Capsule Wardrobes 101

A brief who, what, wear, why and when for all those who are wondering if the capsule wardrobe life is for them.

Oh hey, bonjour, hello….if you know me irl or even online it will come as no surprise that I Briellen Smith, with full transparency and hand on heart could not, would not and never will be someone that will ever identify as a capsule wardrobe wearer. My maximalist (everything) vibe could never. Ever.

Now that I have spoken my truth and the elephant in the room…well newsletter…is clear we can deep dive into all things capsule wardrobes, which has been an overwhelmingly strong theme in my dm’s the past few weeks (which I love for everyone who is not me).

Firstly, I know the idea of Capsule Wardrobes are super popular at the moment but the idea isn’t actually new. The concept was first introduced by Susie Faux in the 1970’s who owned a retail store in London called ‘Wardrobe’ - I know very little about Susie but after reading about her I am already getting the vibe she was a marketing queen very ahead of her time…build a capsule wardrobe at wardrobe, fucking genius.

She was all about the great quality, timeless pieces that you can invest in and wear over a long period of time and her store specialised in a minimalist, foundational aesthetic.

Our marketing queen then released a book in the 1980’s Wardrobe; Develop Your Style & Confidence which was all about how the capsule wardrobe will simplify life by having fewer clothes of greater quality that you will wear more often and therefore feel more confident in cause the quality will show and you know the overall looks will work (I feel like the badass 9 to 5 bitches of the 80’s would have frothed this shit).

Since career women were having such a moment in the 1980’s, Donna Karan picked up on the working woman vibe and made it fashion when she launched her Seven Easy Pieces Collection which was basically a capsule wardrobe consisting of a bodysuit, wrap skirt, pants, shorts, a blazer, sweaters and accessories to showcase that women could look professional without needing a suit (yes girl, women should not look like small men). This inaugural collection was an absolute game changer in the USA fashion landscape at the time and not only made Donna Karan a designer to know but also cemented the idea of a Capsule Wardrobe for a second decade in a row.

The Capsule Wardrobe then took a little beat (not a coincidence that the capsule wardrobe slash buying less items of greater quality concept fizzled out at the exact same time that fast fashion was introduced to the world while we are chatting fashion history here) until 2015 when the whole minimalism movement kicked off again - I blame that Netflix documentary and all the wannabe Steve Jobs tech bros and their ‘uniforms’.

2015 was nearly ten years ago (thank fuck for botox keeping us all looking like our 2015 selves) and fashion usually works in a ten year cycle so it is no surprise that capsule wardrobes are popping back up in VOGUE articles again right on schedule. This cycle feels a bit different to the minimalism movement though and I am currently seeing a lot of interest in the Capsule Wardrobe concept to do more with wearers wanting to be more eco-conscious, more of a reflection of the economic times (live, laugh, lower the cost of living) and the societal fatigue; style fatigue, life fatigue, decision fatigue….everyone is fucking tired and one less thing to think about is a good thing.

According to VOGUE UK the 2024 capsule wardrobe consists of

• white tee shirt

• jeans

• trench coat

• black leggings

• blazer

• hoop earrings

• loafers

• tailored trousers

• white shirt

VOGUE AU’s list also included some more Sydney street style faithfuls like

• puffer jacket

• jeans that fit like trousers

• longline trench coat

• everyday black dress (a dress…fucking finally)

• versatile sandal

• slim sneaker (VOGUE out here fat shaming sneakers now)

• easy black pump

• tote that fits all (a fat tote if you will)

• slightly oversized blazer

TWO FUCKING LISTS AND NOT A SKIRT TO BE SEEN!!! I would quit the Capsule Wardrobe life within ten minutes of deciding what to wear on day one….mini skirts til I die.

My personal opinions about skirts aside, I do think that the VOGUE capsule wardrobe lists are great foundations and every wardrobe, capsule or not would do well with quality styles of the above (which, hot tip…I will be linking some recs of in next weeks substack as a part two of Capsule Wardrobes).

There are many pros to deciding to commit to a Capsule Wardrobe -

• Save monies - less clothes, more monies, duh! Capsule Wardrobes very much encourage considered purchasing so if you are a big impulse shopper this will be a huge pro.

