So 10 months ago tomorrow was my 35th birthday.
And I marked it by starting a year long charity challenge. The deal was that
for the full year I had to stick to 35 items of clothing, for work for weddings
for everything else.
The last 10 months have been pretty eye opening- so if
you’re thinking of starting your own capsule challenge here’s a couple of
things I got wrong. Read on to benefit from my mistakes.
Capsule wardrobe success #1 Don’t wing it
I read all the blogs about planning your capsule wardrobe,
thinking about what goes with what and weighing up your different lifestyle
needs. And then I thought “screw it – I’m a creative person. It’ll be fine!”. I
worried I’d get bored if I chose everything and then had to live with it for a
full year. And potentially I would have – but I also probably wouldn’t have
panic bought half my wardrobe and ended up with nearly everything being grey.
If you are doing this for a three month season,
go ahead plan and commit – if like me you’re doing it for longer I’d suggest
nailing down 80% of the years stuff outright – and saving yourself some treats
for later on. Planning means your stuff will go together – giving you more
options to be creative not less.
Capsule wardrobe success #2 Buy good quality (or buy men's)
My clothes all look pretty tired now. 10 months in I’ve
resewn countless buttons, added insoles to all the shoes & had to replace 2
of the 5 pairs. I’ve strengthened seams in clothes that were starting to fall
apart.
Meanwhile my husband continues his own (oblivious) lifelong capsule
challenge, of owning 2 hoodies, a handful of t-shirts 2 pairs of jeans and a
suit for weddings and is doing just fine. I wrote about why this is a feminist issue here. But for now the lesson to learn is that quality matters, and that
if you’re unsure looking at men’s stuff might be the way to go. Or look
somewhere like Boden with their year-long guarantee on clothes that can make
you pretty confident they are going to last.
Capsule wardrobe success #3 Learn to use your washing machine
Probably you already do. I didn’t. I’ve been accustomed to
losing maybe 20% of the clothes in each wash through “the washing machine lottery”. If
you are living with less clothes - you can’t afford to do this, if you’ve done
any reading on the environmental impact of clothes production – you can’t
afford to do this, and if you want to be able to afford to buy ethically then
assuming you earn less than 6 figures - you can’t afford it either!
Spend a
happy afternoon with a g&t and your washing machine manual. You won’t
regret it.
Capsule wardrobe success #4 Understand why you shop
I wrote about my emotional relationship with shopping here
and here. This year I’ve gotten better and better at recognizing when I'm spending money to avoid thinking, and trying
to find other ways of dealing with the fallout. I really hadn’t expected any
emotional growth out of a year just wearing less clothes – but I got it.
So if you decide to drastically change your boundaries on what you can buy/ wear be aware it might be tricky. As with any
change in your life – be kind to yourself & give yourself space to think
about what’s really going on.
 |
| Me taking a moment to be kind to myself in the most beautiful place ever |
Capsule wardrobe success #5 You need more shoes than you think
I calculated 5 pairs for the year, sandals, heels, 2xboots
and trainers. The most worn of these by far were the sandals in the summer
& the black ankle boots in the winter. And both pairs died and had to be
replaced.
I’m still pretty annoyed that both pairs died at approximately the £1
a wear mark. That’s just not alright with me - it doesn't feel like good value at all. But I also think I need to
acknowledge the work that shoes put in. They literally carry the weight of your
body & often they are the difference between looking smart and scruffy.
If
I were doing this again I’d have 9 pairs of shoes in the capsule, and from now
on I’m investing a little more in shoes & getting the ones that have a
reputation for lasting longer. Fashion shoes are over for me.
And finally….
The Ultimate Capsule wardrobe success rule
- Only buy stuff you actually like!
This is another one that’s probably obvious to you. It wasn’t
to me.
In the first couple of months I bought a fair few things to be
practical. A skirt that was meant to be a compromise between my smarter work
look and the super casual way I dress at home. It works for neither. A stripy
vest top that isn’t exactly a vest – looks a bit shit dressed up or down. I compromised my style in an attempt to make my clothes more versatile loads - who remembers the palava with my winter coat?.
So the simplest rule of all is to think about what you like to
wear. Not what you like to see other people wear. Not what looks lovely in a
shiny magazine. But the stuff you go back to time and time again and always
enjoy wearing.
Get those clothes out of the wardrobe. Really, really look
at them. What is it you like about them? Their colour? Their shape? Their
fabric? Write it down. That there – that’s your style – don’t compromise on it.
If you are thinking of trying this good luck. It has really
changed the way I think about clothes, and now I’m in the final stretch (9
weeks to go!), I’m starting to think about next year. And next year I’ll be
taking my own advice!
Do you have any tips on living with less you’d like to
share? I’d love to hear them.
I started this challenge to raise money and awareness for Contact a Family - who are fighting on behalf of the 65% of parents of disabled children who go without clothes for themselves in order to meet the additional costs of raising a Disabled child. 100,000 disabled children will be affected by the introduction of Universal Credit. Want to help Contact a Family keep fighting? You can donate here.
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