let me preface with: whatever works best for you is fantastic. this system just works really, really well for us. another lovely way to Decide Once, as one of my favorite books swears by. and I’m all about the simplifying our lives, automating our household, and reducing our decision fatigue in ways that work for us.
without further ado, I present to you our capsule-ish wardrobes.
a few things to know first:
we live in Central Texas. so while generally our weather is sunny and mild (aside from those scorching August temps), we do need to have a few good winter (and rain!) pieces for the few minutes a year our temps drop. (and when the weather does change here, we’re always so glad to have invested in these pieces.)
we shop at the same places it seems, and if these places have a big annual sale of some sort, I put it on our yearly tasks and expenses list to remind me.
we each have an REI membership, and twice a year we each get a 20% off one item coupon - one in November and one in May. Brett loves Patagonia and REI, so I use these four total coupons a year to fill in any wardrobe gaps Brett may have. and I tuck the November purchases away for Christmas, and tuck the May purchases away for Father’s Day.
we really don’t buy clothes during the year, so it feels special to receive for them as holiday gifts and birthday gifts. a lot of our holiday gift formulas involve specific categories of clothes for this reason. for example:
mr. valentine - small gift baskets, including any socks/underwear/bras
easter bunny - small gift baskets, including things we need for the pool
Christmas - this one has many layers - we ask family for certain things, our joint Christmas gift to each other involves certain things, Santa brings us certain things, and we give KK certain things. post coming soon!
we each only shop in very specific colors. because it makes it easy to mix and match our wardrobes when getting dressed and it makes it easier to see what isn’t for us when shopping. more on this in a second. but know I highly recommend getting a color consult.
we call these our capsule-ish wardrobes. because while we have what works really well for us, you may think it completely bare-bones…or completely too much. whatever works best for you is fantastic. it just works really, really well for us to have intentional wardrobes with pieces that all mix and match.
brett’s capsule-ish wardrobe
a few things to note first:
brett works 100% from home (but spends a lot of his day on meetings and on camera, so he still has to look nice, albeit casual). but every now and again needs to go into the office - either as a casual work day, or to talk with/present to very important people. so while casual clothes and business casual clothes work for 99% of his working needs, he does have the few times a year he needs to look spiffy.
(conveniently, his spiffy work clothes also work for events like weddings and funerals.)
brett runs very hot. and he hates when things are thick or bulky. basically the thinner something is and the more moisture-wicking, the happier brett is.
brett doesn’t like a lot of choices, so he loves the minimal color options.
brett hates shopping for himself. so he prefers to outsource all this to me. (plus, I’m in charge of our day to day finances, so it just streamlines it a bit that I’m in charge of clothes shopping, too.)
I almost exclusively shop for brett in shades of olive green, heather gray, and white. (certain shades of blue slip in, too.) because it simplifies everything, because it makes his whole closet more mix and match, and because I think he looks so good in those colors.
Brett’s closet:
Bottoms:
five pairs of black athletic shorts (Old Navy)
five pairs of black joggers (Old Navy, Lululemon)
three pairs of jeans (Levi’s)
three pairs of chino shorts
three pairs of chino pants (Bonobos)
two pairs olive green swim trunks
Tops:
t-shirts in shades of white, olive green, and heather gray
Old Navy, REI, Patagonia, LLBean
3 short-sleeve fishing shirts in shades of white, olive green, and gray
also his favorite shirts for yard work + gardening
Magellan brand from Academy
3 long-sleeve fishing shirts in shades of white, olive green, and gray
also his favorite shirts for yard work + gardening
Magellan brand from Academy
5 button down shirts
2 rash guards (1 white from Lands End, 1 gray from our university)
a few t-shirts for various sports teams (and various places) he loves
conveniently the sports teams he loves always have a white or gray t-shirt option, and Brett naturally gravitates towards those options anyway
(like, our alma mater is burnt orange. but brett never chooses that as a t-shirt option because he said he feels “obnoxious” in that color. so gray or white it is!)
Jackets/Outerwear
All black, gray, or olive green:
from Academy, Patagonia, REI, and LLBean
bought new, found secondhand on Poshmark, or asked for as Christmas Gifts
Other:
Black athletic socks
Black boxer briefs
Caps - Brett has quite a few. He loves hats, but has a massive head, so he’s very picky.
