Have You Tried the 'Capsule Wardrobe' Thing?

Have you guys seen the phrase "cooler on the internet"? Maybe it's popped up on a keychain or in the Instagram bio of someone you follow. It's kind of a funny way to admit the difference between "internet life", e.g., the things we show our online communities vs. real life, e.g., the dishes from last night's dinner that are still sitting in the sink. There are all sorts of things that come up as "cooler on the internet", or even "talked about on the internet", that don't seem to be as big of a deal in real life.

This brings me to capsule wardrobes. A lot of bloggers I follow have been talking about reducing their wardrobe for certain seasons or occasions. There are a lot of different approaches to building a capsule wardrobe, and I've even seen some bloggers call it a 2-week capsule wardrobe when they're packing for vacation. I don't think this is 100% the idea behind a capsule wardrobe, but I suppose they are treating the clothes they choose with intention, and in that sense, they're on the right track.

Interestingly, the term "capsule wardrobe" was coined in the 1970's by a London woman, according to Wikipedia. Then, the article says, in 1985 Donna Karan came out with a line of 7 "easy pieces" for a woman to incorporate into her daily life. At the time, Karan's philosophy was that women had become routine at everyday tasks like putting dinner on the table, and she wanted to empower them to approach style with the same confidence and determination.

Mood board details: 1, 2, 3, 4

Then, we all know how Steve Jobs wore his signature turtleneck, jeans and sneakers combo every day. Other successful uniform-touters like Zuckerberg and Obama say they save time — and mental energy — by not having to make so many decisions when they look at their closet.

And, of course, there are other benefits: sustainability, cost savings, less clutter.

All that being said, the arguments on the internet are widespread and pretty convincing for why we should all be ditching our extra stuff. From a lot of the capsules I've seen, this way of dressing often leads people to determine a single palette of mostly neutrals — which makes sense, easier to mix and match. (Except, shoutout to Elsie Larson for keeping her capsule fresh with some serious patterns in the dress category) I have to be honest and say I enjoy adding color and random patterns into my wardrobe, so I've felt like a capsule wardrobe might limit my enjoyment for dressing myself.

My fall/winter wardrobe is far, far less extensive than my spring/summer wardrobe, and I tend to view the four seasons as two collective "cold times" and "hot times". So, my "cold time" wardrobe needs some updating — and some decluttering. Maybe this post is the inspiration I needed to try out a capsule?

I make no promises.