Living with Less

My five-week experiment with a capsule wardrobe

First things first: I love clothes.

The evidence is obvious — I spent a few years running my own accessories label and currently have a room dedicated to sewing the designs floating around my head. I enjoy helping friends develop their style, and I even made a courthouse wedding dress for a friend a few weeks ago. Getting ready in the morning is something I usually look forward to.

So what gives?

I was asked to join a five-week project in Amsterdam as part of my job at IDEO (awesome, I know!). After booking tickets and finding a place to stay, I turned my attention to my wardrobe. How should I pack for this? Could I look stylish and avoid taking a lot of luggage with me? Was it time to try the latest craze and attempt a capsule wardrobe?

The capsule wardrobe: wear fewer things more frequently

Coined in the 1970s by boutique owner Susie Faux, the capsule wardrobe is a small collection of “timeless” clothing that can be worn over and over. The idea has resurged recently in large part due to extensive coverage by bloggers like Unfancy and The Project 333. Matilda Kahl, an art director at Saatchi & Saatchi, recently made headlines for reducing her work wardrobe to a single outfit.

For these women and many others, it’s a decision of choice, not necessity. They don’t have incredibly strict budgets to follow or tiny apartments to contend with. It’s about mental space more than closet space — a quest for simplicity by un-complicating one decision each day.

What’s in a 2015 capsule? It’s comprised of 25–40 pieces per three-month season, including shoes and bags. The variation depends on if you count things like scarves and accessories, and of course, how minimalist you go.

No matter how you cut it, for most people, it means less. For someone like me, it means a lot less. I decided to go for it — it’s only five weeks, a perfect amount of time for this experiment.

Suitcase packed and unpacked

After careful consideration, I arrived in Amsterdam with my very own capsule wardrobe. I couldn’t resist bringing along a few bold patterns, but I mostly stuck with a classic palette of black, white, and denim. My total is in the mid-to-high thirties, depending on whether or not you count the accessories.

A few of my own designs also made the cut.

I’ll let you know how it goes, and if living with less is indeed more. As I write this, I’m wishing for a heavier sweater to battle the cold, rainy day. But it’s just Day 1, and these things take time to adjust to, right?