A capsule wardrobe to last

[HalyardHitch]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me out.

I'm nearly ready for a new wardrobe.

My aim is to buy a capsule wardrobe from scratch but also to make it almost exclusively second hand. I'd like quality and things that will last.

I have no knowledge of brands - have always bought new look really. And I've not really used Ebay before.

I'm hoping someone can help me work out where to start!!

Start by trying a lot of clothes on in stores to get a feel for the shapes that flatter your body and the makes that do them best. Try things on (shamelessly not buying) until you find a few makes that you like. (Mine are mostly German, and I'm a 34 bottom; 36 top) then hit E Bay equipped with this information as a filter. Then colour filter. I also have a good vintage/preloved stall I visit most weeks; sometimes I find something useful, more often not. TK Maxx can throw up the odd gem.

Most important, what does your capsule wardrobe have to do, and and where do you go most days? You need to consider first whether you want workwear or school run, for example. I'm nearly retired, live in the country and have to walk my dog everyday but if that doesn't sound like you, then you need your own set of rules and filters.

I spend/splurge on good jeans and plain cashmere jumpers, because I wear them daily, and on high fashion Italian trainers, but go cheap for T shirts and dress up clothes. The first so I can throw them when they inevitably get shabby from washing so often, and the latter because I only need a few wears from them. You can do this inexpensively in ££ but you'll need time and patience to find what you want.

I spend/splurge on good jeans and plain cashmere jumpers

Where do you buy these?

I buy mostly second hand but not from Ebay. Brands I like include Margaret Howell, Joseph, Toast, Me and Em, Brora and John Smedley for knitwear, and Cos (which I sometimes buy new as well). I've picked up some good European brands too although I'm afraid I don't remember names. I also look out for vintage, especially 1940-60s coats and jackets.

However part of the reason it works for me is that I'm not starting from scratch and my wardrobe isn't remotely capsule. I have a lot of clothes so when I see something, I know there's a good chance it will go with stuff I've got already. I'm looking mainly either for special items to add a touch of luxury, or to upgrade basics.

It's also very random. I can go several months without finding anything and then see 3 things in a week. And it's always a one-off so you don't have the luxury of thinking about it. You make mistakes, which is something second hand lovers don't talk about very much, or maybe I'm the only one who makes them but I don't think so. If I used Ebay and couldn't see or try stuff on first I would make even more and I don't want to spend my life selling things on so I stick to real shops (easier admittedly if you live in a city), accept that mistakes are part of the fun and donate them. Which is fine for me but doesn't sit very well with capsule wardrobe thinking.

I hope I'm not putting you off because, aside from other considerations, second hand shopping is an affordable way to build up a fabulous wardrobe. But I think it works best when you allow yourself to experiment so personally I wouldn't be too strict about the usual capsule wardrobe rules, at least not to begin with.

There's a lovely YouTuber with a channel called Justine Leconte officiele (spelling might be slightly off, she's a French designer working in Germany) and she has videos on capsule wardrobe and how to take into account your body shape, your lifestyle, what you need your clothes to do, ect. You'll find her particularly helpful if your hips are the widest part, as she's the same body shape, and her style is pretty casual. She talks about how to spot things like good construction in a garment and in shoes, as well. She's quick to point out that expensive doesn't necessarily mean quality. She explains how clothes/shoes/boots should fit and tells how to identify trendy pieces vs ones you can wear a long time, and is not a fan at all of fast fashion, thus she's very fond of people going to second hand shops to try on pieces of quality clothes. When she says that something is "cheap" she's not talking about the price tag, just the quality.

It will help your shopping a lot if you maybe have something that's business card sized with the color theme you choose. You only buy something if it will go with half of your wardrobe. You can view all kinds of sites with premade color palettes that you can print off, or you can use one of these sites to make your own palette.

Sometimes the "comments" section below hey videos are a gold mine of info.

Myself I've found three things that really make a garment wearable or not:

*Colour (if it's easy or hard to match)

• Usefulness (does it fit a "job" that I need filled?) *Texture and if it's comfortable to wear (I like soft, kind of stretchy fabrics like knit and jersey; but other people hate the form fitting quality of these fabrics. My partner likes somewhat stiff fabrics instead like cottons, linens, wool)

Locate charity or second hand shops near you and then visit a few in a day. Trying on the clothes is a must! The problem with eBay is you can't do this and you may end up with clothes that you never would have bought if you'd seen them in person. Course you may get some real bargains.

Shoes are actually a good thing to buy online. What you do is you try them on in a real shop and make note of the brand, style, and size and then you look for the same shoe on eBay. Sometimes, rarely, your local shop will have a better deal. But often you'll be able to find the same shoe new and save a little bit or a lot. My fave boots are Laura Vita's, and summer is when there's clearance. Winter coats are also on eBay cheap now.

