What is a Capsule Wardrobe and how do we Make one?
October 1, 2020 · Aaron Burr

What is a Capsule Wardrobe and how do we Make one?

We’ve only got one life. And with our limited time on this planet, do we want to live with a lot of clothes that make us mostly feel “meh”, or would we rather have clothes that make us feel “yeah!”?😋

Most of us have heard the saying “being comfortable in our own skin”, which is a very important thing in life. But since the majority of society doesn’t allow for us to walk around naked, we are in a different sort of skin most of the time. And we should feel comfortable in that skin as well, since it’s shown to the world more often.💃🏻

Clothing is an opportunity to express ourselves. To show the world who we truly are, and not who it wants us to be. 

Because if we aren’t comfortable in this new skin, then how can we be comfortable at all?

As we know, especially when it comes to the environment, more isn’t usually better. It’s also not better when it comes to making decisions on what to wear, saving money, or reducing clutter-born stress.

We’ve learned about the benefits of decluttering, as well as how to do so. But we haven’t really gotten into how to personalize it and make it our own. This is a perfect example of that! So, yay!

Enter: the capsule wardrobe.

What is a capsule wardrobe?


what is capsule wardrobe

A capsule wardrobe is...well, whatever you make it!

Much like living a life with more intention, whether that’s in general or regards to the planet, we have to make it our own. A capsule wardrobe is no different.

There is probably a maximum amount of clothing floating around out there for a capsule wardrobe, but there are far more important things to check off the list.

A capsule wardrobe must consist of only the things that add value to your life. It should only have clothing that you actually enjoy, and therefore wear regularly. With this being a standard, the amount of clothing will decrease naturally. But everyone will have a different amount.

A capsule wardrobe usually has 🎨colors and styles that work for you, and work with other pieces of your clothing. Which usually means the neutral colors work best: greys, blacks, and whites.

But then again, if you wear neon colors all the time, and you love them...then do that!

Why it could be the right thing for you


  • Less stress from deciding what to wear.
  • Less stress from the clutter. 
  • Save time and energy because you only own things you love!
  • Save money!
  • Less clothing means less resources, which is more aligned with our environmental values. 
  • Feel better about yourself because you are wearing what makes you feel good. 

And if you’re really liking any of these benefits and want to give it a shot, then let’s learn how! 

How to make one

Figure out your day to day

how to make capsule wardrobe

Think about what you do on a day to day basis. Not what you want to be doing, but what you actually do...right now. Today.

We may want to be always sleeping in a 🏕tent on the side of a mountain, and therefore want to dress like that. But in reality we are working a job that requires a suit or dress clothes of some sort. And then maybe we hike a bit afterwards or on the weekend.

Also, factor in changing weather and climate. AKA: if you are in a place where winter lasts for maybe a week….then ten different parkas probably aren’t very useful. 

Dissect your closet

 capsule wardrobe

Now is the time to dissect your closet. Look through all your clothes and pull out any items that don’t match two criteria:

  1. Makes you feel awesome wearing it.
  2. Matches your day to day.

Again, life is short. So, why should we be wearing anything that doesn’t make us feel awesome or that doesn’t fit our lifestyle?

It’s great to use what we already have. This saves resources for the planet and also saves us money. We may have a couple pieces missing and things will need to be replaced, but we’ll know clearer what to replace them with when we have less clutter.📦

Of course, if we need to dress for a formal meeting or event, maybe we can keep an outfit like that around. Or also an informal meeting, like say...in the woods on a hiking trail. We’ll need some clothes for that too.

Embrace Neutrality

Embrace Neutrality

Try and go with colors that go with everything. This makes the items you have more powerful, because they can be used so often and with many other pieces!

Colors that go with everything are black, grey, and white. With browns and blues going with mostly everything.

If the goal is to have less, you want to make sure those fewer items don’t sacrifice versatility.

Layer up! 

Layer up!

Instead of having one piece of clothing per every temperature degree, try having multiple layers in your closet, like a baselayer (shirt), An overshirt (button up or down), a light sweater, and a jacket. Where maybe the base layer could be by itself in warmer weather, but everything together could be super warm in the colder months.

Make it your own


Make it your own

Some of us only need one pair of really good jeans, then maybe some dressier pants. Others are totally different. Maybe some of us like to wear suits all the time, or dresses. 

Because of this, it’s almost impossible to create a list for you to work from, because it will be so dang different.

Start with the basics: a pair of jeans, shorts, a t shirt, a long sleeve, a sweater, a jacket. Then maybe some active shoes, everydays, sandals, and dressier shoes. Find a few different options for each category that you absolutely adore, then go from there! 

The whole world is out there. With endless wonders to see, many people to meet, and so many beautiful opportunities. It’ll be best that we look and feel our best. All without compromising our values or health along the way.

Written by Aaron Burr 

A writer dedicated to working solely with companies on a mission to help the earth and people on it.