Dressed to perfection

What you wear is such an expression of who you are. But when trying to figure out what you’re going to wear creates anxiety—I have nothing to wear! Cue tears!—the act of styling a new outfit becomes less fun and more burdensome. Which is exactly why creating a capsule wardrobe, one that includes staple pieces that can easily mix and match with others to create a few dozen outfits, can become an empowering organizational move. After working in fashion trend forecasting and as a fashion editor for several celebrity magazines, fashion blogger Rebecca Brown can effortlessly curate a capsule wardrobe that works year round. Here, Brown weighs in on just how to nail down those key pieces to make styling yourself less of a headache and a lot more fun.

THINK VERSATILE

“Creating a capsule wardrobe means selecting and curating a specific number of pieces that you’ll be able to wear over and over again for a few months at a time,” says Brown, founder of the blog The Modest Runway. “Including pieces in a neutral color palette that can be layered and worn in a variety of ways—like a shirt that can be worn unbuttoned, tied around the waist, or slung over your shoulders—will ensure you get maximal wear out of a minimal wardrobe.”

OPT FOR COMFORT OVER TREND

“Comfortable pieces that are practical, functional, and suited to your lifestyle will be more beneficial to you than trendy pieces that come and go,” says Brown. “You can always amp the sass of your outfit with stylish accessories.”

PICK WHAT YOU LOVE

“If you’re used to a closet full of multiple clothing options and you’re now creating a capsule wardrobe, it’s a good idea to choose pieces from your wardrobe that you absolutely love to wear—think your coziest sweater, lived in denim, and goes-with-everything pair of booties,” says Brown. “You’ll no doubt wear each item in your capsule wardrobe at least a handful of times, so make sure you feel great wearing each and every item. It’ll make a huge difference [in] your confidence.”

CONSIDER THE SEASON

“You may love your pink floral maxi [dress] with your beige espadrilles, but don’t include them in your winter capsule wardrobe because you can’t imagine three months without them,” she says. “When creating your season based selections, make notes for items you’ll know you want to include in your other seasonal wardrobes. Staying on target will help you create a capsule closet that you’ll actually wear.”

GO FOR VARIETY

“Deciding to cull your wardrobe and select just a small number of items to get you through the season doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice having options for different outfits,” she says. “Depending on how many pieces you’re including in your capsule collection, make sure you have three to four options per garment type. For example, three tees, three jackets, four skirts, etc. This will give you a plethora of options to mix and match.”

TAKE NOTES

“It’s inevitable that once you’ve cycled through the season with your capsule wardrobe you’ll get a sense of pieces you wore all the time and those you thought you’d wear more but didn’t,” explains Brown. “Guess what? That’s ok! If you’re meticulous, take outfit notes each day. You can always switch things up next season!” Written by Blake Miller. Photography provided by ©iStockphoto.com/ Petar Chernaev.