When buying eBay, always make sure there's a photo of the tag showing the material it's made from. Is that shirt cotton or polycotton? Silk or polyester? When buying in person sometimes you can tell by the feel of the fabric.

@tomorrowwillbebetter
Jeans are hardest: I have a weakness for German brands as they are cut well, made properly and wash/wear well. I expect to get five to six years use from each pair, but I have summer and winter weight. Luisa Cerrano is good, but I love Annette Gortz. The local posh frock shop always buys the year's ranges because they are so flattering on middle-aged bodies. I don't buy until the sale but being fairly small, I often get bargains when the 12/14/16s have sold out. I also like Robell, another German company, which is half the price but which doesn't use the same quality of fabric and doesn't last as well, two to three years of regular wear. Again, I have a local stockist. Robell is good for patterned fabrics and textured jeans. Not as stylishly cut though. It may help you to know that I wore Levi 501s until I was in my early 50s, and that's my yardstick. Proper unwashed selvedge denim jeans, I last bought from Hiut Jeans in South Wales, and I have got a pair of COS widelegs that I enjoy.

Cashmere jumpers are almost invariably Uniqlo V necks. I always have black, navy, charcoal and chocolate, but if they had a good olive green in the same shape, I'd buy one without thinking. They also wash well (carefully on wool wash at 20C).

It's a bit of a uniform, but it's one that works for me. I'm 62, live in the country with daily dog-walking duty, and my social life is very low key, apart from the odd fancy wedding and girlie lunch. For most of my life, a fancier pair of earrings/bag switch/scarf is all the dial-up/dial down I need.

To acknowledge ^^ above, shoes are definitely something to buy online. The posh frock shop had gorgeous trainers for AW18, but eyewatering prices. I found similar styles from previous years online at less than one-third the price, which price-matched Stan Smiths tennis, in nicer leathers.

So I won't be any help with brands that are good or eBay.. But I'm big into the capsule wardrobe!

I have a two part capsule wardrobe - casual and workwear. There are a few things to think about when building a capsule wardrobe but I always like to start with colours! You're best off choosing a specific colour palette that you enjoy which will most likely consist of 2-3 neutrals, 1-2 colours and 1-2 extras. For reference I'm a natural redhead (very fair) and I picked the black, white, grey and green with burgandy thrown in occasionally. You can also add a seasonal colour if you like.

Once you have your colours you need to take a first estimate at the number of items you'll need (keep the first guess low-ish). This will depend on you entirely, your commitments, your lifestyle, your family and your washing schedule! Around 30 is the 'normal' number to start with.

My advice for individual pieces is keep it basic, you can always add accessories but if you have a really loud print or distinctive item it will be more memorable to others that you see often and your outfit repeating will be obvious.

Remember, buliding a capsule wardrobe is a process and you can always add more if you see something you like or find that you're always running out of certain items!

Also, remember to try charity shops/vintage stores/boot fairs as you'll get a better idea of quality and fit from seeing items in person than online, plus online returns can be a pain! :)

I use Ebay for middle-of-the-road items e.g. I know a top in that size, style and colour from that make is 90% likely to be a good fit for me. Set up search parameters and they email you everyday with new items that match that search. Be patient! Get a sniping tool.

Then i shop in person for the outliers e.g. a colour that I only suit some shades of.

Or you can try on in a shop hard to fit things like a pair of jeans, buy one, then keep an eye on ebay for another pair.

I like that on Ebay once you've set your search up, you're only seeing things in the right size, unlike a charity shop where you can see something beautiful but its only in one (always the wrong!) size

www.theviviennefiles.com/ has loads of examples of capsule wardrobes based around different colour combinations, the pieces she chooses aren't my style at all but do give an idea and her posts on a common wardrobe - basics that are worth having for most people - are really useful
www.un-fancy.com/ is good for capsule wardrobes, also anuschkarees.com/ (bit serious!) and I really like the wardrobes that livelovesara.com/ puts together (they're quite casual)
foreveramber.co.uk/fashion_/capsule-wardrobes/ has some more polished, slightly dressy examples
I buy everything apart from undies and shoes second hand. eBay is good for filtering but you can end up with stuff that just isn't right. When my kids are older and I have some more free time I'm going to do more charity shop shopping and am going to target the posher towns near me. I often find that the men's selections are better for my style - fewer unnecessary embellishments

Thank you all so much for your advice 🙂 my wardrobe is seriously lacking at the moment!

The first thing to do is ensure that you know your colours. If you aren’t sure then have them done . Otherwise you will have a a wardrobe full of stuff that is wrong and will have wasted your money. It’s honestly the best investment you will make over your fashion lifetime .

How do you get your colours done? What does that involve?