How to create a capsule wardrobe

To create a good capsule wardrobe, no matter the season we need to establish some principles first: types of clothing, your lifestyle and the best cuts for your body shape. Without getting into much detail let’s explore how to create the perfect capsule wardrobe without many complications.

If we could divide these into categories that we can mix and match throughout the seasons, they would be:

Jeans: high-waisted, mom jeans and skinny jeans.

Jeans are a staple in any wardrobe. You can combine them with a white T-shirt and some sneakers or you can dress up by adding a long coat and a pair of ankle boots with a chunky jumper.

Regarding colours, jeans don’t have to be necessarily blue, you play with blacks, reds, mustards… whatever pleases you more. This is always going to depend on the colours you normally wear. But it is essential to at least have one pair of each: high-waisted, mom and skinny jeans

Outerwear: blazers, long coat and black leather jacket, jumpers.

Winter is here, and we can’t go out without a good jacket to protect us from the cold weather. Although there are a million option out there, we find these the most versatile of them all: a good classic blazer that accentuates your waist or a long blazer (if you’re more pear shape the second will fit better), a long heavy coat (this can go from a teddy bear coat like the one in the image, to a mid-thigh wool coat, and a black leather jacket.

Of course, we can add two or three jumpers to fit under our outerwear. A good example would be a turtle neck jumper with a long teddy bear coat. Go for neutral colours with the jumpers: nudes, whites, blacks and greys so you can play with textures and colours in your outerwear.

Shoes: a pair of ankle boots (chocolate brown or black), trainers, high heels and any type of flats.

This one is pretty straight forward and it should be the core of your capsule wardrobe. Keep an eye on a pair of ankle boots that you can fit with dresses and skinny jeans, a pair of all-white trainers, stiletto heels to wear on more formal occasions or nights out (or even combine with white socks for a retro twist) and ballet flats or loafers. You can be more creative with these ones, and pick colourful ones as they will make your outfit stand out.

Shirts: T-shirts and button down shirts.

Try to have at least two or three of each. As an essential piece, you should definitely invest in a white button down shirt. It can be loose or fitted, but make sure that it’s good quality. Shirts will help you put together so many outfits, from a casual look to a 9 to 5 office look.

Dresses: mini dresses, midi dresses.

Dresses are a great alternative to trousers for any season. You can match them with knee high boots, ankle boots, jackets of any kind and accessories. If we had to pick two dresses for our capsule, they would be a grey fitted midi and a more colourful one with some details.

Accessories: scarves.

Last but not least, we have accessories. Scarves need a space in this category, from chunky long scarves to regular knitted ones.

Maria Barrios