October Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

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Happy October! I am excited to be sharing a challenge with you this month – the October capsule wardrobe challenge! Read on for all the details!

 

Happy October! This month is all about getting a full on reset after a crazy busy summer and start back to school. I’m inviting you to join me in a couple of challenges: a no-spend month AND (or, OR) a capsule wardrobe challenge! I’m spilling all the details on a capsule wardrobe today and challenging you to join in on the fun!

October Capsule Wardrobe Challenge

I bet you’re wondering what spurred all of this on, right? Well, let me tell you the short version: I kind of had an “I’ve had it” moment with my budget and decided that I was ready to get back on track and moving forward towards our goals, instead of remaining stagnant.

I’m choosing to do a no spend month for our household budget (not spending any money outside of our set budget) and a no spend month in my business as well (which means buying no new clothes!).

So that had a bit of a domino effect and led to this little capsule wardrobe challenge!

What is a capsule wardrobe anyways?

I’m so glad you asked! For me, a capsule wardrobe consists of a few basic items that are easy to mix and match with each other to create a lot of different outfits! The idea behind it is to get the most use out of the least possible items in your closest!

What does a capsule wardrobe consist of?

The easy answer is it can include anything you like, really. But the hard answer (and part of this process) is to choose pieces that you love, that look great on you, and can be worn a variety of different ways. So for instance – a pair of basic, dark rinse jeans, can be worn in a ton of different outfits while a pair of distressed boyfriend jeans might only work in a few.

When you are putting your capsule wardrobe together, make sure you select items from your closet that are super versatile:

• Can it be dressed up? (worn with heels, to a work function, or out on a date?)
• Can it be dressed down? (paired with a basic tee and sneakers, or worn on a Saturday morning Home Depot run)
• Does it coordinate with many other colors? (this might not be the time for the fun yellow jeans you break out for the birthday parties)
• Can it be worn in different ways? (knotted, tucked, under a blazer, with a cardigan, untucked, layered: all different ways to wear a basic tee)
• Can it be worn to different places? (soccer games, fancy restaurant, church, work, etc.)
• Does it fit the current season? (is it lightweight enough for a warm day or heavy enough for cold evenings?)
• Does the pattern work well with many different things? (a bright colorful pattern might not work well with lots of pieces, but a basic, more subdued pattern, like a small polka dot or simple stripe, would translate well with lots of different looks)

The challenge for me this month is to force myself to get creative with the pieces I chose and make as many outfits as possible with each! Once I wear something one time, I tend to think that is the only way it can be worn. I’m using this capsule wardrobe challenge to help me get out of that box and use my clothes in new ways.

Another thing to consider is whether or not you’re including accessories like shoes, jewelry, handbags, scarves, etc. I chose not to, because I can add a lot of personality and different styles to an outfit by simply changing out a pair of bold earrings or switching the shoes up!

(I’m also not including workout clothes or sleepwear in the capsule either!)

How many items are in a capsule wardrobe?

This is another piece of the puzzle that is purely up to you! There is no hard and fast answer, but I would suggest keeping it under 20 pieces just to keep things more simple. I challenged myself to 15, but ended up only going with twelve! Here is what is included in my capsule wardrobe this month:

• Basic white v-neck tee
• Camo v-neck tee
• Halloween graphic tee
• Striped racerback tank
• Fall graphic tee
• Leopard print v-neck
• Black distressed jeans
• Dark skinny jeans
• Camel cardigan
• Gray cardigan
• Denim vest
• Black quilted vest

With just those twelve items, I can make well over 50 outfits, just by switching up the jeans, tee, and outwear. (Thank you college freshman statistics class that I had to take twice for figuring out that number lol)

Why Have a Capsule Wardrobe?

There are lots of reasons for wanting to have a capsule wardrobe, but here are a few reasons I’m doing it:

• I want to use what I already have in my closet. I go through lots of clothes but I want to be a good steward of the money I’ve already spent and make use of things I already have.
• I want to get creative with my outfits and be forced out of my “wear it the same way every time” box.
• I want to have an easier time getting dressed in the mornings. Sometimes the sheer volume of stuff staring at me in my closet is overwhelming and makes me want to stay in my pajamas. Less stuff = less time picking out clothes = more time enjoying my day.
• I love a challenge, and this is a challenge that will help me see more into the versatility my clothes offer and worry less about having cute, new stuff all the time!

Some other reasons you may want to have a capsule wardrobe could be that you have a small closet space and don’t want to cram it full of things you never wear anyways! Or maybe you have a very busy lifestyle and don’t want to invest in the time it takes to go through your closet every day and make outfits. Perhaps you’re on a limited budget and need some new pieces but want to be sure they are versatile and easy to get lots of use out of!

Are capsule wardrobes boring?

Alright now – we haven’t even started and you’re already wondering if you’re going to get bored? Okay okay, just kidding. This question has definitely crossed my mind while getting ready for this challenge! My personality type loves new and exciting things, so committing to 12 pieces of clothing to wear for an entire month definitely made me wonder if things would get monotonous, but that is where the challenge comes in for me!

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when you get bored with your capsule wardrobe:

Can I tweak one little thing on an item to make things different: cuff my jeans, roll up the sleeves of my blazer, add a belt here, or bright earrings there?

Is anyone besides me really paying attention to what I’m wearing to work every day? (the answer is no, probably not). So the boredom kind of boils down to you being unhappy with what you chose to work with. Make note of the pieces that you don’t end up reaching for and don’t use them in your next one!

In the grand scheme of things, and I mean in the worldly view, have I forgotten what a privilege it is to have a choice in what I wear every day? (yep, I went there. Show a little gratitude for the options you have and remember that not every has the opportunity to worry about little things like a capsule wardrobe every day)

How do I build a capsule wardrobe for work?

Now I know that some (many? lots? only a couple?) of you work outside the home and need to actually get dressed in business/business casual attire every day. All of the same principles apply – you don’t get to take a pass just because you have an office job. You still have to be intentional about your choices in clothing and try and get imaginative in how you wear them!

I know that all of my pieces are not truly appropriate for an office setting, but it would be easy to replace them with things that are.

Rather than jeans, opt for classic black slacks or a pencil skirt. Add in a simple shift dress that you can layer with a blazer on top or a classic button down underneath. Keep your tops simple with understated patterns that are easy to pair with basically everything.

Choose one underlying bold color that can run through your wardrobe and use that as a coordinating accent color for all of your outfits. The concepts still apply – you just need to choose more professional pieces to fill out your capsule.

My Capsule Wardrobe Outfits

All month long, I’ll be sharing my outfits for the capsule wardrobe challenge on Instagram and Facebook daily. I’ll also share them in a wrap-up post at the end of the month with all the pieces I ended up wearing linked for you guys!

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Well – what are YOU going to wear in your capsule wardrobe this month? What questions do you have? Share them in the comments below! If you enjoyed this post, be sure to share it with your Facebook friends or Pin it!