Emily Gray Stewart: 11 STEPS TO CREATING YOUR OWN CAPSULE WARDROBE

I have always been a minimalist, but in the summer of 2014 I began to see things all over the internet about minimizing your wardrobe. I saw everything from "The 40 Hanger Closet", to "Project 333", "The 5 Piece French Wardrobe" and many others all with the same idea of downsizing. I was hooked. Little did I know, but my friend Jamie had come across the same thing! So, we quickly set up a frozen yoghurt date at Orange Leaf and started planing out our new and improved wardrobes!

Jamie brought some print outs from UnFancy so that we could get our thoughts together and down on paper. We went over what we "own and wear", what we "own and don't wear" and a little bit of special occasion clothes and travel. After coming up with a plan, it was time to go shopping and build our Fall Capsules. I copied UnFancy and chose 37 items...here is my post about it!

Once I got into this Capsule Wardrobe idea, I went a little crazy on Pinterest and ended up running into Jennifer L Scott, author of Lessons from Madame Chic, and watched her TEDx Talk on the 10 Item Wardrobe. Jennifer was my favorite Capsule Wardrober (is that a word?) because she spent time in Paris and learned about fashion while in that culture. I was instantly in love with her work and decided that I was going to go with her for all things related to my new obsession with the capsule wardrobe idea.

Since the Summer of 2014, I have diligently done the Capsule Wardrobe and really enjoyed the ease and simplicity. At first, it was a lot of work weeding through my clothing, but I have learned a lot since then about what feels good to me and looks good on me. When I look back at old photos, I remember how I would wear certain outfits and feel bad all day, but didn't really understand that at lot of it had to do with how I felt in my clothes. Clothes aren't the most important thing in the world, but they do so much for a person's self confidence and how they are perceived by others (think first impressions).

So, are you ready to get started on your own Capsule Wardrobe?

Let's do this.

STEP 1. Do your research. Google. Use Pinterest. Go to Barnes and Noble. Find other blogs. Read up on the capsule wardrobe so that you feel prepared and excited to get started.

STEP 2. Get to work. You are going to have to try on a LOT of items and be VERY honest with yourself. This includes shoes, socks, underwear, bras, pants, shorts, skirts, all tops, dresses, belts, scarves, hats, pjs, bathrobes, swimsuits, coverups, all jewelry, gym clothes, EVERYTHING!

STEP 3. Make a mess. Take ALL of your clothing (listed in step 2) out of of your closets, drawers, shelves, cabinets, boxes, storage bins, from under your bed, everywhere…EVERYTHING! Take it ALL out and throw it on your bed or on the floor.

STEP 4. Organize into piles. You are going to clear an area to make three piles: give away, throw away, keep. All of your clothing will end up in one of these piles by the time you are done.

STEP 5. Give away or throw away over-worn or unflattering items.
Ask yourself these questions:
-is the item stained?
-is the item stretched out?
-is the item an awful color on me?
-does this item make me feel ugly and/or fat?
-is this item old looking, picked, dingy, etc?
***If you answered yes to ANY of these, the item needs to go to GIVE AWAY or THROW AWAY!

STEP 6. Give away or throw away never-used or barely-used items.
Now, everything that is left, should be good-looking items. Ask yourself these questions:
-have I worn this item in the last 12 months?
-is this a seasonal item, like a winter coat that I DO wear?
-is this a sentimental item, like my old wedding dress?
-is this item a special item, like a dress that I DO wear when invited to weddings and formal parties?
***If you answered "no" to all of the above, the item needs to go to GIVE AWAY or THROW AWAY!

STEP 7. Keep only the best.
Now, EVERYTHING that is left, you are going to try on and look at yourself in the mirror. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF CLOTHING. For each item that you put on, ask yourself:
-does this make me feel beautiful when I wear it?
-do I feel comfortable in this?…no cutting off circulation, no leaving deep red lines anywhere, no painful blisters...
-does this color look good with my skin tone and eye color?
-do I get compliments when I wear this?
-do I enjoy wearing this?
***If you answered "no" to any of these, the item needs to go to GIVE AWAY or THROW AWAY!

STEP 8. Neatly put away items you are going to keep. What is left can now go back into your drawers and closet. You might not have much, but remember that's ok! From now on, you'll buy things that you truly love and look amazing on you. Sound good? Also, consider buying all matching hangers or baskets to make everything look organized and streamlined.

STEP 9. Throw away. All the items in the throw away pile go directly in the trash before you change your mind.

STEP 10. Give away. All the items in the give away pile go directly to donation before you change your mind. Find a local shelter or someplace that could use these items to help others.

STEP 11. Come up with a plan. Do you have enough clothes left to wear (remember Madame Chic only has about 10 items)? Or, did you do a serious clean out and you need to restock your wardrobe? You may have kept "your best items", but you'd still like to replace them when you have the money. Anything goes. This is YOUR capsule wardrobe. Just decide how many items you want in your closet and what items you want. Then, you'll be able to see if you are missing something and need to go shopping. If you need extra help, click HERE to go to the Unfancy Blog's FREE printable wardrobe planner.

Remember creating your own capsule wardrobe isn't about cleaning out and going shopping, although all that is fun. It's about keeping and wearing only the items that you feel and look great in, so that you look your best everyday, but with less effort.

Have you ever tried doing a capsule wardrobe? If so, tell me your favorite item in your closet!