How To Build A Capsule Wardrobe

26

Sep

I’m wearing: Blush cardigan // Mules // Bag // Tank 

*This post is sponsored by Countr. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to run The Mama Notes!

I’ve been sharing a little bit about my fall capsule wardrobe on Instagram stories and so many people have been asking for a post about it. I’ve been trying to get photos of several outfits to share and finish up my shopping — but in the meantime I wanted to share a few tips on just exactly how to build your own capsule! This is my 3rd time doing a capsule wardrobe and I love it for many reasons (saves me time, money and takes the stress out of getting dressed). I’ve partnered with a new shopping website & app called Countr for today’s post. Countr allows you to collect products from hundreds of stores across the web and build different collections and follow different people, think Facebook meets Pinterest, but it’s all shoppable!

It’s intuitive so as you collect more items, the app gets a sense of your style, price range, stores you like etc. and your feed will populate with personal picks for you- saving you time while you shop! It also alerts you when items are on sale or out of stock, a feature I love since I often wait until things go sale before purchasing.

Countr was the perfect tool for working on my capsule wardrobe – I could easily collect different pieces, see them all together (which really helps when you’re trying to visualize an entire wardrobe) and start different collections for separate categories while I was browsing not ready to make purchases yet (You can see my sweater collection here, maternity here, and the overall Fall capsule here).You can download the Countr app here to see the other products I’m adding!

So how do you create a capsule wardrobe? Here are the steps I take and a few tips!

Wearing: Wrap Sweater//  Bag // Tank 

Give your closet an overview.

Before you really dive into creating your capsule, take an inventory of what you have — what colors are prevalent, what you like to wear most frequently and what is still in good shape from the previous year.

Get inspired.

Browse Pinterest, Instagram and your favorite fashion sites (along with stores) for inspiration and outfit ideas from the season. In doing this you’ll start to get an idea of what pieces you want to add to your closet. For example, after a quick look online I knew I wanted to add a cozy blush cardigan and a wrap sweater, and  good pair of cropped jeans which I kept seeing pop up over and over. And mules!  I have a personal inspiration board here that I save all of my outfit ideas on! You can use Countr to shop all of your favorite fashion sites in one place and easily save products!

Clean out your closet & dresser.

This may be my favorite part of creating a capsule — getting rid of the unnecessary clutter in your wardrobe. By now you should have an idea of the color palette you want to use throughout your wardrobe – this will allow you to mix and match and maximize the amount of different looks you can create with 20-30 pieces. I literally take everything out of my dresser and make a few piles, stuff to store, stuff to keep out and stuff to donate that I just don’t need anymore. I do the same thing with my closet – it’s even easier to eliminate this season because I’m pregnant and don’t need clothes wasting space that don’t fit me right now.

Store what you aren’t wearing.

I use big plastic bins to store most of my clothes — and anything on a hanger I try to fit in one of our downstairs closets. Learning from mistake, I’ve found that clear bins work the best so you can easily see what’s inside and I always label both the side and the top because I store them in a tight closet under our stairs. I do this with my shoes and clothes every season!

Set a shopping budget.

One of the most fun parts of building a capsule wardrobe is getting to do new shopping for the season. Usually I’ll buy new clothes throughout, when things are on sale or when I want something new so it feels exciting to do a big shopping haul all at once. It also really allows me to be super intentional about each piece I pick — making sure I’ll be wearing it over and over again throughout the fall not just for one occasion!

Make a wardrobe list.

Map out how your capsule wardrobe will look – this will help with the next step. Below is an example of what I used — keep in mind my wardrobe is a little more limited this season because of my pregnancy. You can be as classic or as trend driven with this as you’d like — for the most part my capsule wardrobe this season is pretty comfortable, easy and basic with a few trend driven pieces thrown in. 

Bottoms:
2 pairs of black leggings (basics for weekdays)
2 pairs of jeans
1 pair of overalls (fun, on-trend piece)

Tops:
1 thin tank for layering
fun blouses
2-3 cotton tees
1 striped top

Sweaters:
1 colored cardigan
1 neutral cardigan
2-3 pull-over sweaters
2 wrap sweaters

Dresses:
1 jumpsuit
1 long sleeve tunic style dress
1 long sleeve tight dress
1 sleeveless/short sleeve tight dress for layering

Outerwear:
1 blazer
1 vest
1 denim or utility jacket

Shoes:
Mules
Ankle boots
Pointy flats
Slip on sneakers
Athletic sneakers

Make a list & start to shop!

Use an app like Countr to start a shopping list — carefully think about each item you purchase and how it will fit into your wardrobe. Is it the right color? Does it fill a spot on your list of needs? You can download the app and start following my account to see my latest finds and I’d love to follow you, too!

Images by Olive Juice Photography

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