Capsule Wardrobe .... well, kind of.

I've spend some time reading about Minimalism and one of the many chats is about creating a capsule wardrobe.  A capsule wardrobe is a minimal wardrobe composed of 30 to 40 high-quality, versatile items that will meet your needs for a given time amount of time.  The challenge I tried to achieve was the 333 challenge.  You create a capsule wardrobe of 33 pieces and us only those items for 3 months.

Well, I love clothes!  But I'm not a mall junkie or online shopping junkie.  I am a thrift store junkie!  I love free or super cheap clothes.  It's like a rush for me to find great yard sale finds of nice clothes.  But, I live in a world where my closet is scary.  I have tons of stuff that I have only worn once or twice or are old and I don't want to get rid of.  Well, today is the day of a clean, organized and minimal closet!!

Here is the clean, empty closet I started with this morning.  I took everything out of it and piled it on my bed and floor.  Now I use my closet for storage as well so some things must go back in that are not clothes; I just purged clothes today.  (I should have taken a 'before' pic, but honestly, it wasn't pretty.)




My bed was full of clothes!  I couldn't believe how much stuff I really had in there!



I went through each piece on the bed and asked myself, "Have I worn this in the past 6 months or year?" or "Does this still fit?" and "Is there any rips or stains?"

For the stained things, I pitched.  The things I said NO to, I put in piles to give away.  I was a little overwhelmed at first I cannot lie.  But it really didn't take me that long.  I'd say about 3 hours to go through everything, pack in bags to give away, and rehang.  

Here are my piles of clothes to get rid of.








Here is the finished product.  Now, there are 34 pieces hanging in there.  This doesn't count accessories (purses, shoes, scarves, etc.), a pair of scrubs, a bathrobe, my wedding dress and jeans.  Living on a farm, I need my jeans. Most minimalist count accessories as pieces, but I couldn't do that.....not yet.  Baby steps. Baby steps.  



I still have some clothes in my dresser.  I did purge that as well.  I kept sweaters, PJ's, a few work-out clothes and of course undergarments.  I did not purge my boots. Again, farm......need boots.  

So everything is bagged up and waiting for a new home.  





Now that I am finished with this project, I feel really good.  I know that I have just what I need.  Maybe a bit more, but I can downsize again this spring/summertime.  Baby steps.  ;) When I dig out my summer clothes from storage, I'll do the same process.  I always have more fall/winter clothes though, than summer clothes.  

Here are a few website that will help you if you decide to create a capsule wardrobe:

How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe (and why it will change your life)


How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe - 333 Project