I tried a 10-piece capsule wardrobe for a week, here’s what I learnt
WORDS BY BIANCA O’NEILL
“Finding a signature look and sticking with it is both liberating and simultaneously surprisingly creative.”
As we all try to become more sustainable by reducing our fashion consumption and re-wearing much-loved pieces in our wardrobe more, the appeal of creating our very own, personalised capsule collection is definitely increasing. Not only can we reduce our impact by purchasing less clothing, but we can focus on quality rather than quantity when we purchase items mindfully for a smaller, more focused wardrobe.
In addition, as the trend cycle is eating itself into oblivion through social media exposure, ensuring that trends come and go with the swipe of a finger, the allure of creating a classic, more refined sense of personal style that isn’t hampered by the latest iteration of cowboy boots or peter pan collars, is overwhelmingly clear.
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After all, Gwyneth’s ‘quiet luxury’ courtroom style and Caroline Bessette Kennedy’s timeless elegance aren’t trending for no reason. We’re all overwhelmed by the cacophony of options both in-store and online. So how does one pick a lane when all the lanes are available, all the time?
As a self-hating but begrudgingly honest maximalist in an increasingly sustainable world, I have been reconsidering my overflowing wardrobe full of pieces I rarely wear, and wondering if it’s time to try something new. Despite having two cupboards worth of clothing, I find myself wearing the same things, day in and day out.
So, if I’m wearing the same pieces over and over again anyway, is a capsule wardrobe the way forward – in order to both reduce my ever-expanding wardrobe size, as well as my consumption, while taking the anxiety out of dressing? I decided to create my own 10-piece collection and see what happened.
How I chose my 10-piece capsule collection
I decided to head into one single store to source all my test pieces, with the intention of finding good quality basics that would work back with each other, in complementary colours. I chose Uniqlo for both its affordability and wide range of high-quality basics that last well. (Wouldn’t we all love a Wardrobe NYC capsule though? Unfortunately, its latest eight-piece capsule would set you back a whopping $5,700.)
I went for half a capsule of limited edition knit pieces and the rest in smart casual basics that I could work back with each other, in a range of olive, beige and black colours. I was aiming for a trans-seasonal wardrobe as the weather cools, that I could layer to create different looks each day.
The pieces
Mid-Rise Baggy Jeans in dark grey
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MA-1 Blouson (Bomber) in olive
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Crew Neck Short Sleeve T-Shirt in white
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Pleated Wide Pants in beige
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A selection of knit pieces from Uniqlo’s Mame Kurogouchi collaboration
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I also picked up a selection of knit pieces from Uniqlo’s collaboration with Japanese womenswear brand, Mame Kurogouchi. The brand is known for its use of unconventional textiles and for its designs that work as everyday undergarments as well as classic, timeless outwear. I opted for the 3D Knit Souffle Yarn Ribbed Bustier in olive, 3D Knit Ribbed Square Neck Sweater in black, 3D Knit Ribbed Square Neck Sweater in olive, 3D Knit Ribbed Long Skirt in olive, 3D Knit Ribbed Long Skirt in black and the 3D Knit Souffle Yarn Ribbed Shorts in black.
Total capsule wardrobe cost: $559
The outfits
Due to a limited range of colours, and a range of different options in the same knit fabrication, I found it really easy to create different outfits daily – in fact, I was surprised by how many different versions I could create with the same 10 pieces in only a few colours.
Also, by purchasing a range of layering options (a tee and bustier for warmer days, a jacket or sweater for cooler weather, and a sweater layered with a jacket for cold mornings), it was actually pretty easy to adjust a tiny capsule wardrobe to Melbourne’s frenetic weather patterns. Below is a breakdown of what I wore across the week.
Day 1: Baggy jeans, knit bustier and bomber jacket
Day 2: Wide pants, white tee and knit sweater
Day 3: Knit skirt and knit sweater
Day 4: Baggy jeans, knit sweater and knit bustier
Day 5: Knit skirt, white tee and knit sweater
Day 6: Knit shorts, knit sweater and bomber
Day 7: Wide pants and knit bustier
One of the snags I encountered as a parent to two small children was that once an outfit had rogue soy sauce spilt on it, you have a large chunk of your minimal wardrobe out of rotation until you wash those pieces. Another was that with only one space for a coat or jacket in the 10-piece rotation, you are somewhat limited with your silhouette on colder days.
I enjoyed the bomber as a casual addition but what if I needed to attend a more formal event, and I didn’t have a more upscale coat on hand? Lastly, one tee is probably not enough for anyone that sweats or who isn’t planning to wash their outfits at least twice a week.
What I learnt
You know, Steve Jobs was onto something. Famously owning a wardrobe of identical black Issey Miyake turtlenecks that became his signature look, Jobs redefined the work uniform and, I’d hazard to say, invented quiet luxury at a time when re-wears were red carpet suicide. (So quiet, in fact, that a rival fashion label attempted to claim it was the creator of the turtleneck after Jobs’ death.)
My week living with an (albeit borrowed) capsule wardrobe certainly made it clear to me why finding a signature look and sticking with it is both liberating and simultaneously surprisingly creative. Rather than following a tired formula after being overwhelmed by looking at rarely-worn pieces in my overflowing closet, I was inspired to mix and match the smaller capsule in more creative ways, while also lending a little sunlight to little worn accessories.
Obviously, there were limitations – the frequent washing, for example, is probably not suitable for my lifestyle, so you’d want to get multiples of certain basics to ensure you weren’t left with nothing to wear – but overall the ease with which I got dressed every morning, and felt good in my clothing, was worth the sadness of realising I’d soy-splattered my only pair of slacks.
In the end, it made me seriously reconsider all the pieces in my wardrobe that don’t make me feel good in my skin, fit poorly, are in odd colours that never seem to work back with anything, or just simply sit there languishing in the dark as I choose the same plain white tee over and over again.
Although a 10-piece capsule wardrobe is a serious stretch for a maximalist like me, it’s probably time for me to find a happy medium. How can I reduce my wardrobe of all the pieces I never wear, while filling in the gaps with great basics in complementary colours? In essence, how can I hop off the trending train, and focus on what makes me feel good? As they say, less is more. And during my week with only 10 pieces of clothing, less certainly felt happily liberating.
Uniqlo provided a week-long lend of the 10-piece capsule wardrobe for Bianca to try for the purposes of writing this article. For more on building your own capsule wardrobe, try this.
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