8 Tips to Build a Capsule Wardrobe for Any Occasion or Season

Many tips around creating a fun and functional capsule wardrobe talk about swapping out seasonal sets of clothes or rotating your pieces in and out from a hidden trove of clothing. Capsule wardrobes are a great way to reduce decision fatigue when getting dressed and can help to undo a consumerist mindset of always needing more and more. While a capsule wardrobe isn't for everyone and by no means should anyone feel obliged to create one, there can be fun in challenging yourself to whittle down your wardrobe to its essentials to see just how perfect it can become. Here are some factors to consider when attempting to boil down your clothing options to the barest minimum for maximum practicality.

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• Anticipate the Weather

Where you spend most of your time, is there regular rainfall? Or do you experience almost constant cloudless sunshine? The weather plays a huge part in how we dress our bodies since the main purpose of clothes, besides modesty and self-expression, is to protect ourselves from the unpredictable elements. Maybe every month you visit family up north where it's much colder, so incorporating warmer clothes into your capsule wardrobe makes perfect sense. If your part of the world rarely sees the sun, then do you really need a pair of open toe sandals.

• Understand Your Own Comfort Levels

What types of cut, shape and fabric make you itchy or uncomfortably warm? Do restrictive necklines make you feel trapped? Are tight socks an unbearable sensation? When you notice that a particular type or style of clothing limits your ability to feel completely comfortable in your own body then learn to reject it. There is no room in a strict capsule wardrobe for clothes that rub or constrict or scratch you.

• Learn About Your Clothes

A fun way to decide what to keep and what to donate or throw away is to learn a bit more about the finer details of your clothing items. Maybe your shirt is a unique cut due to the time period its designer was inspired by, or maybe your jacket has an intriguing history as being created for a particular purpose it no longer serves. For example, you could learn how the Oxford shoe was created and then perhaps gain a greater appreciation for the pair waiting for you in your closet. Small titbits like these can make your wardrobe feel more vibrant, making it easier to discard the less interesting pieces.

• What Makes You Feel Confident?

We all have our favourite pieces of clothing that make us feel like a million bucks when we wear them. Why can't every piece in our wardrobe do this for our confidence? There's no reason to limit your sense of power and agency by occasionally opting for the more dreary or uncomfortable items in the closet. Let yourself feel good every time you get dressed by asking yourself if each item brings you the joy that it should.

• Use Accessories to Your Advantage

If you have pared back your wardrobe to the barest essentials then expressing yourself can feel like a challenge when you lack an abundance of variety and choice. To combat this, use your accessories to add colour and dimension to your mens summer fashion outfits. Even if the base pieces are the same, using different accessories can change things up and make you feel like you're wearing an entirely different outfit.

• What Would You Pack if You Had to Leave in a Hurry?

A fun imaginary scenario to think about is what would you throw in a suitcase if you didn't know where you were headed and only had fifteen minutes to pack? What are your go-to pieces and what would you be happy to leave behind? While most of us will never actually experience this situation, it can be a fun way to discern which items of your clothing deserve their place in the wardrobe and which ones do not.

• Swap In, Swap Out

If you simply must purchase that beautiful coat or those perfect, comfortable and stylish shoes, then do it, but if you can, find something in your existing wardrobe that you can get rid of. This strict mindset might not work for you but it can be exciting and help to retrain your mind against over-consumption and negative shopping habits.

• Don't Overestimate Your Needs

Some capsule wardrobe advice points out that you will occasionally be invited to a wedding or have to attend a job interview. In these cases, you will of course want to dress appropriately. However, are there any multi-purpose pieces in your wardrobe that you would be happy to wear to a special occasion, a formal event, and as everyday wear? Of course it can be fun picking out something new before a big day, but sometimes the challenge of dressing up a piece you already own can help you appreciate it even more. After all, how many weddings do you plan to attend anyway?