Last year, I kicked off a personal experiment with a Capsule Wardrobe in an effort to actually get dressed (in “real” clothes) every single day. I’m almost 6 months into this endeavor, and I’ll have a full update on how it’s going next month. But today, I want to show you how this paired-down, minimal wardrobe looks in my closet and drawers. Why? Well…beyond just getting dressed everyday, this experiment was also about decreasing the amount of clothes I own while ensuring I actually wear a vast majority of it. Even I wasn’t quite sure how a Capsule Wardrobe outlined on paper translated to actual, physical space, so I’m excited to show you the entire size and scope of my clothing collection today!

Capsule Wardrobe

Capsule Wardrobe Series

This capsule wardrobe experiment is all about getting myself out of a workout clothes rut rather than becoming a fashionista. As such, this blog series is short and focused on cultivating and wearing a minimal wardrobe for the sake of simplicity, convenience, and self confidence. If you are here for DIY and organizing content, no fear! Below is the schedule for this series so you can either keep a look out for it each month or skip it as you see fit!


Where I Keep My Clothes

With the exception of a few jackets, hats, and gloves (which are all kept in our front hall closet), my entire wardrobe is stored in two spots: half of our master bedroom closet (below left), and the top two drawers of my nightstand (below right). I don’t have clothes stored anywhere else, so everything you see today is it.

Psssst – Wondering what I bought for this Capsule Wardrobe? You can see it all in more detail HERE!

 

By the way, what I am showing today is focused on the size and location of my Capsule Wardrobe. We are actually in the process of finalizing some other closet organization solutions, and then I will give a full Master Closet tour in a few weeks!

In the Closet

Each time we move, who gets what dresser always changes based on the design of the room, the available closet storage, etc. This time around, Greg has the larger dresser, and I have the smaller one. As compact as my wardrobe is, there was no way all my folded items would fit in just the small dresser, so we installed a basic ClosetMaid system (this box and these basket drawers that used to hang in Sam’s old closet) to give me a bit more drawer space. As you’ll see, even with just 5 drawers, I have more than enough room!

The bottom wire drawer contains all my bottoms: pants, shorts, and leggings.

Capsule Wardrobe

The middle drawer holds (most) of my tops, both long- and short-sleeves. (I do have a few blouses and button-ups that are on hangers.)

Capsule Wardrobe

The top drawer holds all my sweaters. (Most of my jackets and sweatshirts are on hangers.)

Capsule Wardrobe

Pssst – Curious about the faux basket fronts? You can see how I made them HERE!

Next to the hanging set of drawers, I have about 30 non-slip hangers.

Capsule Wardrobe

Interestingly, only a few things here are from the Capsule Wardrobe. Most of these items are cocktail dresses (~5), vests (3), ball dresses (2), and sweatshirts and jackets. With the exception of two ball gowns that are out of view, everything you see below is all of my hanging items.

Capsule Wardrobe

In order to make the Capsule Wardrobe basic items look and feel different everyday, it does feature a fair amount of accessories in the way of belts, scarves, shoes, and jewelry. For now (I’m not sure this is the final solution), I have all my belts and scarves stored on this necktie organizer.

Capsule Wardrobe

All my shoes are stored in plastic shoe boxes on the shelf, and you can see how I labeled them HERE.

How To Make Shoebox Labels

I am still in the “diaper bag and no long jewelry” stage of life, so all of those extra items are currently stored in that large blue pool bag on the shelf and don’t come down very often, if ever. My hiking boots and rain boots round out what you see in the picture below.

Capsule Wardrobe

In My Drawers

The three drawers in my nightstand are wide but very shallow, so I had to be pretty strategic about what to store here. The bottom-most drawer holds extra sheets and pillowcases for our bed, while the top two drawers are dedicated to underwear, socks, tights, pajamas, bathing suits, and workout clothes.

Capsule Wardrobe

The top drawer is primarily “socks and underwear.” Never in a million years did I think I’d be someone who folded her socks rather than wad them up, but here I am (read my impressions of the Konmari Method). Truth be told, I discovered I could store more socks in this smaller space with them folded up (instead of in balls) and have’t really looked back since!

You guys know I never throw away good, study boxes; and this drawer is the perfect example why! These custom organizers (below left) are nothing more than decorative gift boxes with DIY dividers; and the lid and base of a smaller white box were the perfect size for holding smaller socks!

Three more drawer organizers (these ones are from IKEA) help contain pajamas (far left), workout/swim tops (middle), and workout/swim bottoms (right). I will admit, I didn’t really set out to stand up my clothes book-style, but again realized items were much more compact and easier to get in/out when folded this way!

Capsule Wardrobe

Finally, I am still pretty reliant on the outfit guides provided in the Capsule Wardrobe system, so I have them bound and right on my nightstand for easy reference every day!

Capsule Wardrobe

I’m going to give a fuller update next month on how the Capsule Wardrobe experience is working out for me. But I can tell you this right now: I’m pretty giddy about the size of my wardrobe, as well as the fact that (other than the cocktail dresses), I do indeed wear a vast majority of what I own on a very regular basis. I no longer feel like I have a “full closet with nothing to wear,” nor do I feel like I am wearing the same t-shirt and jeans over and over and over. In fact, my husband has been so impressed by the physical transformation (both on my body and in our closet!) that we’ve been working on getting his wardrobe scaled down and organized too. I hope to have our full Master Closet tour ready for you in a few weeks!

Until then, I hope you enjoyed this peek inside my closet and drawers; and if you need to catch up on the rest of this Capsule Wardrobe experiment, you can do so HERE!

Capsule Wardrobe

See You Soon!
Megan