Coined by Susie Faux on 1980, the concept of capsule wardrobes have been around for years. A capsule wardrobe is combining a limited number of essential clothing in such a way that it creates many outfits. And since working in an office requires one to dress according to the dress code, setting up a capsule wardrobe might come in handy.
The trend of capsule wardrobes follows one simple rule: when buying clothes, only buy the good stuff and wear it all the time. Creating the perfect capsule wardrobe for your office needs requires planning and organization of the pieces you wish to wear. With luck, here are tips and tricks in creating a capsule wardrobe for work.
Start With Something You Love
If you have pieces that you always love to wear or carry around with you, then you can start mixing that particular clothing to everything else. If you love that bright orange colored bag with you, then plan your capsule wardrobe according to that.
Make sure that every time you choose a piece to be in your capsule, everything else will work with that piece, or else it will ruin the look.
Choose A Base Neutral
A basic requirement in every capsule wardrobe is the neutral pieces. These colors are black, navy, gray or beige. It’s important that you only choose one base neutral since this is where you start to pattern everything.
If your favorite shoes or bags are black, then try to avoid other neutral colors. Wardrobe items to consider having in this step are:
- A matching suit with separates — trousers, blazer, pencil skirt.
- A pair of pumps
- A bag
- A belt
Choose A Second Neutral
Now that you have chosen your base neutral pieces, it’s time to pick your second neutral pieces. Consider getting items with colors like white, gray, cream or caramel, since they go well with base neutral colors. Your second neutral pieces should make the whole look cohesive.
Wardrobe items to consider having in this step are:
- Work-appropriate pants that are trendy
- Flowy blouses
- Crisp blouses
Pick Colors That Complement and Contrast
Your wardrobe should also include pieces of clothing with contrasting or complementing colors. Focus on purchasing clothes that are colored red, cobalt blue, or purple.
Cobalt blue and red contrast each other, as well as red and purple. While cobalt blue and red complement each other. This method of picking colors is essential in creating a cohesive look even when you’re mixing and matching them each day.
If you’re restricting yourself to only a few clothes, then you don’t need that much color. However, there are essentials clothing you need to have to achieve color complementing and contrasting:
- A pencil skirt
- A cardigan or blazer
- A blouse or scarf in one of your colors
- Shoes in color that will pop
- A bag in one of your second neutral colors
Neutral Jewelry Pieces
To complement other pieces and your whole look, include a few neutral jewelry pieces that can go with everything. For instance, if you like grays then include a lot of silver pieces. If you’re doing beige pieces, stock up on gold pieces. Here are few suggestions that could complete your capsule wardrobe for work:
- Short pendant necklaces
- Statement necklaces with stones in white for maximum versatility
- Earrings, either huge or small, with stones in white
- Bracelets that complement or contrast one of your colors
Other Tips
- Swap out a few colors according to the season. If a particular color is better suited for the fall, then tailor fit your capsule wardrobe to the season. Imagine exchanging all the red pieces for white ones, and it’ll work better.
- Monochromatic outfits also work well, like a gray cardigan matched with gray pants, or a red blouse paired with a red skirt. It’s up to you to have fun with matching your items!
- There is also some sacrifice to creating this wardrobe. For instance, if a green blouse entices you, and it doesn’t go well with all of the collection, then it’s better to let this item go. Putting outfits that won’t match everything can eventually stress you out!
Takeaway
In creating your capsule wardrobe for work, you can’t just purchase everything you want and consider it as a part of the collection. Everything must be tailor fit for each other, so you won’t end up looking like a fashion mess even when you only have less than 30 pieces of clothes. Less is more, and achieving that takes some hard work!
