My Capsule Wardrobe

Capsule Wardrobe huh?….At first glance, this may seem to have nothing to do with Evy and his journey…but in reality, he is the reason that I have worked hard since October 2017 to simplify our life.  He has both inspired and changed me, for the better.

When we found out that, yes, there was indeed something different about our darling Bug that would change our lives forever, something also changed inside of ME. I began getting extraneous things (physical things, tasks, clutter, expectations, etc) out of the way, making baby-step changes that allowed us to focus on what truly matters in our life, which is the happiness & well-being of our little family. I wasn’t consciously aware of what I had begun to do, which is sort of amusing to me now (as I’m sure everyone else around me saw it, ha!!), but it certainly has been a life-changing journey so far! And to this very day, I haven’t stopped…

As we slowly got down to only the things in our home that either: 1.) we need, and/or 2.) enrich our lives in some way, I began coming across articles on Pinterest about Minimalism. For many, the word “minimalism” brings to mind images of a sparsely decorated (or nearly empty) home with crisp, clean, white walls…but as it turns out, that’s only ONE version of minimalism. There are SOOO many ways to lead a minimalist lifestyle, and I had no idea!! Although I always knew that I enjoyed a clean, orderly living environment (my anxiety sits at a much lower level with minimal environmental & mental clutter, that’s for sure!), having learnt so much about the various forms of minimalism (both as a lifestyle, and an aesthetic style) I can now comfortably call myself a “Cozy Minimalist”.

What on earth do I mean by a “Cozy Minimalist”? Well, I mean that in our home we have only things that we NEED and USE REGULARLY (with select seasonal items stored in an organized manner), and just enough other items to spark joy in our family life. Does it mean white blank walls? No. It means only select pieces of art or pictures on our wall, that bring about good memories and leave enough blank space to appear uncluttered. Does it mean I’m a control freak who doesn’t let her kids have new things?? Goodness NO. It means only toys that the kids adore, and hopefully that help them learn.  Does it mean being a perfectionist, and buying next to nothing? Nope. It simply means buying less, cleaning less, and thereby having more time, money, and ENERGY to spend quality time together. To create experiences and memories. And we LOVE IT!!

You know what else I have done on my minimalism journey so far? I have created my very own Year-Round Capsule Wardrobe!! It was months in the making, it is finally done, and I’m so pumped to talk about it today!

If you’re anything like me, maybe you hadn’t heard of such a thing until now; so I figure we should first address what the heck a “capsule wardrobe” really is. A capsule wardrobe is a carefully curated closet, usually with a set amount of items in it (or an approximately set number of items in it). Each item ideally goes with almost everything else in the closet, making a HUGE number of outfit combinations possible with not a very large quantity of items. Some people choose to do a seasonal capsule wardrobe, in which they switch their wardrobe around with the changing seasons (storing the other seasons clothes somewhere in the house when not needed), and some choose to do one slightly larger year-round wardrobe. And, many people live by the “1 in, 1 out” rule; so if you wear an item out, you can buy another. Or, if you buy a new item, you must get rid of 1 of the others. I have chosen to go with a year-round capsule, as I have always been someone that prefers to layer up or layer down, so my summer choices aren’t always completely out of the question in winter, as long as I pair the item with a long cardigan…but also with a very small number of seasonal items packed away, as our seasons are quite extreme here in Northern Manitoba (ranging from snow-covered and -40 degrees Celsius to +40!!).

Without further adieu, I give you my year-round capsule wardrobe!

I love neutrals such a greys, black and white/cream. I always have! And my signature color or pattern is STRIPES. So, the base color for my wardrobe really is black, with many of those neutrals at play, and then some stripes thrown in. Every single item goes with every other item. I can literally mix and match anything that I choose, without ever wondering “will this outfit work?”. It simplifies the daily decision making process, freeing my mind up to focus on the bigger things in life.

Let’s chat about the exact item count (I’m such an organizational nerd, I love this so much!! Ha!). As for my everyday items, here is how it looks:

Pants: 6 pairs (4 of which are black, or a version of black!)

Crops: 2 pairs

Short Sleeves: 7

Long Sleeves: 5

Zip-Up Hoodies: 4

Wraps/Cardigans: 4

Tanks: 10

Total: 38 items (this includes my daily workout wear)

All of them can be mixed and combined in to a nearly endless amount of outfit combinations!! They are fairly classic and neutral, so they won’t be out-dated as soon as the next fashion trend begins (I’ve never been very “fashion-forward” anyways, I’m just…well…myself. I have always stuck to what works for me, the things that I am most comfortable in, whether playing on the floor with my little ones, or going out with the gals on a weekend night!). Some people own a higher number of items in their capsules, and some own way less! Some spend a lot on each item in an effort to ensure long-term quality, and others are happy buying at thriftier price points. The idea is to tailor it to suit your own needs. Me, I am a mom of 3 young children; I like to feel “put-together” every day, but let’s face it, I don’t have extra time to put much effort in to this. I like to be able to grab any top and any bottoms, and go. And sometimes I need to change my outfit twice a day from baby-spit up, or meal-time fiascos with our Bug, ha!! So this number and breakdown of items works well for me. It supplies me with just enough variety to not become bored, but not so many that I feel like I’m being wasteful holding on to things that I don’t actually get enough use out of. It also means I only need to do my own laundry every 2 weeks or so, which is a HUGE plus in this mama’s world!! 😀

Now, on to the non-daily items, such as items specific to summertime (which is relatively short here, but also very hot!) or special occasion-wear:

Lounging Clothes: Pants: 2 pairs   Pullover Hoodies: 2

Summertime: Bathing Suits: 2   Dresses: 2   Shorts: 1 pair    Skirts: 3

Fancy Occasions: Tops: 3   Skirts: 1   Dresses: 4    Shoes/Booties: 4 pairs

Accessories: Scarves: 2   Purses: 2    Blazer: 1   Jackets (including winter parka & rain jacket): 4

As you can tell, I’m not much of an accessories gal. I wear the same earrings every day for years, until I lose them. I wear the same necklace everyday as well. I alternate between only 2 scarves, because I don’t care enough about them to own more than that or to put effort in to switching it up. I have only one extra purse, because I don’t enjoy changing bags. Ha!! This is just me, I’ve always been this way, and I’m embracing my style and simplicity.

This brings my entire wardrobe count to 71. Done, and done!!

I love organization, so this was a ton of fun for ME to do. For others, they’d probably rather walk over hot coals than do something like this, ha!! But as I learnt from Gretchen Rubin and her book “The Happiness Project” (seriously people, go read it!!), the #1 personal commandment I live by now is “Be Lacey“. I ENJOY feeling like every item in my wardrobe AND in our home gets used, and not just once in a while, but that it gets USED UP, and loved. I ENJOY feeling like nearly every item reflects who we are, both as individuals and as a family. I ENJOY feeling like even when life is uncertain, even on the most tumultuous of days, that our home is truly our haven. And, I ENJOY that even something as trivial as my wardrobe can spark joy and bring me comfort.

What sparks joy for you in your home or wardrobe? Would you ever adopt some sort of capsule wardrobe? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Thanks for reading today, even though it was something a bit different than usual 😉