A Capsule Wardrobe

Who strongly detests laundry? Are you someone who hordes a huge pile of clean clothes because the idea of having to FOLD and put everything away is sooo daunting?. I am totally all of the above, its been my homemaking and life weakness since I was a teen. I can always remember my mom hounding me to get my clothes picked up and put away rather then strewing them all over my bedroom floor! "how can you tell what's clean and dirty???" I can totally hear her voice in my head as I write this post! If this also sounds like you and if you dislike the whole laundry game, keep a reading because I'm going to break out 5 simple and tangible steps to seriously reduce your laundry pile and have your closet looking ultra organized!

This STRUGGLE IS SO REAL!!! AMMMIRIGHT?

I came across this post about a capsule wardrobe and immediately I knew I HAD to give this whole capsule or micro closet situation a try! baby steps tho! There was no way I was going to actually downsize to this extreme level with 100% commitment so decided to store the majority of our stuff, for a time, in our crawl space until I felt comfortable donating it all. This was a big undertaking, seriously, I ended up reducing our closets about 80% including linens and such too! But it has been a huge lifesaver and for me and my fam!

So lets get started. Here are 5 simple steps to a capsule wardrobe and reducing your laundry OVERLOAD!

STEP 1: Color Scheme, Pick one. This will help you go into this project with a clearer vision. Grab your notebook, (if you don't have one, you can grab our handy 3 pack here) write down some of your favorite colors to wear, create a scheme of 4 or 5 max of your favorites that COORDINATE! The whole point is to create as many outfit options from nothing basically lol. Pintrest is a fabulous resource for clothing schemes! I'm a neutral gal to the core, so this part was easy for me. Greys, black, beige and obviously light pinks for a splash of color. My kids wardrobes are similar, with mostly neutrals and one or two pieces as a colorful accent.

***Note: Make this a seasonal thing! We are heading into fall and winter, your warm and cozies will be a huge theme for the next few months. Make sure and store an easy to access spring swap out wardrobe for when the weather warms up!

STEP 2: Brainstorm+Organize. Again from your notebook, write down these clothing categories:

Light Shirts I Sweaters I Bottoms I Unmentionables I Accessories I Shoes+Handbags.

Under each category, and before even opening up your closets and drawers, brainstorm your fave pieces that match with your color scheme and write them down. Only add 5/6 items to each category, with the exception of the unmentionables category then try for 5 of each sub category like socks, undies & bras. Chances are you already have 5 or 6 go to pieces from each category so this part should be pretty painless.

STEP 3: Take Action. open that closet up and start purging! Be ruthless, you have already worked out all the details and you can totally store all the extra until you decide weather or not this whole capsule idea is guna stick! If you do store, I highly recommend purchasing some totes to keep everything in. Make sure and start a giveaway or sell pile for anything you you know you don't want anymore. Get sorting!

STEP 4: Finesse & Finish. This is when the vision comes to life, this is when you can see weather or not your outfit choices will work well as a whole system. Feel free to change things around to better match your scheme, being mindful of the 5/6 pieces for each category rule. Spread your favorites out over the bed and make sure you have a good visual. Play with different outfits, match things up, change things! Once your five items are worked out and EVERYTHING else is sorted in to storage or giveaway/donate piles its time to organize and display everything.

STEP 5: Organize + Display. Hopefully by now your closet is pretty barebones and has a very minimalist feel. This part is the most fun!! Its time to start visualizing how your closet is going to look. Its time to plan out where each category will go, so grab that handy lil notebook and start sketching a mockup drawing of your closet and then start putting things in their place **PRO TIP: HANG AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE leaving drawers for things like your unmentionables and accessories. Color coordinate each category for extra points ✔ Handbags and hats should be and displayed, don't ya think? So put them up on any shelves you might have, stuff the handbags with seasonal things like beach towels or holiday linens.

Your Done!

Now sit back with a big ol glass of wine and bask in the amazingness that is your new fabulous capsule wardrobe! This seriously has saved me so much time, I love how clean the final set up is and I love LOVE having all the things on hangars, organized and super easy to see.

Thank you so much for reading! If you liked this post make sure and subscribe!!

xoxo

Kelly

Molly+Me Co.