£800 for capsule wardrobe

[ClassicStripe]

I am planning in chucking 99% and starting again! What should my essentials be?

I am bumping this so I can learn too! Very tempting.

Well this depends on your lifestyle!

I did similar and spent about a grand or so but my idea of a capsule wardrobe will be different to yours perhaps!

I bought lots of Sweaty Betty,
Hush, Peleton gear and Scamp & Dude as my lifestyle is err lazy. I mean relaxed!

I don't need or want silk shirts or trench coats - I want very good quality lounge / luxe sports stuff

So have a think about your lifestyle first

I would start by thinking about the sorts of things you would wear most, eg do you wfh, in an office, wear a uniform etc. What do you do at weekends? Do you walk a dog? Are you happy to maintain and launder the more high maintenance fabrics like silk and cashmere, or do you need no-iron, quick dry etc? Then make a list of those essentials. I would also have an "avoid" list to refer to so you don't get carried away in the moment, eg on my "avoid" list I have acrylic, red and skinny jeans.

I think some good quality round neck t shirts and some good quality jeans is where I would start.
Does the budget include shoes, coats work clothes?

If you haven't already then before you splash the cash, get your colours done (you can probably Google it to figure out which are "your" colours) and work out your body shape. Capsule wardrobes are fine but unless you're purchasing the right items for your body shape and colouring it's a waste of money.

Maybe buy the capsule items but don't chuck what you've already got. Because in 6 months time you'll be bored of the capsule and can then fall back on your old stuff.

I want to get rid of most my clothes anyway. They are all fairly cheap supermarket rubbish and then I tend to wear the same stuff over and over.
I am going to keep my work stuff as no point forking out for that. Going to keep coats and shoes as they were a little more expensive than my clothes.

I'd suggest you don't chuck everything as you'll feel pressured to buy a lot of stuff in a short space of time. It may be worth removing the ones you haven't worn in months/years, but don't go nuclear.

What I'd say (and I've done this for myself) is start curating your clothes. Pick a palette (mine is navy, white, cream, grey). Buy good quality pieces with a classic cut (more expensive, an investment). Build up your wardrobe. As you buy things, you can let go of the clothes you have replaced. Stress free imo.

Personally I wouldn’t bother with getting colours done. Just choose the colours you like best and go together. For me, that tends to mostly be black, grey and pink!

I’d start with two pairs of jeans, boots and trainers, a coat and a couple of thin jumpers in merino.

Then I’d add a jumper dress, a midi dress and a skirt that works with both jumpers.

I second this advice. Don’t chuck everything at once.
Do you have anything that you wear regularly? For me that’s jeans and a jumper this time of year. So for my capsule wardrobe this year I’ve added an oversized black cashmere jumper and a pair of camel wide leg trousers to make a change from the jeans. They will also go with the camel coat I brought last year. So from having nothing in camel I’m beginning to build up a colour scheme for my wardrobe which builds on what I already have.
I also replaced my worn out tan Chelsea boots and added a pair of Dr Martins style black boots as I often walk a lot.
There are loads of videos on You tube about building a capsule wardrobe and they are fun to watch. But after a while you’ll realise that they mostly contain the same items. When I started building up my capsule a couple of years ago I did try to follow their formulas. I discovered that I don’t wear a blazer, a crisp white shirt nor do I have any need for T-shirts. These things either don’t fit by lifestyle or they don’t suit me. Which brings me back to the start of my post. Do this slowly over a couple of years, not all at once.

What are the things that you wear over and over? Do you choose them because they are comfortable, or easy to keep clean? Or for some other reason? I think understanding this might help in building a good capsule wardrobe for you.

I don't wear casual things as I think they're fugly. No T-shirts, jeans etc. 4 50s style dresses I spent more than my usual amount on. 3 50s style sheugs/cardis. One jump suit for if I'm in a wood or something. I need more coats for all seasons. You do need some outfits for occasions such as funerals. I have some comfortable gym clothes.

I get a lot of compliments on the dresses.

*shrugs, obvs

I like warm colours so the old Marks and Sparks style neutrals and navy etc wouldn't be for me.

I agree it needs to be very individual to you and your lifestyle.

I watched a good video about analysing how you spend your time and what level of formality each activity requires.

Eg if you work 9-5 and don't need work clothes, map out what you do in the evenings and weekends over a year. That shows you how to balance your wardrobe.

I changed most of my wardrobe this autumn by buying and selling on Vinted and it has been a great experience.

I guess that the things I wear the most would be my capsule items, and currently they are Free People dungarees, wide leg high waist jeans and cords and poloneck jumpers.
For going out I have some satin blouses and dressy jumpers.
What do you enjoy wearing the most?

Mine too would you mind sharing some links or photos please.

I'd go somewhere like John Lewis, where there's many brands & a personal shopper to help with objectivity.

I'm trying to rebuild my wardrobe at the moment. My essentials wishlist is:

wool coat
blazer
wool trousers (for work)
linen trousers (for work
straight leg jeans
skinny jeans
leather knee high boots
leggings (gym and home)
white shirt
black leather belt
leather flats
knitwear (tops)

Uniqlo have some nice things, I like their blouses/shirts . I know people say Oh I cannot wear synthetic but I;m a menopausal 57yo and I can wear them fine without sweating my skin off , (And I don't iron them they hang up or go in the covered hanger dryer )

I tried doing my colours online , it was giving me things like turquoise (which I hate) and yellow (ditto)
I bought some TShirts from Primark in colours I'd never considered and found that orange really suits me !

White Stuff and Monsoon are my favourites at the moment , cotton jumpers and viscose blouses .
I don;t need to worry about workwear , I have a uniform