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The Style and Beauty Doctor reader Souvenance writes in asking, “Hello Danielle, First, I like your blog and thank you for all your work. I really need your help, I want to redo my wardrobe and I heard about the capsule. What are the rules to create one? Thank you in advance for your help. Big kisses PS: Sorry if my English is bad but I’m French”

Hi Souvenance!

Your English might actually be better than mine ;)

Capsule wardrobe was my most FAVORITE part of my Image Consulting courses I took at the Fashion Institute of Technology during 2004-2006. Why? Because you can get some SERIOUS mileage out of your wardrobe and it forces you to buy quality over quantity.

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A capsule wardrobe is when you use the pieces of your wardrobe over and over to create countless outfits. It allows you to actually have very little in your wardrobe because you make sure you rotate the pieces often. Capsule wardrobes are great for spacing (you do more with less), great for the environment (you “recycle” your clothes”), and even greater for your wallet since you’re not always buying clothes.

Some rules for a capsule wardrobe:
1. Only buy items that truly work for your body. You know how you have that favorite pair of jeans that fit you perfectly and you wear them all the time? Treat each piece of your capsule wardrobe like that and you’ll never have clothes in your closet that you don’t wear. Stick with more wardrobe basics and think twice about adding trendy pieces.

For tips on what works for your body type, check out the Dressing for Your Body tab in the site menu bar above and if you’re still stuck, contact me.

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2. Get creative. Wearing the same black skirt with white blouse all the time becomes more of a uniform than an outfit. Think outside the box and try pairing your pieces with other pieces you might not initially have thought went together. You’ll have tons of unexpected surprises.

3. Buy quality pieces. In order for your capsule wardrobe to work, the pieces have to last. You don’t have to always buy expensive clothing if it’s not in your budget. You can score quality items from sales sections of stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdales as well as score finds on flash sale sites like Rue La La, Gilt Groupe, Hautelook, and online designer consignment shops like The RealReal.

4. Don’t forget color. Neutrals of course are great, but color–especially your best colors can make you look vibrant and more fashionable. Find out what your best colors are by checking out Your Best Colors for Wardrobe. Learn how to combine colors in The Color Wheel: How to Combine Colors in your Wardrobe.

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5. Accessories are the finishing touches. You don’t have to have a ton of accessories—a few well made ones like a statement necklace, a heavy bracelet, and a conversation starting ring will do the trick. They’ll add character and variety to your outfits.

Here’s a capsule wardrobe I created out of just 9 pieces of clothing and 6 accessories. I stopped at ten outfits, but you can keep going and going to make even more combos. Plus you can wear these season to season and there’s options for both work and play! Add tights to the skirt outfits in cooler weather.

There’s no need to have your closet overflowing with clothes, folks ;)

The clothes:

More Alexander Wang…

The accessories:

More Alexander Wang…

The outfits (scroll through the gallery below):

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