New Year, New Beginnings
The capsule wardrobe concept has been working for me for a few years now. Every season, I create a practical closet based on all-year-round basics and a few seasonal clothes and accessories that I can mix and match to create effortless looks.
Currently, my entire wardrobe consists of about 70 pieces of everyday clothing, including outerwear, shoes, and handbags (things I never include in my capsules are underwear, pajamas, loungewear, activewear, accessories like scarves, hats, jewelry, etc.).
And yes, I always say that building your dream wardrobe is not about specific rules or owning a certain number of clothes. What you truly should focus on is keeping only high-quality, perfectly fitting pieces of clothing that you can easily mix and match with each other. However, in 2021, I noticed that about 70 items are enough for me to create everyday looks all year round.
Since minimizing the amount of clothing in my wardrobe (especially after this decluttering challenge), I have noticed a big difference in my approach to personal style and new trends and realized that I always want to wear the same basics, neutral colors, timeless pieces. I collect only those things around me that I truly need and use daily, and there is no space in my wardrobe for clothes that are too small, too big, or that do not work with my aesthetic and lifestyle anymore. Thanks to that, my morning routine stopped being frustrating, and I have become more mindful as a consumer, so my fashion purchases are more reasonable and thoughtful.
As most of you may know, for the last two years, I have been writing about the idea of a minimalist wardrobe on my main Instagram profile, @ewelinakanty. Still, I never thought this topic would fascinate me so much that I would start writing about it here on the blog, and now, also via @the_closet_journal - yes, I started a new Instagram account dedicated entirely to seasonal capsule wardrobes and outfit planning :)
First of all, I want @the_closet_journal to be a free alternative to the fashion app, which will give you a daily dose of inspiration and help you build a practical wardrobe, plan everyday outfits and shop your closet.
Each day throughout 2022, I will be showing you a simple outfit idea. In total, you will see 365 looks based on four seasonal capsules (winter, spring, summer, autumn + few small bonuses), in which there will be no more than 70 items of clothing in total - including shoes and handbags (but without small accessories like jewellery, scarves, hats, etc.). I know that 70 pieces might sound like a lot, but I note that I will be creating outfits for the entire year and four different seasons. Also, after my experience with the capsule wardrobe concept, I find that this is the perfect amount of clothes for me - especially looking at my lifestyle, daily activities, and the weather in the place where I live.
The second reason I decided to create a separate IG account is more complicated. As you know, this Fall, I started to distance myself more and more from social media and limit my activity there as much as possible. I have already written more about this in my welcome blog post. Before Christmas, I decided to take an almost two-week break off from posting any content - and I can't even put into words how much I needed it! I will write more about what I learned from this experience soon, but I can already tell that I really want 2022 to be a new beginning for me regarding social media. And I mean everything - who I follow, what companies I support, how much time I spend online, and thus how social media affect my work, private life, and most importantly - my mindset.
Yes, I realize that repeating outfits and showing the same pieces (but styled in different ways) over and over again may seem tedious and predictable to some. However, fashion creativity is not about constantly buying new clothes and accessories. The real challenge is using what we already have and continuously creating unique sets from things we have had in our wardrobes for years. Because let's be honest - most of us have enough clothes in our closets, and often the only step that separates us from enjoying them is finding our style and keeping only these pieces that we use and wear daily.
I admit, in recent years, I have collected a lot of clothes (especially coats and sweaters), and I hope that the idea of the ‘Year of Outfits’ concept will allow me to persevere in my New Year's resolution, which is the 'no-buy-year' challenge. If shopping your closet and repeating outfits is more interesting for you than fashion hauls, promo codes, and constantly changing trends, I will be more than happy if you visit my new profile. I hope it will be helpful and interesting for you, and thanks to the daily inspirations there, you will never say again - I have a wardrobe full of clothes and nothing to wear.