Why I’m Not a Fan of Capsule Wardrobes

Capsule wardrobes are extremely in right now. You’ll find all sorts of bloggers and non-bloggers writing and talking about them and how they changed their lives and how their closets are so much more streamlined because of them. Well, I’m just not feeling the love for capsule wardrobes. You might be rolling your eyes as you read this and thinking that’s just because she doesn’t want to part with her expansive amount of clothing. Wrong. I actually am parting with quite a chunk of my wardrobe, if you read my previous post [side note: there’s still time until 11/12 to check out my sale! find it here or @shopcreativityandcouturecloset]. No, I have thought through and researched the topic of capsule wardrobes and only after all this have come to the conclusion that they might not be that great after all. Here are my reasons:

1. It’s taking a good thing and making it the only thing.

This is by far the biggest problem I have with the capsule concept. Weeding out and pairing down your closet is a good thing, but capsule wardrobes make it the ultimate thing. As an American woman, the chances are that in order to get to a capsule wardrobe you’re going to have to severely weed out and get rid of as much as 90% of your wardrobe. With that high of a percentage you’re not just going to get rid of clothes you don’t wear anymore and should be getting rid of, you’re also going to get rid of clothes you do still wear. Which leads to the second point…

    2. It can cause you to spend more money in the long run.

Think of having a capsule wardrobe long-term. I’m not talking months down the road, I’m talking years down the road. On a normal day the capsule collection is sufficient, I’m not denying that. But t-shirts, a few blouses, skirts, and jeans aren’t enough for all of life’s events. Ugly Christmas sweater parties, New Year’s galas, family weddings, beach vacations–the list goes on. A capsule wardrobe doesn’t cover those types of events. You’ll find yourself buying back the same types of clothing for those occasions after you’ve already weeded them out–not exactly cost effective if you ask me.

3. It can all but erase your personal style.

This may or may not make a difference to you, but if you do enjoy have a style that’s unique to just you, then I’d suggest you reconsider paring down to a capsule wardrobe. Paring down to only a select few versatile and basic pieces means that you’ve tossed away the one-of-a-kind items of clothing that nobody else you know owns and that make you feel special when you wear them. Capsule wardrobes might have a sense of practicality, but no sense of uniqueness.

4. It leaves no room for sentimental items.

There are items that are in my closet that I don’t wear very often but aren’t up for debate as to whether or not I’ll keep them: the dress I wore to our wedding rehearsal. A robe my husband got me. A dress he got me while we were dating. T-shirts from college conferences. A suede coat my mom got me. Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic when it comes to my closet, but I want to save room for pieces like these that hold memories and make me thankful for the people they remind me of. And that’s more important to me than empty closet space.