Ever said to yourself, “I have too many clothes!” If things resonates with you, you aren’t alone! A capsule minimalist wardrobe can help you solve this problem, all while saving money in the long-term. I’ll go over the definition of a capsule minimalist wardrobe, why it’s important and how to have a minimalist wardrobe.
Read on to learn about minimalism and the capsule minimalist wardrobe.
What is a Minimalist Lifestyle?
Before I get into the capsule minimalist wardrobe and why it’s important, let’s briefly touch on a minimalist lifestyle. What exactly is this? It might sound complex, but it’s actually quite straightforward. A minimalist lifestyle is one where someone only buys essential items and keeps physical possessions that bring them joy. For a minimalist, every item that they own or use brings them some sort of joy and serves a purpose.
Does this mean that a minimalist will entirely forgo special treats and items that bring them happiness? What if you have a large collection of books that you absolutely love, but you don’t need each and every single book? No worries – keep those books! We all have things that bring us joy. Maybe you have a huge vinyl collection and enjoy spending your Saturday evenings cranking up the volume while relaxing by the fireplace. If something brings you joy, it can easily be integrated into a minimalist lifestyle. The whole point of this lifestyle is being more intentional and learning to be happy with what you have.
While I can keep going on about a minimalist lifestyle, let’s focus on one specific area: the capsule wardrobe.
What is a Capsule Wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is a collection of high-quality clothing pieces, shoes and accessories that are timeless, can be worn year round and can be tailored to different seasons.
Typically, the minimalist capsule wardrobe will have items that can be used for different seasons year round. For example, one can wear a leather jacket or ripped jeans for both formal and informal settings – it’s all about how you put the outfit together. A capsule wardrobe focuses on essential items and focuses less on your personal style – for example, colored scarves or bags. However, these items can be integrated into one’s minimalist closet in addition to classic core pieces.
The History of Capsule Wardrobes
When did capsule wardrobes become a thing? Capsule wardrobes began springing up the 1940s, but gained traction and popularity in the 1970s thanks to a woman named Susie Faux. Faux, a wardrobe consultant, owned a boutique called Wardrobe. She paved the way for what we now know as the modern capsule wardrobe. She defined a capsule wardrobe as a collection of several items of timeless pieces of clothing in one’s closet. The capsule wardrobe contains timeless pieces that won’t go out of style, such as coats and classic skirt and pant cuts. Classic pieces are then worn with other pieces and can be worn with multiple outfits.
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Getting Started with a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe
To get started, create a capsule wardrobe plan. This mainly involves taking inventory of what you have in your closet, then making a checklist of what you need to buy. Make a list of how many items you have of each.
Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe Checklist
What should be included on your capsule wardrobe list? Here is an example of a basic minimalist capsule wardrobe checklist for you to compare with your current inventory of clothing. These items can be mixed and matched for multiple outfits. For example, you can wear a white-shirt with either a jean jacket or leather jacket, and you can wear dress shoes or causal shoes with these outfits. I’ve listed gender-neutral staple items and a few items best suited to a minimalist wardrobe for women and for men as well.
Here are the top essential wardrobe pieces for minimalist living that you should consider stocking your closet with:
- White t-shirt
- Black t-shirt
- Black blazer
- Dark jeans
- Black dress pants
- Black handbag (women)
- Denim jacket
- Leather jacket (faux or real)
- White tennis shoes
- Trench coat
- Black shoes – heels for women or dress shoes for men
- Neutral-colored (silver or gold) analog watch – or digital watch
Once you’ve determined how many items you currently have of each above, assess the quality of each item. Go through your closet and declutter it of any items that are broken down or of low quality. If you can afford it, replace it with a higher-quality item. Once you’ve gone through your wardrobe, write a separate list of items you need to purchase.
Variations on the Capsule Wardrobe
Once you’ve collected your minimalist wardrobe essentials, it’s time for the next step on your minimalist wardrobe checklist: get creative and take it a step further! If you’re feeling up for it, create a capsule wardrobe for different seasons and for specific pieces in your closet. Here are some ideas to spark creativity:
Capsule Shoe Wardrobe
Take an inventory of your shoes and build a collection of capsule wardrobe shoes. This can include anything from leather boots, white tennis shoes, flip-flops, sandals and a pair of high-quality running shoes. Personally, I’ve had the same pair of Nike running shoes for over 4 years because I’ve invested in higher-quality shoes instead of the cheapest shoes possible. These shoes have lasted me many seasons!
Seasonal Wardrobe
Instead of focusing on the clothes and shoes for a year round minimalist wardrobe, why not focus on a season and buy core pieces to suit the weather for this time of year? For example, you could shop for an autumn capsule wardrobe and invest in a couple of high-quality scarves, fashionable, yet comfortable boots, a solid leather jacket and a few cozy sweaters (if you live in somewhere like Canada or a part of the US that gets cooler weather!).
