Simplification is all the rage. But it gets kind of
complicated.
Capsule Wardrobes
are the thing right now. Basically, the idea is to limit yourself to a certain
number of versatile clothing items for each season. You wear the same 37 (or
so) articles of clothing/shoes in different combinations for 3 months, then
pull everything else out of storage and remix your wardrobe for the next
season. (That doesn’t include undies/socks, workout clothes, pajamas, etc.) The
idea is to only purchase things you love and will work well with things you
already have. Given the blog posts and Facebook links I’ve seen on this topic
lately, it’s a brand new idea no one’s ever thought of before.
But here’s the thing. The Capsule Wardrobe is supposed to
simplify your daily life. And I love that. But switching out clothes from
storage every three months? No way.
Talk about un-simplifying things. Let’s
be honest. I do good to move my kids’ shoes and clothes out of their closet
when they’ve been too small for 3 months. There’s no way I’m going to
voluntarily decide to “remix” my own clothes four times a year. Go ahead and
think, “that’s not that often.” And then smack yourself. Because remember when
Caedmon was having laser treatments every 3 months? Something you have to do
every 3 months comes around too fast. Every single time.
It’s also supposed to help simplify your laundry. I don’t
know about you, but no matter how many articles of clothing I own, I only wear
a certain number of clothes each day. So the laundry burden wouldn’t change for
me.
I also wear a lot of the same things in every season. Sure,
shorts and sandals are pretty much a summer thing. And a few sweaters are only
worn in winter. But jeans? V-neck t-shirts? Boyfriend cardigans? Chucks? Most
of my long sleeve shirts? All year. (I’m cold natured…and it’s the same
temperature inside all year long.) So it
really wouldn’t do me much good to switch out even half of my 37-ish items
every 3 months.
And let’s talk about how many articles of clothing/shoes 37
x 4 actually is. (Not counting your workout clothes, swimwear, undies, and the
jeans you wear to paint the living room.) Sure, there are a few that would
cross over. Let’s say that you have 10 things you wear all year long or would
cross over to multiple seasons. The other 27 items are switched out every 3
months. That’s 118 items. And actually a lot of clothes. At any given time,
you’re required to store 81 articles of clothing/shoes. Where are you supposed
to put that stuff? It’s not supposed to be in your closet. It’s supposed to be
in “storage”. I don’t have that kind of extra space lying around for stuff that
could actually fit in my closet.
Sure, I keep things I should get rid of. Just today, I went
through my side of the closet and donated quite a few items. My general rule is that if I didn’t wear it
in the past year, it’s gone. And I haven’t been diligent in that the past
couple of years. Generally, if I’m buying something new, it’s probably
replacing something I’ve gotten rid of or filling a gap. Just for fun, I
counted the items in my closet – including a few quality pieces I’ve chosen to hold
onto even though I haven’t worn them in a while. I have about 100 items. That
officially leaves me 18 items short. Yet I don’t feel the need to run out and
buy 18 new things.
I think the main point in the whole Capsule Wardrobe
endeavor is to only buy things you love and will wear a lot. With very few
exceptions, I already do that. And I
always have. So that means I leave a lot of things on the rack at the
store. If I don’t love it, or I don’t see myself wearing it a lot, I don’t buy
it. It’s pretty simple. I’ve also been known to visit clothes in the store. If
I really like something, I’ll keep going back to it each time I’m in the
store…usually waiting for it to go on sale. If I really love it every time I
see it, I know it would be a good purchase. If I don’t, I know it might not be
the best idea, no matter the price.
If the official Capsule Wardrobe works for you, then by all
means, go for it. I get what it’s trying to do. It’s just not my thing.
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