Planning Your Spring Capsule Wardrobe

Now that we’re finally getting some warm days, I decided to start spring cleaning. No, I didn’t get out the window cleaner and gloves. I went window shopping and then headed home to my closet to clean out, organize, and plan my spring capsule wardrobe.

I usually do a thorough wardrobe cleaning project twice a year. This spring, however, is an especially busy time for me. With my daughter getting married, starting a decorating project, and planning a trip, I can’t seem to think about what I’m going to wear for the next six months. So, for this year, I’m going to experiment with a spring capsule wardrobe to get me through March, April, and May. Then, in June, I’ll do the same for the summer months.

Here’s the main benefits to my plan:

Simple plan for picking outfits
Save money by buying less
Quality items
A wardrobe that works for this particular season of life

I’m really excited about this approach. You see, I’m known to save my favorite items for special occasions and sometimes they don’t get worn very much. By “saving” things, I don’t feel like I’m dressing as well as I should. Instead of saving my favorites, I’m going to make those the things I reach for the most.

Are you going to have a busy spring with lots of different things going on in your life? Would you like to join me in planning your spring capsule wardrobe? Ok, if you’re ready, here’s the plan:

PLANNING YOUR SPRING CAPSULE WARDROBE

First, move all winter items to another location. Then go through everything you have for spring and throw out everything that’s ripped, stained, in bad condition, or things you just don’t feel good in.

Now, think about the categories of clothes that you need. These will depend on your lifestyle, but most of us have similar categories of clothes that we need. Most of us need clothes in the following categories:

Basic casual
Nice casual
Work
Dressy or special occasion

With those categories in mind, I’ve come up with a good, balanced spring capsule wardrobe. Remember, these are suggestions and you will need to change the amounts and styles, according to your lifestyle for this season.

SPRING CAPSULE WARDROBE

BASIC CASUAL – Basic, very casual clothes for weekdays at home or quick errands.

4-5 bottoms, in neutral colors
5-7 tops, in colors to mix and match with neutral bottoms
Basic, everyday walking shoes and sandals
Basic earrings and necklace for everyday wear

NICE CASUAL – Semi-casual clothes for social or shopping outings.

3 complete outfits, consisting of bottoms and tops to match, or casual dresses
Nice, flat sandals
Wedge heel espadrilles
Purse or tote in summer color
Trendy earring, necklaces, and bracelets to mix and match with all 3 outfits

WORK CLOTHES – Depends on your type of job. Buy key, quality items and mix and match for versatility.

5 pants
8 tops
1 dress or skirt and top outfit
Good quality shoes and handbag
Good quality, classic accessories

DRESSY AND SPECIAL OCCASION – Clothes for church, special occasions, and events.

1 or 2 dresses or skirt outfits
2 or 3 pants with tops to match
Dressy pumps and/or sandals
1 or 2 good, quality handbags, and 1 clutch purse
Jewelry

ORGANIZING YOUR SPRING CAPSULE WARDROBE

Print out the plan.
Organize your closet into the suggested categories.
Compare what you already have to the suggested items.
Make a list of missing pieces.
Prioritize your list and make a plan for what you will shop for.
Decide where you will shop for quality items. A great place to start is where you usually find great fitting items that fit your style.

MAKING YOUR CAPSULE WARDROBE WORK

For each category, have three easy “go-to” outfits.
Get creative and try mixing and matching different pieces.
Change accessories to get different looks.
When you need new outfit ideas, start with something that you haven’t worn much, even something like a piece of jewelry, and try putting it with something you haven’t tried before.
When shopping for new pieces, make sure you have at least three things to go with it. That helps with your mixing and matching.

That’s my plan for a spring capsule wardrobe. Knowing that the wardrobe is for three months, as opposed to six months means that there’s no reason to save your favorites. Instead, wear them over and over, but in different outfit combinations. Then, in June, you can put away some of the pieces that are strictly for spring and add some new things for a summer capsule wardrobe. I’ll have more on that later.