In My Wardrobe: Clothing Capsule

What is a clothing capsule?

A clothing capsule forms the backbone of your wardrobe and is a collection of clothing that you mix and match to create a large number of stylish outfits.

When you use a clothing capsule concept you buy less so you save time searching for appropriate clothing in your wardrobe, and you save money because you need fewer clothes and can buy better quality. Isn't that a great idea! See our Essential Clothing Capsule here.

'You might find that you already have a capsule in your wardrobe,

hidden among all the things you didn't wear'

Clothing Capsule guidelines:

Clothing capsule pieces need to be neutral in colour i.e. shades of white, brown, black, navy and grey, and flatter your skin tones. Flattering colours will make your skin glow and those that don't can make you look tired and washed out.
Each piece must flatter your body shape. Straight leg jeans, v-neck tops, knee length pencil and A-line skirts are considered universally flattering, but pieces such as skinny jeans, sleeveless tops and chunky polo neck tops need to take your body shape into account
Each piece needs to be able to combine with at least three others in your capsule
The pieces need to be of the best quality you can afford, as you'll want them to last several years
Flexible pieces are key items. These can be worn different ways and through most seasons i.e. sleeveless dresses, and layering t-shirts - they immediately increase the possible combinations in your wardrobe.

Clothing Capsule Example

Here we are exploring an Essential Clothing Capsule that will reliably create up to 84 combinations for work, evening and smart casual. We've used black, white and grey pieces for our example because, as we've mentioned before, they need to be neutral in colour - but feel free to substitute other neutrals if these colours are not flattering for you. Remember that limiting the colour palette of your wardrobe to 3 or 4 main colours will add sophistication to your look and will make clothing easier to combine.

The 12 example pieces we have chosen for our Essential Clothing Capsule are considered classics and usually flattering for most sizes and shapes. The polo neck can be substituted for a v-neck sweater, and lighter or heavier weight fabrics could also be substituted to take climate and body shape into account.

Other clothing capsules can be created using the same guidelines to expand on casual, sporting, evening and corporate themes.

1. Select a thumbnail image then scroll down further to see the combinations it can make

2. Roll your mouse over the combination descriptions to view another image

Styling

Use accessories to style your cothing capsule. Accessories add shape, texture and interest - they also increase the number of looks you can achieve.

e.g.

red belt? black belt? wide belt?
add a scarf?
boots or black pumps?

etc.......

If you would like more information on how to style your wardrobe, please contact us using the form on the Contacts page.

Capsule Example Combination Schedule:

White Tee	Jeans	Pencil	A-line	Dress	Trousers	Dress +jeans	Dress +trousers
White Tee	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan
Black Tee	Jeans	Pencil	A-line	Dress	Trousers	Dress +jeans	Dress +trousers
Black Tee	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan
White Shirt	Jeans	Pencil	A-line	Dress	Trousers
White Shirt	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan
Evening Top	Jeans	Pencil	A-line	Dress	Trousers	Dress +jeans	Dress +trousers
Evening Top	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan
Polo neck	Jeans	Pencil	A-line	Dress	Trousers	Dress +jeans	Dress +trousers	Evening top +jeans	Evening top +trousers	Evening top +pencil	Evening top +A-line
Polo neck	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan	+cardigan
Black Dress	Jeans	Trousers
Black Dress	+cardigan	+cardigan
Cardigan	Jeans	Pencil	A-line	Trousers	Dress