for years. I also have a classic denim jacket I’ve had for years that is great over dresses if the look I’m going for is more casual.
Shoes
I love a classic ballet flat, simple sandals, ankle boots for colder days, and a pair of low heels. I also have a pair of walking shoes for workouts.
Loafers and ballet flats are great for moms if you get quality ones that are comfortable because you can still move around easily but look classy.
I’m sharing my go-to’s to get you thinking about what you may need but your items may be different. Curate a capsule wardrobe template that works for you.
To get started you can also check out the post 12-Piece Easy Work-From-Home Capsule Wardrobe.
A Word About Color
If you’re not sure what colors to start with think about the colors that look best on you and the classics. Cream or white, tan, and navy tend to look classic and more elevated always.
Val has some nice tips on choosing a color palette:
Your wardrobe does not have to be the perfect wardrobe or the Instagram-worthy wardrobe it just needs to be the perfect wardrobe for you in your own personal style and work with your lifestyle. I prefer a minimalist wardrobe so I’m not overwhelmed every day by the amount of options. Focus on better quality items over fast fashion. Think classic colors, cuts, and a variety of textures and materials for your key pieces. Then you can add trendy items for your accessories if you want and add accent colors.
- Remember all the clothes on my rack have been thrifted. You can do it. Shop your closet and figure out what is working and what is not and then make a list of what you would like to look for to add. You can curate your wardrobe over time if you’re not up for a complete overhaul at once.
Grab your free printable capsule wardrobe planner. This printable template has an inventory that will help you think about your pieces of clothing and what you may want to add or take away. It will also help you track your color palette, the patterns you like, and your size so you can take it with you when you want to purchase new items.
If you need more inspiration Youtube and Pinterest have great ideas on how to style your versatile pieces into a variety of outfits. You can even try just working with your current wardrobe and building outfits in different ways. This is a good exercise whether you purchase new clothes or not.
Whether you have a 10-piece capsule wardrobe or a 33-piece one, whether you go neutral colors or colorful it’s all up to you. Your perfect capsule wardrobe is waiting and it can take less time and money to build than you think. Don’t forget high-quality pieces, seasonal pieces, and pieces for special occasions and items that will help you create versatile styles.
You’ve got this. I cannot wait to see what you create.
Let us know how it goes in the comments along with your struggles and wins.
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