Before we dive in, let’s define a “capsule wardrobe”, shall we? I personally love the way VETTA defines it:

“We believe a capsule wardrobe is one made-up of key items and go-to pieces that can be worn on repeat to make your life easier.

A capsule wardrobe is meant to make dressing everyday easier, save money and time, and enable us to create a more thoughtful wardrobe. By cutting out the gluttony in our wardrobes and removing the poor-quality, ill-fitting pieces we never reach for, we can make room for a well-curated closet. You should love every piece in your capsule wardrobe, whether its your long-time favorite denim jacket, or a well-needed new addition to your closet.”

Yes, yes, YES! These are exactly the reasons I’ve been drawn to the idea of a capsule wardrobe for a long time. Now, there are lots of “rules” you’ll see floating around on the inter webs telling you the exact number of items allowed in your closet, or that you should/should not count accessories or shoes, or the exact number of items you need in each category, but the truth is, a capsule wardrobe is completely customizable and can become whatever you need it to be.

My personal approach is focused less on a number and more on the end goals:

Making getting ready fast and stress-free.
Looking put together no matter what I grab out of my closet.
Curb my obsessive shopping habits and actually wearing what I own.
Finding my true personal style so I can more easily ignore trends that don’t serve me well in the long term. (Just cause it’s cute doesn’t mean it’s for me.)
Focus on quality items instead of fast fashion.
Discovering which investment pieces I should spend my money on because I know it’s a valued addition and not a dopamine hit purchase.

Although I’ve admired those rocking a thoughtfully curated capsule closet for a long time, getting started always felt overwhelming. But since I’m an annoying enneagram three and love creating challenges for myself, I decided to dive in and create a mini, month-long capsule wardrobe for the month of October and I’m so glad I did!

Here’s the “rules” (again, totally made up and not something anyone needs to take as a must do suggestion) I decided to follow for my October Lovely Capsule Challenge:

20 clothing items only
Unlimited accessories and shoes
No repeated outfits throughout the month
Use what I own (although I did end up purchasing one thrifted + cropped shirt and swapping it for the graphic tee)

The items included in my capsule were:

1) @vettacapsule Wide Leg Black Pants

2) @americaneagle Mom Jeans

3) @lev.apparel black joggers

4) @elegantees Gray knit skirt

5) @lev.apparel cropped wide leg sweatpants

6) @shoplivinggolden romper

7) @amazonfashion orange dress

8) @lev.apparel white button up

9) @lev.apparel rust button up

10) @target white tank

11) @emmaleighdesign plaid crop top

12) @lev.apparel black tank

13) @amazonfashion green crop top

14) @target long sleeve

15) @liliarnoldstudios graphic tee

17) @oldnavy denim jacket

18) @lev.apparel black sweater shirt blazer

19) @amazonfashion green cardigan

20) @lev.apparel hoodie

I would call this challenge a success for sure and there are a few things I learned throughout this month that surprised me a bit.

Jeans: American Eagle Mom Jean; Boots: Target; Plaid Shirt: OOAK from Emma Leigh Designs; Button Up: LEV Apparel (keecreative for 15% off)

First, I am apparently not a graphic tee girl. I love them. I’m consistently drawn to others who style them (especially with a skirt) and I assumed I would want something “cozy” like a t-shirt for lounging in if nothing else.

But nope. I didn’t grab it once in the first couple weeks of the challenge and ultimately swapped it out for a plaid cropped shirt that felt much more “me”. Now, I’m not saying I’ll never toss a graphic tee into a future capsule, but this challenge did help me understand that purchasing graphic tees is likely a waste of my clothing budget. They aren’t going to be something I reach for over and over and therefore don’t deserve top priority in my future shopping. Good to know, right?

Shirt from LEV Apparel. Use code: keecreative for 15% off

Second, I am 100% a lover of button up shirts. Y’all, I napped in my button ups, took kids to the park, dressed up for client meetings…basically lived my best life all in a button up shirt.

I think the biggest note to take from this is that a quality button up shirt makes all the difference. The two used in my capsule are from Lev Apparel and don’t pull at the bust, can be tied up, tucked in, half tucked, untucked and just feel amazing on. After using them over the past 31 days, I know for sure what I’m looking for in a future button up and I know that if I buy another, I will definitely put it to use in my daily life. So again, great insight into my personal style preferences and an excellent way to determine where to spend my funds in the future.

Fewer items is far less stressful that a closet full of cute stuff and helped me feel more creative in my styling. Technically this is what I was hoping to discover, but wow. Having a smaller collection of items that I knew I could mix and match easily made getting ready so much faster. And that’s even with attempting to select different combinations every day - imagine if I was totally down with repeating!

I think the more surprising discovery is that I actually found more creativity in styling these limited number of items each day versus shopping my full closet. I layered elements differently than I ever would have, I combined colors that I otherwise wouldn’t, and I played more with how accessories can change the overall feel of an outfit. It was honestly a lot of fun.

And finally, I realized that I’m really happy with a neutral closet. Do I love color? Of course. But working with neutrals, limited accent colors and limited patterns, I found consistent style combinations that felt like me. They felt true to my aesthetic, I felt good in them, they worked for my daily life, and it was easy. I wasn’t second guessing my outfits.

And you know what’s a really fun discovery? This wardrobe aesthetic of neutrals, limited accent colors and patterns… it’s also really reflective of my home design aesthetic. Interesting right? (Don’t worry, we’ll be diving into this topic plenty in the coming months.)

While there are numerous other things I discovered through this self imposed challenge (like less is more, quality matters, and I don’t actually need 20 pairs of jeans…), these above are my biggest takeaways. If you’ve ever considered trying a capsule wardrobe, I would really encourage you to give it a go. Create your own parameters and make a plan. Starting with a month long attempt felt safe enough for me to dive in while still leaning in to how life might feel with a less cluttered closet.

Want help getting started? Grab my free Starter Capsule Tip Guide here.

Surprising Things I learned from my First Capsule Wardrobe Attempt