You probably know by now that I’m all about authenticity. When you live authentically, you’ll start to notice similarities across different aspects of your life. It’s only natural for things to fall into alignment. Which is how the Curate Well Co. brand is a direct reflection of my personal style. While I work to set firm boundaries between my work and personal life, there are certain elements I consciously choose to blur that line because it strengthens the impact of Curate Well Co.
I would describe my style as minimal, effortless, elegant (and always in neutrals). This style is directly reflected in Curate Well Co.’s core values of excellence and ease—I buy high quality pieces that not only look nice, but are comfortable for me to wear. Similarly Curate Well Co. also has a core value of logistics, which I practice in my personal style via a capsule wardrobe.
I’ve kept a capsule wardrobe for the last 4 years. A capsule wardrobe is a small collection of essential clothing that does not go out of style. It consists of staples that can be worn over and over and can not only be layered, but also dressed up or down, and combined with each other effortlessly since everything matches.
The goal is to be stylish and practical by purchasing items that you absolutely love and will wear all year long. Generally, capsule wardrobes are limited to 35-50 items, depending on how minimal you want to be. This number includes everything; pants, shirts, dresses, shoes, accessories… everything!
I don’t add things to my closet often, but when I do, they’re high quality and things that I know I’ll wear often. In my closet you’ll find brands like: Lululemon, Parker Clay, Madewell, Gigi Pip, Everlane, Mate the Label, and high quality denim like Mother and Citizens of Humanity.
Benefits to having a capsule wardrobe:
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You spend less time picking out clothes each morning. You won’t be saying, “I don’t have anything to wear!” because everything was curated by you. On purpose.
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By sticking to a limited color palette that you know suits you, it makes mixing and matching a breeze! Hello, more options!
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You become more conscious about how you spend your clothing budget. You’ll start to learn the mentality that just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean you need to purchase it. Ask yourself, “Do I really love this piece, price aside?”
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You create less waste. Quality items, especially if you love them, will last longer.
Are you ready to transition your closet to a capsule wardrobe?
How to start a capsule wardrobe:
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Choose a color palette
• Choose 4-6 colors you want your closet to consist of—this includes neutrals. Make sure to select colors that you enjoy and look good on you. My colors are black, white, gray, and camel. -
Add in your basics—be conscious to choose QUALITY over quantity
• Pants (5)
• Tops (9)
• Shoes (5) -
Bring in your layering items
• Coats
• Cardigans
• Dress wear
• Accessories (like hats, bandanas, and purses)
If you would like to create a capsule wardrobe out of your current wardrobe, always start with your preferred color palette. Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit in your chosen palette first. Don’t overthink it—one of my favorite ways to weed out my closet is to ask myself if I’ve worn the piece in the last 6 months. If the answer is no, it goes. If I don’t absolutely love it, it goes. What do you have left? From here you can customize the step-by-step process from above to get the wardrobe of your dreams. As a bonus: go through your closet every 3 months to get rid of things you don’t wear, and plan out what capsule pieces will be next to purchase.