How to build a curated capsule wardrobe

The concept of a capsule wardrobe has been around for decades; the term was popularised by Susie Faux in the 1970s, whose, Wardrobe, was focused on high quality, mix and match items.

Over the years, the term has come to be associated with a certain type of wardrobe – classic, sensible, even bland. But we’re here to change all that! We believe that a capsule wardrobe needn’t be bound by black, white, and plain silhouettes, but instead should be a true reflection of your personal style, colouring and lifestyle. We also believe that your wardrobe should be a size that works for you, whether that’s thirty carefully curated pieces or dozens upon dozens of options waiting for you each morning.

We also believe that wardrobe should evolve with you. Your style, body shape and lifestyle don’t stay the same decade after decade, so why should your wardrobe? That’s why we prefer the term ‘curated wardrobe’ to ‘capsule wardrobe’, to truly reflect the ongoing adventure of personal style and loving your clothes (plus, bonus, it eliminates that ‘capsule’ idea of a tiny wardrobe being the only good wardrobe!).

Whatever your style, lifestyle, and palette, the core principles of building a collection of clothes that you love and feel amazing in remain the same, and we’ve spent years at Kettlewell honing those principles down into five simple rules to help you create the wardrobe of your dreams:

Fresh Spring Colours

1. Pick a palette – even if you don’t yet have a seasonal palette, picking a cohesive palette of colours that you love will instantly help your wardrobe feel more co-ordinated and mix-and-matchable. Make sure you include a dark neutral, a light neutral and a few brights that you love!

2. Consider your personal style – a full style analysis is the ultimate way to explore this (every bit as life changing as colour analysis! Book in for yours in our Colour Studio here) but a shortcut can be considering your ‘three words’ – choose three words that capture your personal style and how you’d love to communicate with the world. Those might be feminine, sporty and colourful. Or simple, casual and cool, or modern, monochrome and minimalist. Your wardrobe should reflect these words, and they are an easy checkpoint to keep in mind when decluttering or shopping.

Harmonious Summer Colours

3. Consider how you spend your time – most capsule wardrobe guides include the classic jeans, the black blazer, the court shoes, but if those aren’t relevant for your life then they shouldn’t be in your capsule. Consider the ‘uniform’ (favourite outfit, the one that feels the most you) that you turn to every day – is there a way to elevate it, or replicate it, in your capsule wardrobe?

4. Declutter! This doesn’t necessarily mean chucking everything you own away, but if there are pieces in your wardrobe that make you feel bad about yourself because they belong to a previous era of your life or a body shape that isn’t yours any more, they need to go. Pieces that you’re not wearing much at the moment but don’t hate can be boxed up or put at one end of your wardrobe so you can see the clothes you love.

Rich Autumn Colours

5. Develop your wardrobe over time. Does that look like adding in a sprinkle of fresh colours on a regular basis, or having an afternoon trying on outfits and coming up with new combinations, or adding in some new accessories? Whatever it is that makes your wardrobe feel fun again, make sure you include it. Remember that wardrobe curation is a lifelong adventure, and you get to keep evolving yours so it continues to work for you and make you feel amazing on a daily basis.

And there’s no time like the present to get started on building the wardrobe that lights up your best self; remember to head over to our Colour Quiz to discover your perfect palette, then use our Style Quiz (currently being revamped - back soon!) to nail down the shapes, silhouettes and styles that will make you feel amazing.

Happy wardrobe curation!

Vibrant Winter Colours