This year I decided that I was going to do a big closet overhaul and see how close I could get to a capsule wardrobe.  You know those collections you see all over Pinterest where they’ve managed to weed out all but 30 pieces of clothing?  Yup, that was my plan.  Simplify my closet and start being more intentional with what I buy instead of just shopping for clothes randomly and never using half of my wardrobe.

Ok, this was going to be a big step for me. I like to think I’m a minimalist but reality is that my dreams of the minimalistic life might never become reality.  I wouldn’t call myself a collector or lover of clutter either.  In fact, clutter in my house kind of stresses me out, but lets be honest, we all have our areas where clutter builds up.  For me, its my room! It seems to be the catch all room, the room I quickly toss items into when company arrives and leave things to “get to later”, you know the rest;) . And then, there was – the closet – I usually do a bit of a purge every season but for some reason I had been holding on for DEAR LIFE to some pieces for the “what if”.

Well, one Saturday morning I woke up and something inside me was fired up and as my poor hubby lied in bed trying to have a sleep in, I started!  I was like a machine,  tossing hanger after hanger onto the bed beside my snoring husband.  I was ruthless, everything.must.go!  1/2 way through the events he woke and in his groggy voice asked what the heck was happening LOL.  It was time. It all had to go!  He could not believe his eyes….she was letting go…

Or was she losing her mind?

Here is just a taste of the chaos that became my bedroom while I weeded through “give away”, “throw away” and “keep”.

 (side note:  about 1/2 hour into my dramatic purge fest, Dion also became inspired and started purging his long loved clothing as well…it was now a team effort….bonding perhaps? marriage therapy?)

It didn’t take long before I had built my piles of “keep”, “give away”, and “throw away” . It felt exhilarating!!  Now that my closet was empty, I could start filling it back up with my “almost” capsule wardrobe.  Ok, lets just say that this was going to take baby steps.  Friends, I ended up getting rid of over 200 PIECES!  There were empty hangers everywhere and it felt so good!  I think by the end of it I had left myself with approximately 75 ‘ish pieces.  Still a far cry from the perfect 30 capsule collection, but so good nonetheless.

It was a fresh start and the new rule was to start being very intentional about what I buy.  Does it fit my current style? Is it a good all around basic? Will I actually wear it?  Just like my view on friendship in my post here, I’m learning to use the same view of “quality over quantity” when it comes to my wardrobe.  Its so easy to get caught up in buying every $20 shirt that inspires you, but after doing this purge I’d rather spend $50 on a good quality shirt that really matches my style and will last longer.  I’ve learned that you really only need a few good neutral pieces to put together a variety of great outfits!

Which brings me to my next “piece” (no pun intended…or maybe it was intended LOL)

Sharing the Closet

Being a mom of girls, I’ve learned that once they reach their teen years, the closet becomes fair game for sharing.  I didn’t have a sister growing up so I have to admit, its been a process to learn how to share LOL.  I’d say for the most part I’m totally fine with it as long as it doesn’t end up in the back of their closet crunched up in a ball.  Thats when I usually forget the item exists until one day I’m cleaning their room:)

I’ve come up with a great strategy! Lets say there are a few pricier items that we all want to add to our wardrobe.  We can buy them as shared pieces.  This Levi’s jacket was a perfect example.  Both Shayna and I wanted a new denim jacket, so we bought this one as a shared piece that we can both use.  There will be the odd time that we both want to wear it on the same day and if that happens, Shayna will just have to find another option, HA!

Other items that we’ve bought with the intention of sharing are this cardigan from Aritzia along with this jacket.  These are the perfect “3rd” piece for any outfit.  I once had a girlfriend come up to me and exclaim, “I know what it is!”  Its your 3rd pieces!  I was like…”huh?”  Well, apparently a great outfit is all about whatever you use as the 3rd piece, whether it be a jacket, a scarf, the perfect accessory etc.  It totally makes sense.  I can have on a super boring pair of jeans with a basic tee, and once I throw on a great “3rd piece” my outfit feels complete.  Now that I know what it means, I always intentionally consider this all important piece of an outfit.

  Here are some of our favourite “3rd” pieces:)

Here are my Fall Wardrobe staples:

• A few fun hats
• Black jeans
• Black leather jacket (totally fine if its fake and $59.99 like mine was lol)
• A few basic dresses
• Black leather “look” leggings (I say “look” because no one wants to wear real leather am I right? These ones are my favourite and again I understand they are pricey but I get so much wear out of them and they are going to last me multiple seasons! If you’re able to splurge here, I’d highly recommend it)
• Longer basic shirts (to wear over those leggings..coverage is key;))
• Basic tees
• Chambray button up shirt
• Yoga pants (EVERY girl on the planet needs a good pair of comfy, non see through yoga pants.  I HIGHLY recommend these ones.  Again, an investment, but I’ve spent so much money looking for the perfect yoga pant and should have just bought the good ones to start with)

If your budget doesn’t allow for some of the bigger investment pieces, I’d highly recommend selling some of your clothes on a local facebook swap or consignment store, and then using that money to invest in some good quality pieces that you’re going to get great use out of.  Or, save up all that birthday money or christmas cash for those more expensive items.  Its really worth it in my opinion!

The Perfect Accessory:

I’m not a big accessory fan but I do love pairing a necklace, scarf, or watch with an outfit as a final touch!  Its funny because once cell phones basically became an accessory all on their own, I didn’t really “need” a watch for the purpose of telling time anymore so I stopped wearing them.

A few years ago I realized that watches were more than just an object to tell time, they can do just that off course but they are also a great fashion statement and outfit accessory.  There are so many styles of watches to choose from.  I tend to be pretty neutral and basic in my fashion style and don’t like anything too flashy or fancy looking.  I’m also a lover of natural materials which brings me to my new favourite watch!

– JORD WATCHES –

Recently, I had noticed advertisements for these beautiful wooden watches.  Did you know that wooden watches are super trendy right now and for obvious reasons…they are super classy, yet simple and stylish all in one.  I knew that I definitely wanted one to add to my accessory collection and ended up choosing this one and LOVE it!!  Here is a photo of me sporting my new JORD watch:

Off course my order arrived (and super quick I might add…like less than a week) and my hubby and teenagers were raving over moms new trendy watch.  I have a feeling that I might have to share it with my daughter as I do everything else in my wardrobe ha!  My son is begging me to order one for him now too….hello! Christmas is right around the corner:) .

If you’re interested in a JORD watch, make sure to use the code that has been provided for my followers!

On that note, I think a JORD watch would make a great gift for someone special!  They have a fantastic selection of both Men’s and Women’s watches.  The watches themselves are beautiful but they also come in a stunning wooden box and in my opinion the packaging of a gift itself is so important!  To top it off you can get custom engraving!  You’re going to love your JORD watch!

Luxury Wooden Watch

 

So, now that I’ve weeded out all these clothes, I have to refrain myself when I’m in the stores! Its actually been a really good exercise for me.  Now that I’ve narrowed down my style and determined what I actually wear, I can be intentional when I shop and hold back from those impulse buys that I usually regret in the end.

What about you?  Have you ever done a big closet purge like this?  Were you able to maintain it?  I’d love to hear your ideas on a maintaining a capsule wardrobe or any other fashion tips you might have!

XO

Karin

 

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