Minimalist Travel Capsule Wardrobe
Frequent traveler? Why not build a minimalist travel capsule wardrobe that you can take with you wherever you go? In my experience, if I’m traveling somewhere with a specific climate, I usually bring the same 10 or 15 items.
Your minimalist capsule wardrobe should include 10-15 core pieces you’ll use multiple times during your vacation.
For example, if I’m traveling to a tropical place, my minimalist summer wardrobe might include:
- 2 swimsuits
- 1 pair of flip-flops
- 1 pair of nice sandals
- 2 tank tops
- 2 t-shirts
- 2 casual dresses
- 1 nicer dress
- A beach bag
- A purse
If I’m traveling to a cooler place – for example, one with a winter climate, my list includes:
- A winter jacket
- 1-2 sweaters
- 1-2 hoodies
- 1-2 pairs of long pants
- 1 pair of leggings
- 2 pairs of cozy socks
- 1 pair of winter boots
- 1 pair of running shoes for indoor exercise
If I’m traveling for a period longer than a few days, I bring one of two more of each item. Adjust the size of your wardrobe according to your trip length!
Keep in mind that this list is non-exhaustive. I might bring a couple more special pieces, like a nice necklace or flashy purse to dress up my outfit. Just don’t bring too much! The point of a minimalist wardrobe is not only to live a simpler life that minimizes negative environmental impacts, but to also ensure you have enough room in your suitcase!
Extreme Minimalist Wardrobe
While not recommended, you can take the capsule wardrobe a step further by completely cutting out any unnecessary items in your closet. For example, no patterned dresses or socks – only neutral-colored items! I don’t recommend doing this long-term. Why not? If you only focus on living a very basic lifestyle, you may start feeling deprived over the long-term. The extreme minimalist wardrobe might work for someone who isn’t too concerned about fashion. Additionally, it’s a great way to get started with minimalism. Having an extremely limited amount of clothing in your closet makes your life easier since you will have less choices for what to wear.
While the extreme minimalist wardrobe is a great tool to teach you how to be intentional with what you wear, I recommend that you integrate at least 3-5 ‘fun’ pieces into you wardrobe so you don’t get too bored. Extreme minimalism can also dip into cheap territory – remember, we are practicing frugal living, not being cheap. Don’t deprive yourself! Remember, besides saving money and helping the environment, the purpose of frugal living and minimalism is to have fun! Life is too short to cut corners and sell yourself short of things you enjoy.
Getting Free Clothes
Another alternative to the extreme minimalist wardrobe: getting free clothes! There are so many different ways to find clothes for free. Check out different websites for clothing swap events or download an app to find meetups in your area. You can even sign up for different market research and survey sites, including UserTesting, Respondent and User Interviews. Participate in studies, get paid in PayPal cash and use the cash to buy clothes online! Just don’t try to get absolutely everything for free – some things are worth spending money on!
Shopping for a Capsule Wardrobe
Be Frugal by Shopping at Thrift Stores
After you’ve taken inventory of your wardrobe and have decided on which type of minimalist wardrobe you’ll build, it’s time for the most exciting part of the process – shopping! You can take being frugal and thrifty a level further. Consider shopping at secondhand (thrift stores) instead of retail shops. Why? Thrift stores often carry high quality clothing at a fraction of the cost. When you buy secondhand, you are also being environmentally conscious and are taking part of eco-minimalism, a movement that focuses on reusing and repurposing items as much as possible and reducing our environmental impact. Since items generally cost less at thrift stores, you’ll have more money for clothes. Splurge frugal by shopping at thrift stores and you’ll be able to get more than if you bought retail!
Shop at Stores That Carry Minimalistic Clothing
If you must shop retail, go for stores that carry staple items. The best capsule wardrobe brands carry minimalistic clothing – stores that include The Gap, Old Navy, Uniqlo, and more. Peruse your local mall and see which stores can help you stock a minimal wardrobe!
Thrift stores received gently used clothing, shoes, books, housewares and more and resell them at a lower price. It may some work to find treasures (many thrift stores accept a range of items varying in quality). However, once you find the piece you’ve been looking for – or even something that you weren’t originally looking for – you’ll feel immense satisfaction! What’s more is that since the items are generally quite a bit cheaper than retail stores, you’ll be saving cash. Help the environment and save money. Win-win!
After your shopping adventure, why not donate your old clothing and help the environment? Put all your clothing in a bag and give it away. Don’t throw away the items – recycle them instead. Some thrift stores also have bins where you can deposit old clothing. Even if the store cannot resell your old wares, they’ll be happy to recycle it or dispose of it in a responsible manner.
