Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a spectacular weekend. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the time of year to be out enjoying things before winter sets in. Visit those farmers markets, take those bike rides, head to the mountains. Be a bit of a slacker on things that can wait. We will be cooped up indoors and driving to and from work in the dark soon enough. If you are one of my readers from south of the equator, be sure to be enjoy your lengthening days and returning warmth and sunshine .

As I settled down to get ready for the upcoming school week I couldn’t help but think about how much easier it would be if our school had uniforms. I would make life so much less complicated. I wonder when it became such a necessity to have so many clothes in order to appear professional. I know that it wasn’t so long ago that the pioneer women had their everyday dress and their Sunday dress. I think I can handle a few more items in my wardrobe than  two dresses and a pair of shoes but there is an unwritten understanding that I should have a fairly good-sized clothing selection as a professional in the workforce. Why is this? When did it become a necessity to have walk in closets in our homes so that we could house hundreds of outfits and dozens of pairs of shoes?

I am reading more and more about how people are beginning to embrace the concept of a capsule wardrobe. I like this idea a lot. The basic concept is to have a core number of well made and versatile pieces of clothing that you can mix and match to make different outfits. The suggested number of articles of clothing that goes into the capsule wardrobe varies. I think I have read everything from ten to thirty items. I don’t think it really matters how many articles of clothing are in a capsule wardrobe The main thing is to make conscious decision to limit the number of articles of clothing we own, make sure they are of good quality, and that they are going to benefit you for many years to come.

Personally, I don’t have a large number of articles of clothing in my wardrobe right now. For the most part,  the things I own are things that I wear on a regular basis. As things wear out I would like to downsize my wardrobe even further and become much better and changing the look of an outfit by changing the accessories. It will take time and practice but I am looking forward to the challenge.

If you are considering building a capsule wardrobe, I believe there are several benefits to consider. A capsule wardrobe can help you:

1. Save time-Less time digging through drawers and closets trying to figure out what to wear.
2. Save money- Less money on clothes means more money in other areas of your life.
3. Create space-Clearing out closets and storage areas gives you more room in your home.
4. Choose quality over quantity- Less really can be more when items are well made.
5. Develop self-discipline- Sticking to a certain number of articles of clothing will reduce spontaneous, meaningless purchases that lead to debt.
6. Decide what is necessity and what is just stuff – A pair of black ballet flats may be a necessity for a woman’s wardrobe. Six pairs of black flats with various bows and buckles is stuff.

For more information on how to build a capsule wardrobe check out Shannon Ables ideas at The Simply Luxurious Life or Jennifer Scott at The Daily Connoisseur.

As always, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for stopping by the blog 🙂

Until next time,

Laura