simple wardrobe | Finding delight.

I’m a big believer in the idea that finding ways to eliminate decision fatigue can increase your quality life, eliminate stress, and allow you to focus on the things that truly make you happy. One of my favorite hacks for cutting back on decision fatigue? The work capsule wardrobe. Did you know many of the most successful folk wear the same clothes over and over again. While you may not want to rock jeans and a turtleneck to the office every single day (a la Steve Jobs), reducing your wardrobe will make it a heck of a lot easier to answer “What am I gonna wear today?” every morning.

With this in mind, I thought I’d share a really simple method for putting together a seasonal capsule wardrobe for work! Since Spring is on the horizon, we’ll start there. Let’s go!

First, you want to establish your core pieces. These can change from season to season or remain the same all year long. Either way, these items create the base for your work capsule wardrobe.

Here’s an example —

You can adapt these to fit your own job (an office setting may require a blazer but a teacher may prefer a cozy cardigan instead) and your preferences (don’t like skirts? don’t include skirts!). But the equation will remain roughly the same —

2 tops +
2 bottoms +
1 dress +
1 outerwear +
2 shoes +
2 bags +
3 accessories =
Core Work Capsule

Next, you want to look for inspiration. Scour your favorite fashion mags, blogs, and Pinterest boards to get an idea of looks you might want to include in your capsule for the season. Identify about 5 trends. For Spring 2018, the fashion trends I’m loving are: FLORAL COATS, PASTEL MULES, PINK DRESSES, TIE BLOUSES, and WRAP SKIRTS.

Here are a few of my favorite pieces —

Finally, you want to gather trend items to build out your wardrobe. After you’ve found your favorite trends of the season, you’ll add wardrobe pieces to reflect them. Add 1-3 pieces for each trend (depending on how minimal you want to be). There are multiple ways to do this. Let’s use the trends listed above as an example. To incorporate your fave spring trends you might pull a wrap skirt and a tie blouse out of the “warm weather clothing” storage tucked in a bin under your bed, hit your local thrift shop to find a new-to-you pink dress, and splurge on a pair of pastel mules and a floral blazer. There’s no need to buy a ton of trendy items — find ways to incorporate the looks of the season without spending a fortune!

And there you have it! You can repeat this process each season to decrease decision fatigue while still lookin’ fly at work. 🙂

What other closet conundrums would be fun to combat with a capsule wardrobe? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll consider creating a capsule for a future post!! ❤

P.S. If you’re more of a one and done capsule wardrobe person (or the concept sparks your interest), you can get a checklist PDF of my 50 Piece All-Season Capsule Wardrobe right this way!

If you’ve been around these parts long enough, you’ll know I LOVE capsule wardrobes. I love looking at other people’s capsule wardrobes, I love creating them for myself, and I love researching new ways of whittling down a wardrobe. If you’re new, WELCOME. I’m Beth…and in case you hadn’t already figured it out — I’m really into capsule wardrobes. 🙂

Lately, I’ve been exploring the concept of a seasonal wardrobe that focuses on 10-12 core items and a limitless (but still minimal) collection of extras. The core items include tops, bottoms and dresses. The extras can include, well….everything else! I wanted to create a sample 12 Item Wardrobe inspired by February. For me, February is a warm month (every month is a warm month in South Florida). But for others it is still pretty chilly. So, I made one wardrobe for a warm climate and one for cold. Let’s check them out…

12 Item Wardrobe (somewhere warm)

6 Tops – jersey t-shirt, crepe blouse, sleeveless blouse, girls support girls t-shirt, athletic-inspired top, and love first t-shirt.

4 Bottoms – stretch leggings, denim shorts, satin skirt, and skinny levi’s.

2 Dresses – silk mini dress and striped velvet dress.

Extras (somewhere warm)

Shoes – court heels, suede strappy heels, ankle-strap sandals, braided sandals, and leather trainers.

Accessories – logo cap, acetate sunglasses, and jersey scrunchies.

Special occasion wear – chiffon dress, beaded clutch, and slingback heels.

Active wear – racer back tank, black leggings, tennis shoes, compression bra, and gym shorts

Jewelry – 2 classic watches, gold necklace, tassel earrings, and statement earrings.

Basic tees – distressed t-shirt, striped tee, and long sleeved t-shirt.

Outerwear – utility jacket, cotton cardigan, and knitted cardigan.

Swimwear – printed swimsuit and printed bikini.

Bags – medium backpack, bucket bag, and funky clutch.

12 Item Wardrobe (somewhere cold)

6 Tops – feminist t-shirt, floral blouse, tie neck blouse, babe t-shirt, v-neck sweater, and over-sized jumper.

4 Bottoms – flared trousers, high waisted jeans, black skinny jeans, and faux leather pencil skirt.

2 Dresses – sweater dress and floral print midi dress.

Extras (somewhere cold)

Shoes – zip booties, point-toe flats, funky flats, high-heel boots, and leather sneakers.

Accessories – floppy hat, cat eye sunglasses, earmuffs, and beanie with a pom pom.

Special occasion wear – slinky gown, cross-body bag, and pointed stilettos.

Active wear – pull over, fleece joggers, Nike Airs, high-rise leggings, and sportswear hoodie.

Jewelry – classic watch, Apple watch, stud earrings, gold hoops, and double choker.

Basic tees – pink t-shirt, cashmere base layer, v-neck tee.

Outerwear – over-sized blazer, furry coat, and fringe cardigan.

Cold weather extras – beanie/scarf/mittens set and scallop gloves.

Bags – mini messenger bag, small wristlet, and classic leather tote.

What do you think? Would you try the Twelve Item Wardrobe? Do you have a capsule wardrobe? Let us know below! I’d love to hear what methods you use to keep your clothes minimal. ❤

P.S. If you’re more of a one and done capsule wardrobe person (or the concept sparks your interest), you can get a checklist PDF of my 50 Piece All-Season Capsule Wardrobe right this way!