“Do not worry. You are no exception, this happens to all of us. The bigger your closet is, the bigger this problem becomes. I was quite shocked by the fact that most people only actually wear 20% of their clothes. And nevertheless, as a fashion person, I have been dreaming of a spacious walk-in closet for years and until that time I have taken up the entire cupboard wall in the hall.
As the only woman in the house, I think I am entitled to at least four cupboards, with the added bonus of a shoe rack with space for 50 pairs of shoes/boots (the rest I have hidden in crates at the bottom of those four spacious cupboards). Pure luxury you would say. But no, now it is sometimes so difficult to make choices.
And so I dug out my closets in corona time, on the advice of stylist Lonneke Nooteboom, according to her handy method. Basic clothing in one closet (colorless) and the eye-catchers in the other closets (hurray colorful). Well trust me… this works a lot faster when choosing!
Quick sets
And because I was having a good time, I surrendered myself to a test regarding a limited capsule wardrobe during the same period. In other words: approximately 37 pieces of clothing (with a peak to 50 pieces for the hard-learned fashion person among us, of course). According to true capsule connoisseurs, you can easily make 75 different combinations with this, so you should be able to use it for a whole season, or three months.
And very honest? It took me little effort in a period of working from home, zero parties, presentations and travel. It also gave some peace of mind to only be allowed to choose from a limited collection. For convenience, I also already had ‘sets’ ready on the cupboard; about 6 to 8 pieces, so that I could grab them off the hanger and was ready in no time. To make it even easier for myself, I already hung scarves and jewelry on the hanger next to the clothes.
Donna Karan
It reminded me of the eighties, when the American fashion designer Donna Karan first spoke of a ‘capsule collection’ for work with only seven (!) pieces of clothing that were completely coordinated. I completely ignored that at the time…
Nowadays, other well-known designers are also increasingly releasing a capsule collection, a limited line with no more than, for example, ten to fifteen items of clothing and accessories that can be mixed well with each other and with previous collections. In principle you should be able to get through a season with this.
The fashion world is increasingly focused on this, because the abundance of collections appears to be no longer appreciated by the consumer. Moreover, too many sales moments also make us restless, because this also creates additional incentives.
A bit more expensive
By the way, setting up a capsule wardrobe is the best way to work towards a sustainable and less trendy wardrobe that will last for a while. The idea behind this is that you will eventually also gradually switch to slightly more expensive clothing that is sustainable. However, keep in mind that everything revolves around the ‘limitation’ and that from that moment on you actually have to work from the principle: ‘one piece of clothing in, one out’.
Basic pieces such as blazers, jeans, black pants, an LBD dress, skirt, sweater, (white) blouse, sneakers, heels and ankle boots are indispensable. It is really possible to make many combinations with a maximum of 50 pieces and thus always look different. With the use of the right accessories such as shoes, boots, jewelry and bags (but also to a lesser extent of course!), this is perfectly doable.
Simple step-by-step plan
For the starters of a capsule wardrobe, there is a simple step-by-step plan to get started. Start choosing your own style by searching fashion magazines or shopping sites of your favorite brands. It would be nice if you could make a ‘mood board’ of that, so that you know which items you like the most. You can take this into account when sorting the cupboard.
Get rid of or sell the clothes you haven’t worn in a long time. Temporarily storing the clothing in the attic or under the bed in transparent storage boxes with inscription is also an option, so you can rotate every season. As long as the items are not lying around in the closet, because that causes unrest.
You then buy 2 to 4 trend items per season that you combine with the rest of the contents of the closet, so that everything looks just that little bit different and you participate in the latest fashion trends. Because you buy less, you can also look at slightly more expensive items that then also last longer. A guideline is: six pairs of shoes (a no-go for me), 8 to 10 bottom items such as trousers and skirts and 20 to 22 top items (dress, sweater, cardigan, T-shirt, blouse).
So far so good I thought… But now that we can go out again, stroll on a terrace, have parties and go on holiday, I think it’s quite a challenge. I’m afraid I’ll have to expand my capsule wardrobe for the upcoming summer season, because I’ve already filled the necessary baskets online and have already gone for the ax a few times in boutiques. For me, that means scoring transparent storage bins to store as many of the current items as possible in the attic.”
CALL!
Do you also have a pressing fashion question that you would love to know an answer to? For example, how you choose certain colours, where you can go with a size 42 shoe as a woman or which materials are super stretch… Send an email to [email protected] and who knows, maybe your question will be addressed in the next Kim’s Issue.