Personalizing your Wardrobe
One important note: just because you’ve created a minimalist wardrobe and you’ve begun focusing on frugal, simple living doesn’t mean that you can’t buy anything fun. Feel free to splurge on that multi-colored jacket or those funky earrings! Some people want their wardrobe to be a specific color – a black capsule wardrobe is a great place to start! When choosing a capsule wardrobe color, pick something neutral so you clothing can be worn for many occasions.
In general, do what makes you happy! As mentioned before, minimalism also focuses on what brings you joy. It’s all about living with conscious intent and learning how to be happy with what you have. Personally, I’ve integrated the following items into my wardrobe to make it my own:
- A colored pair of sandals
- A statement bag in deep red – a departure from my black and brown handbags
- 5 pairs of earrings I can switch up between outfits and use to jazz up my look
- Several bright t-shirts and tank tops I wear under my blazer or zip-up hoodie
- A bright blazer
- 1 or 2 colored hats
- Several colored sundresses to wear on vacation
Another fun way to personalize your wardrobe and keep it fresh? Change up your nails. Why not go for a manicure and get a bright color? You can stick with your minimalist wardrobe and jazz your outfit up simply with the color of your fingernails!
Jazz up your wardrobe with a brightly-colored purse, hairpiece or nail polish!
What Are the Benefits of a Capsule Wardrobe?
What are the main benefits of investing in a capsule wardrobe? Outside of having core pieces that will last you for years to come, you’re helping the environment. Some other incredible benefits of a capsule wardrobe include:
- Wasting less time going to the store and re-purchasing lower-quality items – since you’ve invested in higher-quality, timeless pieces, they’ll last you a lot longer.
- A feeling of satisfaction garnered by purging your closet of unnecessary items you no longer wear and/or don’t pass the quality test.
- The ability to customize and personalize your wardrobe while also investing in high-quality items.
- Less clutter in your closet.
- An easier ability to choose what to wear in the morning – if you can only pick between a few options for jackets or bags, you’ll spend less time getting ready in the morning and you won’t suffer from decision fatigue!
- Looking and feeling great! When you have a nice wardrobe with solid, quality pieces, you’ll feel good about wearing them.
- Reducing landfill – by responsibly giving away your used clothing and/or recycling them, you’re playing a small part in reducing environmental waste .
- Helping others – by donating your used clothing you don’t use, you’re helping other people who may not be able to buy clothes at retail prices. Additionally, thrift stores are non-profits, which generally means that the proceeds from sales go to a charity in your local community. By giving your clothes to secondhand stores, you’re indirectly supporting some amazing local causes.
Variations on Your Capsule Minimalist Wardrobe
If you’ve mastered creating a year round capsule wardrobe, travel capsule wardrobe and maybe have even tried the extreme minimalist wardrobe, why not keep going with the trend? You can try out the following wardrobe sets:
- Capsule wardrobe for summer
- Capsule wardrobe for winter
- Smart casual capsule wardrobe
- Work minimalist capsule wardrobe
- Summer work capsule wardrobe
- Beach vacation capsule wardrobe
These are just a few ideas. Feel free to get creative and make minimalist mini-wardrobes according to your lifestyle! If you work from home, you might focus on casual clothes versus a summer work wardrobe. Got children at home? Creating a capsule wardrobe for kids is a great way to introduce your children to mindful, minimalist living. Again, create wardrobe and outfit sets that match your lifestyle. Minimalism with kids doesn’t have to be hard. Clean out your child’s closet of old items, then take a trip to your local thrift store to donate the old clothing and find some basics that your kids love!
If you aren’t ready to fully commit to a minimalist wardrobe, consider a 30-day minimalism or no spend month challenge, where you only focus on wearing and consuming things (food, media) that bring you joy and are essential to your survival and happiness. After you’ve successfully completed the challenge, slowly focus on swapping out items in your closet for core, high-quality pieces. A frugal minimalist considers both quality and price. When creating your minimalist wardrobe, be sure to focus on both.
Conclusion – Capsule Minimalist Wardrobe
Capsule wardrobes are an essential part of frugal living and saving money. You don’t have to resort to extreme minimalism to live a simple lifestyle. By investing in a capsule minimalist wardrobe and committing to a frugal minimalism, you’re saving money long-term and helping the environment. Look good and feel great doing it with a fresh wardrobe!
Enjoy cleaning and restocking that closet!
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Janita is a frugal living expert and owner of Frugal Fun Finance. With over five years of personal experience finding and trying out the best ways to make and save more money, she's eager to share her knowledge. Janita's strategies have helped her save thousands of dollars for funding investments and traveling to over 20 countries.
Janita completed training in personal finance at The University of Western Ontario and McGill University, two prestigious Canadian universities. Her expertise has been shared on GoBankingRates, Yahoo Finance, and NASDAQ.com.
