WHAT SHOULD A CAPSULE WARDROBE CONSIST OF?

If you spend any time on social media, mainly TikTok, you should be familiar with the term “capsule wardrobe”. The idea of minimalism has been in the limelight over recent years by shows such as Marie Kondo on Netflix and the rising trend of the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic on social media, and this has transcended into your wardrobe management, too - and we’re here for it.

What is a capsule wardrobe?

The concept of a capsule wardrobe has been around for several decades but was popularised in the 1970s by Susie Faux and later by Donna Karan introducing her collection ‘Seven Easy Pieces’, saying of the collection at the time: “So many women find assembling the right clothes bewildering.” We feel you, Donna.

Put simply, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of key clothing items and accessories that work together, allowing you to make several different outfits out of a handful of pieces. 

What’s so great about capsule wardrobes?

Ultimately it works to reduce not only your wardrobe size, but also your clothing consumption and the time that it takes for you to search for an outfit - this alludes to the paradox of choice, whereby having too much choice (i.e. too many clothes in your wardrobe) can cause stress and problematic decision making. We’ve all had that “nothing to wear” stress while staring into a bursting wardrobe full of never-worn or forgotten-about pieces.

Not only does it reduce the need for constant decision making, it also works to reduce over-consumption of clothing. The boom of the fast-fashion industry over the last decade has led us to believe that we need to be doing several ‘hauls’ per month, picking up several 10s of items each time, in order to stay fashionable, when in reality many of the items that are bought will end up in landfill soon after purchase.

Did you know? The average item of clothing in the UK is only worn 7 times, and thrown out after 2.2 years?

Social media has also caused the speed of which trends spread to increase, which often leaves us with droves of unworn, £5 pieces that many of us simply discard and end up polluting the environment.

At TALA, we know that being able to ‘choose sustainable’ is a privilege, which is why we are on a path to break barriers to enhance the accessibility of our products and credentials. We encourage people to be purposeful in the clothing purchases that they make, buying fewer but more meaningful, better quality and longer-lasting items. We know that the term “sustainable fashion’ is an oxymoron, but we also know that the quick-trended, fast-fashion driven world that we currently live in is not going away any time soon, so we present sustainable yet trend-forward options to customers to bridge that gap.

So, how do I create a capsule wardrobe?

Each person’s capsule wardrobe will be unique to them - everybody leads a different day-to-day life. Our top suggestions would be:

1. Make it yours. Think about the pieces in your current wardrobe that you gravitate towards - for example, we rarely take off our DayFlex Flares as they’re so versatile (we may be biased, but a solid pair of black leggings is a must!) Also consider what you spend a lot of time doing - are you an office-girl or do you mostly WFH?
2. Declutter and donate. Donate, sell or pass on anything that doesn’t make you feel great about yourself. Clearing the clutter will make it easier to start building a wardrobe full of items you will actually wear. You can make it fun - grab some friends and host a clothes swap party!
3. Invest in the basics. The point of a capsule wardrobe is versatility and longevity, so basics and staples will be key to making it work. In 2022 we launched our 365 collection with exactly this in mind. 

What should my capsule wardrobe contain?

As our 365 collection was created to give you more from your essentials, we’ve compiled an example shopping list of basics that will level up your capsule wardrobe.

• A staple Bodysuit or Staple vest will pull together any outfit and are super easy to throw on
• A Short sleeve t-shirt can be paired with almost anything, dressed up or down
• Flared leggings look great and will also take you effortlessly from chilling out on the sofa, to running errands or into the office
• A versatile dress or skirt can be dressed up with heels for occasions or paired with a trainers and a blazer for a more casual daytime look
• Basic shorts look great with a blazer or an oversized Sweatshirt for two looks in one

Maintaining your capsule wardrobe

1. Keep on top of it. Have regular check-ins with your capsule wardrobe - do you still wear everything that you own or are there items that you don’t reach for? Could you try to work these items in or is it time for them to go to a better home? Depop or Vinted are our faves for rehoming clothes and making a bit of money on the side.
2. Swap out seasons. Of course your winter wardrobe will look different to your summer wardrobe - you won’t be reaching for your puffer coat in the height of July, so swap items out to keep things neat and easy to build outfits from. Remember, you’re trying to make your life easier by creating a capsule wardrobe.
3. Take care of your clothes! Wearing-once-and-discarding is out. Taking care of your clothes and wearing them over and over is in. Learn how to look after your items - how should they be washed? Should they be folded or hung?

We love to see how you style your TALA pieces and we’d love to see your capsule wardrobes! Tag us on Insta or TikTok @wearetala