By Ariel Craine, with Laura Bailey

If you’re anything like me, you’ve looked into your closet and realized you haven’t worn even half of your summer-y tank tops or floral skirts all season. What’s the point of all these clothes?

That was how I felt until I decided to be more intentional with my wardrobe. I sat down one Saturday and pulled out all my clothes, picked my favourite pieces, and created my very own capsule wardrobe.

A capsule wardrobe, sometimes called a minimalist wardrobe, is a set of essential clothes that you wear and re-wear. The goal of this is to minimize the amount of clothes you own but maximize the amount of outfits you can wear. The amount of pieces you have depends on your lifestyle. It can range from 10-50 pieces as long as you have reason to believe each item is essential.

Have you ever packed for a trip? That’s basically what a capsule wardrobe is! You’ve got only a suitcase’s worth of clothes, and you can mix-and-match those items all week. It’s faster, easier, and can often be cheaper.

So, where to start? Here are 5 questions to consider for your summer capsule wardrobe.

What are your needs?

I’m a teacher and I’ve also got tattoos, which means I must have clothes that cover my biceps at work. My clothes need to be modest, but my workplace isn’t quite business casual. Outside of work, I wear pretty much the same things, but I like to show a little more skin.

When planning your wardrobe, think about the purpose of it. A college student’s wardrobe isn’t going to have the same needs or the same size as an attorney who needs to wear a suit every day. Consider what your professional and personal needs are before starting, and decide on a rough number of items--15, 24, 50?

2. Does it match?

Fewer pieces in your closet mean you’ll be rewearing items more often, and that means they’ll need to complement each other.

We all know how a pair of black jeans can work with almost any color. For me, I love jewel tones and those are easy to match with black or white. But I also love wearing deep yellows and oranges, and those colors take a bit more coordination.

Look at your closet right now and think about what colors you wear most. What colors will work with each other? Think of a general color palette to stick to: navy blue and white with some reds or tan and green with pops of yellow.

3. Pick your summer essentials

Summer can open up so many options for clothing! Between sandals, off-the-shoulder blouses, and skirts, my wardrobe changes a lot in this season.

Your climate will decide much of your summer essentials. A summer in Texas is wildly different from a summer in Scotland. For example, while the weather outside might be brutally hot, indoors might be chilly with AC and you’ll want a cardigan at work--or not. Many places don’t have air conditioning, so your needs will be different. Consider the material of your clothes, too. Fabrics like linen can be cooler than polyester or rayon, while cotton or merino wool can wick sweat away fast.

The other important thing to consider is how your lifestyle changes in summer. Do you need hiking clothes? What about swimwear? Maybe you’ll switch out leggings for bike shorts or your slacks for paperbag shorts. My favorite pieces for my own capsule wardrobe are those that can be convertible, like a fun dress that can also work as a skirt or beach cover-up.

4. Can I dress this up or down?

Lastly, think about your personal style. It’s so easy to default to the basics when you pick out your wardrobe. After all, won’t you need those classic t-shirts and jeans? Sure! But the goal of a capsule wardrobe isn’t to make your clothing feel more generic. That cat print sundress doesn’t necessarily need to go. You simply want to reduce a surplus of clothes down to what you actually wear.

But what if you aren’t sure of your style? No worries! I recommend using pinterest and finding keywords fit the general vibe of your closet--goth-y professor who loves dark florals, 90s skater, etc.

5. What to do with the rest?

After doing some soul-searching, perusing pinterest boards and rummaging through my closet, I was able to pick out around forty pieces that I can wear and rewear throughout the summer.

But what do you do with the rest? Well, for me, I saved some winter clothes for storage and put the rest in a bag to donate. There are so many great opportunities to pass that clothing on! You can give to your local clothing drop box or have a clothing exchange with friends. The goal of this isn’t just to get rid of stuff, but to find ways to recycle and reuse what we have without buying more.

While I might need to do laundry more often, having fewer options has given me a freedom and versatility I desperately needed! Curating a capsule wardrobe has helped me value my clothes more and made me think of my wardrobe as a collection, rather than a bunch of individual items.

Now, what’s your plan for your summer wardrobe?

Did you know that if you sign up for Genevieve’s email list, you get two free capsule wardrobe planner resources? Sign up today.