Wardrobe gaps of Brett’s we’re slowlyyyy working on:
Belts
Watch
Sunglasses
Formal workwear (+ wedding clothes)
Work socks
Cold weather accessories
Shoes
haley’s capsule-ish wardrobe
a few things to note first:
My wardrobe is definitely not minimal - I’m currently in the season of my life where my body seems to always be changing. Going from pregnant to postpartum to nursing with KK was a whole lot of body changes in itself, all with different clothing needs. Then, after last year’s traumatic pregnancy loss, I slowly lost 25 pounds and started working out more, both of which added more pieces to my wardrobe. On top of that, I stay at home full time with KK, so while I don’t need any formal workwear pieces, I do need things that can go from a playground to a preschool and that make me feel good.
Because here’s the thing: we have prioritized my wardrobe above everyone else’s now for a good three years. Because while I give so much of myself to my family (growing babies and healing from babies and feeding babies and raising babies), we want to make sure I am in pieces that make me feel good while doing so. And I think that has played a big part in why I feel so good about myself, even amongst all these crazy body changes the last three years have brought - we invest in my wardrobe. (And I’m not saying I have expensive pieces per se - but I definitely have specific pieces that really only work in this transitional, messy season of life, as opposed to waiting for the weight to fall off, the kids to get older, etc etc etc.)
But, for that reason, it’s really tricky to list out all I have. I’ll try, but know I may have three different sizes of everything. Or, the same sweatshirt in a zip-up version because I preferred nursing in that. Or, since I’m so dang tall with a longgg torso, I never really need maternity clothes, just a bigger size - so that alone causes a lot of the variety in my wardrobe right there.
And know this - aside from a sprinkling of burnt orange (because it’s my alma mater’s colors) and black (because it’s a basic), I almost exclusively shop in whites, grays, blues, and pinks. And even within those parameters, I am very particular: like, the only pinks I buy are two very specific shades. I do not deviate. I know these are colors I feel good in, and it simplifies both my wardrobe and my shopping.
PS I highly recommend getting a color consult.
Haley’s Closet:
Bottoms:
Black leggings
my favorite is probably Old Navy
Black joggers (Lululemon)
asking for an additional pair or two for Christmas
Black shorts
four pairs of these black athletic shorts
four pairs of these black bike shorts
I live in these March through October
Jean Shorts (Target)
Jeans (Madewell)
No pajama pants, sweatpants, etc - I just don’t like how I feel in these since they never seem to fit me right so I always wear leggings or joggers instead when I want something cozy.
And, yes, I only buy black bottoms, with the exception of jeans.
Tops/dresses/jackets/other:
I won’t even list this out since, like I said before, I have a wiiiiide variety of sizes and styles of very similar pieces, simply because I’m in my years of growing children, birthing children, feeding children…and chasing children outside. I will add to this post when I have an updated list of pregnancy, postpartum, and nursing favorites if/when we have another child, but know - regardless if I’m pregnant or not - I always do black on bottom and certain colors up top.
But! This post has a round-up of my warm-weather favorites. And my beloved, simplified swimsuit formula I follow.
Also know almost every single piece in my closet is solid-colored. It’s just what I like. And it makes it easy to mix and match. So if I’m not in black leggings and a solid colored tank or solid colored pullover, I’m in a solid colored dress. Or jeans and a solid colored shirt. Or or or. You get the picture.
A good portion of my wardrobe is from Target, Old Navy, JCrew, Lululemon, and LLBean.
Oh, and I only wear turquoise jewelry. It brings me so much joy, it has become a signature style for me, and it makes getting dressed so easy.
Want a visual instead? See my “clothes” highlight on my Instagram!
kk’s capsule-ish wardrobe
A Peek Into KK’s Capsule-ish Wardrobe.
and know a post will eventually come for Baby Boy’s capsule-ish wardrobe, but for now know that his colors are similar to Brett’s closet: olive greens, grays, whites, and blues.
Want a visual instead? See my “clothes” highlight on my Instagram!
faq:
what about clothes that are outside “your colors”?
we really don’t buy clothes that are outside our colors. it makes shopping so much easier when we know only a certain set of colors are our options. but again - this method won’t work for everyone and that’s okay. this system just works really, really well for us.
and sometimes we receive clothes that aren’t our colors - like when KK received the most darling yellow, floral shirt as a gift. when this happens, I do one of three things:
add it to our evacuation bag - we keep three days’ worth of clothes per person in this bag
put it in the back of my car - we keep a change of clothes for everyone in my car, either for messes or impromptu adventures
or throw it in the donation bag, guilt-free. we only keep items in our home that we love or find useful. and if an item is neither of those things (like a yellow shirt), it’ll better serve someone else.
