This post originally appeared last week on my column Vegan Vogue I write for I Eat Grass. If you haven’t stopped by I Eat Grass yet, be sure to do so!
It’s taken me years to finally curate for myself a wardrobe collection that all works together. Technically termed a “capsule” wardrobe, I can now wake up in the morning half asleep, in the dark, and pull anything from my closet and it’ll work together.
Here’s how I did it.
My Tastes Change, So Should My Wardrobe
There are two major fashion seasons of the year, spring and fall. With them comes a flurry of new fashion collections, styles and trends. Because of this, I try to keep my wardrobe fresh by cleaning out what I no longer like or wear twice a year, and then shopping to replace it with new stuff I adore.
Despite the fact I love fashion, I absolutely hate shopping. Sticking to this twice a year model works great for me, being I knock it all out at once and I’m set for the season. That way my look always looks current, I’m always excited to get dressed, I have plenty of space in my closet, and I’m not cluttered down with a mess of stuff that was last season that I no longer like.
I Have a Well Curated Basic Collection
Basics are the foundation of your wardrobe. Without them, it’s extremely difficult to style outfits for a variety of needs. Your basics can all be styled dressy or casual, so it’s very important to have a well stocked collection to make your other pieces work for you instead of against you. When getting dressed in the dark, a basic always makes up at least one component of my outfit.
I Only Like Certain Colors and Patterns, So I Stick With Them
Despite my trying, I’ve learned I absolutely hate florals and powder pink. So I no longer buy anything with those colors or design. I have however always loved leopard, stripes, geometric/graphic prints, and red, so I make sure my closet is filled with those options.
I’m also careful to evaluate this season to season in case my tastes change. For example, this past spring and summer I transitioned from loving red to loving neon yellow. I updated my wardrobe accordingly.
Mixing my favorite patterns and colors with my curated basic pieces creates my specific style, and allows me to now get dressed in the dark because everything goes together.
I Only Buy What Looks Amazing on Me, or I Get It Altered
No point to wearing anything if it doesn’t look good on you. It’ll just sit in your closet, or worse you’ll wear it and you won’t look your best. I won’t buy anything that doesn’t make me feel awesome about my current body and the way I look. If it’s close, but not perfect, I get it altered. End of story.
I Only Buy Items I Love
If you don’t absolutely love something to the point you just have to have it, there’s no reason it should be in your wardrobe. This also goes for anything trendy, or what you “think” you should have. If you don’t love it, you won’t wear it. It’ll just sit in the back of your closet as you wear the items you actually do love.
Not only does this take up valuable closet real estate, but it makes it harder to select what to wear because the pieces that work for you are buried among other stuff you’re meh about. By only having garments you love wearing right now, you’ll never run into this problem.
All these tips aside, there are still mornings I wake up when I have absolutely no idea what to wear. My go to look? All black. You can’t ever go wrong with it. It’s very NYC chic, and it always looks incredible and in style.
Does your wardrobe work for you, or against you?
Vegan Vogue is a lifestyle and style column focusing on all things in vogue and vegan. More tips from Corrie Feld can be found at her website Brooklyn Bliss. Follow her on Twitter @CorrieFeld
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Tags: Fashion, Organization, Shopping, style, tips, tutorial, wardrobe
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