• Eliminate decision fatigue - less clothes, more uniforms! You can wake up and know everything goes and you don’t need to overthink an outfit.

• Creativity - a huge creativity secret, the more restrictions you have, the more creative you have to be! less clothes, more opportunities to restyle and work with them…this might create some style anxiety for some but is super important if you like to switch looks up.

• Storage - less clothes, more room! As someone who is forever desperate for more storage space in my house this would be a DREAM (but I am also someone who needs more storage space for clothes so it would be counter intuitive).

• Sustainable - less consumption, less impact! To really make your Capsule Wardrobe even more sustainable you would have to opt for high quality, ethically manufactured, organic or recycled materials, natural and low impact dyes and low water usage.

And as with all parts of life, there are also cons -

• Weight - to keep the same clothes in rotation over years if not decades you have to keep a steady weight, easy for some, hard for others (hi, it me! my endo can make it impossible to stay the same weight in the one day let alone the one year).

• Laundry - less clothes, more washing in between wears! If you are not a daily washer you might need to rethink the amount of clothes in your wardrobe to get you through the week so you have enough clothes for your once a week wash (this is also then another environmental impact with more water consumption…can we ever win?)

• Climate - seasons can be a bitch and if you live somewhere that has climate extremities you might need to have those extremities reflected in your wardrobe (and the one puffer jacket might not cut it).

• Boredom - less clothes, less growth! you might get stuck in a style rut when you wear the same thing everyday. I am a huge fan of fashion been a creative outlet and some people might find that the same clothes and silhouettes doesn’t allow for a reflection for their life changes (new style, new me vibes).

• Rentals - rentals are a god send for a capsule wardrobe wearer for events but you need to be fucking organised and not a clutz! You need to be organized to have the item arrive on time and no postage delays and you need to make sure you see the rental in pristine condition when you wear it (I have been blessed with the innate talent of staining any white tee I wear within five minutes of wearing so this would be a nightmare for me).

Ultimately the more I researched and discussed Capsule Wardrobes with people who have invested in them is the overwhelming theme of doing it for sustainability and being eco-conscious…which given the current state of the world is totally understandable and very important.

Personally though I am of the opinion that you don’t need to have a Capsule Wardrobe to have a Sustainable Wardrobe - the greenwashing in the fashion industry is WILD and just because something is advertised or sold to you as ‘eco’ or ‘green’ doesn’t mean it is (so many places pay off certifiers or falsify reports…my first job out of fashion school I spent most of my time on adobe photoshopping colour fasting reports than I did designing…the greenwashing is a whole other essay of a topic though but if you are interested and would like to know more let me know and I will write about it).

The single most sustainable fashion you can buy is something that YOU love and that YOU will wear over and over again throughout your lifetime…which is why I will forever yap about the importance of personal style. If you wear something and treasure something for life only for the item to find a second life long after you and I are gone than that is sustainable fashion (which usually means it has to be good quality which is one of the Capsule Wardrobe foundations).

When Susie Faux conceptualised the Capsule Wardrobe all those decades ago she stated “the ideal size of your capsule will depend from person to person.  There’s no hard and fast rules, here – the principle is that less is more so really what you’re trying to do is to make the most of your budget to create a working wardrobe with high quality clothes that will be sufficient for your lifestyle.” So essentially as long as you are wearing your wardrobe you have a Capsule Wardrobe - so ignore all the Capsule Wardrobe bullshit lists and rules you see advertised to you and if you want to dip your toe in listen to the OG and just build a wardrobe that you love starting with what you wear the most now.*

*and if you decide there are things in your current wardrobe you don’t love anymore, sell them on depop or give them away on marketplace or send them to upparel for textile recycling (on average each Australian household disposes of 23 kilograms of textile waste each year, it is so easy to add a box next to your plastics and paper and just fill it up as you go and then tape it up for collection when you are full…this is what I do and it is EASY and the box can be booked for free if you shop Vanish from Woolworths or else it is super cheap and like $30 for a Bunnings moving box size package).

As per usual, if there is anything specific fashion or style crisis you need help with please hit up the question box on instagram and I will answer for you.

Merci Beaucoup & Reste Bizarre Boos x x