6.07.2017

WHY I QUIT THE CAPSULE WARDROBE

Since beginning the Capsule Wardrobe in 2014, I dress better and feel better for sure.  I still have a long way to go, but I like how far I've come.  So, let's talk about why I'm quitting...it's not what you think.

Shopping in Hilton Head!

I am a minimalist at heart and love to live simply.  I really do enjoy having less and don't mind having very little clothing.  That's not the problem.  The issue has been with timing.  Let's say, for instance, I see a tank that I would love to wear this Summer, but it's not time to shop for my Summer Capsule yet.  The Capsule Wardrobe concept would tell me not to shop until it's time and definitely not to buy yet.  But, what if I don't see that tank again?  Or what if I do see that tank, but they don't have my size any longer or I can't afford it at that point in the future because I spent my cash elsewhere?  In the past years, in order to follow "the rules", I only shopped when it was "time" to shop for the upcoming season's Capsule Wardrobe.  But, I often felt like I wasn't able to take my time and wait to buy something that I absolutely loved, which sort of defeats the whole purpose of a Capsule Wardrobe, right?

My favorite cold weather shoes...Toms wedges!

Then, one day last year, I was with my Mimi and she said something that stuck with me.  She had a set of pale pink chairs at her beach house.  I commented that I really liked them and wondered where she had found them because they looked like something out of the 70's.  She told me that she had bought them years ago and kept them in her attic.  I said something along the lines of that being silly to buy something that you weren't going to use yet.  And she replied, "Well, I knew that I loved them and would use them one day.  Even though I didn't need them then, since I went ahead and bought them, I had them when I did need them".

Rocket science, right?

My favorite warm weather outfit...birks, jean shorts and a colorful tank!

I let this roll around in my head for months.  The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.  You know when you've waited too long to go shopping for a new pair of jeans?  By the time you do shop, you are in a panic and just have to buy something now.  How different would it be if, when you found the perfect jeans, you went ahead and bought them then?  Now now, I'm not saying go back to crazy spending and a closet packed with things you don't need.  What I am saying is learn to shop mindfully and with control.

My favorite dress...got it from Old Navy and love the bright colors!

So, I'm not technically "quitting" the Capsule Wardrobe.  I'm still a minimalist and will always be, most likely.  I still enjoy having fewer items of better quality.  I still love the 10 item wardrobe.  I'm sticking with all of it.  What I am changing is having seasonal Capsule Wardrobes.  I don't want to box myself in of when to shop for what.  From now on, I will keep a rotating Capsule Wardrobe.  When I love something, I'll buy it and add it to my closet.  When I need something, I'll start looking for the perfect fit.  When something has seen it's last day, I'll give it away or throw it away.  It's the new and improved Capsule Wardrobe...with an Emily twist!

Want more on the Capsule Wardrobe?  Check out some of my older posts:
2014 Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe (my FIRST capsule wardrobe!!!)
2016 Fall/Winter Capsule Wardrobe (focused on The Six Items Challenge)




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