Any good wardrobe starts with a core collection of clothing essentials that you can easily mix and match. These are your wardrobe workhorses and the key to building a versatile clothing capsule. Instead of owning a bunch of random clothes that end up in the back of your closet and don’t pair well with anything, you’ll have carefully chosen, high-quality items that make it easy to get dressed every day. The number of pieces and the style is up to you. The main thing is that they all work together and represent your vibe. When you look into your closet, do the clothes make sense to you? If not, maybe it’s time to get back to the basics. Here are some ways to develop a versatile wardrobe you love.
Step 1: Consider Building a Capsule Wardrobe
We’ve all boughten clothes on a whim for a quick fix. Sometimes this approach works, and other times you wear something one or two times before realizing it’s impractical, unflattering, or you’ve changed your mind about it. When you gather a solid collection of essentials, you can rely on your capsule wardrobe to do the following:
Make Life Easier
Not everyone has time to strategically plan out their outfits every single day. Many of us don’t want to or would rather spend time doing other things. Other times, we just don’t have the energy to make yet another decision. We just want to grab our most comfortable straight leg jeans and flowy blouse without worry, feeling secure in the knowledge that it will look great. With one less decision to make, daily life seems easier. Your core essentials, such as jeans, tees, blouses, dresses, shorts, and jackets, should be practical and effortless to style.
Add Value to Your Wardrobe
Comfortable, high-quality staples add value to your wardrobe and life. There’s a satisfaction you get from clothing that makes you look and feel great. It can be a simple as a pair of figure-flattering jegging jeans and a soft, white T-shirt. The ways you can style these two items are practically endless. You can layer the look with shirts and jackets. Or, you can change up your accessories and shoes. You can make this easy outfit super casual or dress it up. The perfect pair of jeggings and a tee are priceless in your wardrobe.
Provide a Dependable Foundation
From black jeans and denim jackets to sweatshirts and knit tops, how you decide to build your capsule wardrobe depends on your style and taste. Start by thinking about your wardrobe staples. In the summer, are you wearing T-shirts in neutral tones with various denim shorts? Do you need at least a dress or two in a floral print or solid color to round it out? Adding some trends of the season is encouraged, too. But if you gather your foundation first, you’ll never run out of things to wear.
Step 2: How to Select Pieces for Your Versatile Wardrobe
Think about how much time you spend at work, home, events, running errands, or doing outdoor stuff. Building your core wardrobe involves you thinking about what happens regularly during your week and on the weekends. You want to have outfits for all of it without the stress of wondering what to wear. Your work clothes should be able to transition easily into after-work outings, for example. Ensure your wardrobe contains different outfits you’d be comfortable in for at least three different settings:
Workwear
Many workplaces today are business casual, with an emphasis on the casual part. Skinny jeans and woven tops in cute prints may be your go-to. Or, maybe colored jeggings in taupe, grey, or green are more your style. Being able to mix and match your workwear will carry you through the week.
Weekend Wear
How do you relax on the weekends? Maybe you need little black dresses and jean jackets for casual nights out. Or, perhaps you live in denim shorts with frayed hems and graphic tees during the summer and comfortable joggers, cargo pants for women, and sweatshirts in the winter. Do you have a jean style preference for weekends? Light blue boyfriend jeans have a relaxed look to them, while dark indigo boot cut jeans feel a little dressier. You’ll likely have hot-weather clothes and cold-weather clothes for kicking around in.
Fun or Special Events
If you love going to brunch with your girlfriends or look forward to Saturday night dates with your partner, you may want easy dresses or jumpsuits for a flattering, one-and-done look. It’s also your chance to get dressed up in the latest fashions to show your trendy side. Maybe dressing up to you means wearing your best-fitting pair of jegging jeans and a feminine tank with ruffle details. Think about what you’ll actually want to wear to avoid any regrets in the back of your closet.
Step 3: Try Building Around a Basic Color Palette
Have you ever looked at your shoes and spotted a common color theme among them? There’s a reason you have all those brown, black, and white sandals, boots, and flats. The same can apply to your core clothing. There’s usually a theme running throughout. Your color palette may be a mix of black, white, and grey. It could also lean toward earthy browns, nudes, and greens. Perhaps it’s a little of both with splashes of color thrown in for good measure. If you were to make a mood board of your favorite clothing, accessories, and trends, what colors would be on it? Fill your closet with colors that appeal to you and mix and match effortlessly for a personalized, easy-to-style wardrobe.
Step 4: Define and Embrace Your Style
It’s always fun to try new things, but knowing your sense of style is a grounding experience too. Part of building a versatile wardrobe starts with knowing what your “thing” is and sticking with what you like. There’s nothing wrong with being drawn to the same styles and colors in your wardrobe. Figure out if you’re drawn to solid colors, bright colors, or tend to go for patterned clothing. Do you like a lot of texture, or do you prefer clean lines? Do you go for boho or vintage styles? Or do you tend to enjoy classic, preppy looks? Being able to mix and match your staples cohesively is easier if your style isn’t all over the place, or is at least defined.
Everyone has their own unique sense of style, so building your core collection will look different than your best friend’s capsule wardrobe. But obviously, there might be some overlap among essential clothing items. There’s a sense of accomplishment that goes along with building your wardrobe. You’ll always have great clothes to wear, and you won’t have as many unwanted items sticking around the back of your closet.
About Democracy Clothing
Democracy Clothing is an inclusive brand for women of all shapes. You’ll find some of the best-fitting jegging jeans in plus, petite, tall, and missy sizes. Plus cargo pants for women, denim jackets, and a curated collection of on-trend tops, to name a few. Jeans from Democracy Clothing are made using “Ab”solution fit technology, featuring a hidden “no-gap” elastic waistband and tummy-smoothing mesh panels in the front. Other features include a “booty lift” courtesy of the curved yoke above the back pockets, strategically-placed back pockets, and back darts that ease excess fabric into the yoke. Premium stretch denim jeans from Democracy Clothing are comfortable, flattering, and available in a variety of artisanal washes.
Browse great-fitting jeans and a collection of curated tops and jackets from Democracy Clothing at Democracyclothing.com