r/capsulewardrobe

Been doing this for about three years now (occupational hazard when spreadsheets are your love language) and it genuinely changed how I shop. I keep a simple log of what each piece cost, where I got it, and roughly how many times I've worn it. The numbers get interesting fast.

My current winner is a merino crewneck I thrifted in 2021 for four dollars. I've worn it somewhere around 180 times. That's basically two cents per wear at this point, which makes me unreasonably happy.

The flip side: I bought a pair of trousers new a couple years back, told myself they were a capsule essential, wore them maybe eight times before I admitted they just didn't fit my actual life. Cost per wear on those was embarrassing.

What I've found is the tracking forces you to be honest about whether something is actually working in your rotation or just sitting there looking nice. A piece thrifted for fifteen dollars that gets worn constantly beats a sixty dollar piece that rarely comes off the hanger.

Curious if anyone else does something like this and what your best performing piece has been. Also interested in the worst offenders if you want to confess.

Hello all!

I wanted to gather some feedback for my mom who creates children’s clothing. She wants to start a small business creating made to order capsule wardrobe for babies-toddlers and I wanted to get some insight for her.

I always want to put my 10mo baby girl in outfits, but I really don’t want to keep buying sets that have to be worn together or pants for onesies. So she had the idea of just having a few of each clothing item that has a cohesive style to make outfits out of.

She’s thinking: 3 tops, 3 shorts, 2 pants, a romper, a dress, and a some sort of coat/jacket. She can make completely customize the style, pattern/color, size, and gender/gender neutral.

I’m wondering what your thoughts on this are. Would you be interested? Does it depend on the price? If so what would you be willing to be for what amount of items? Would you consider purchasing one maybe as a gift? What age would you consider this for? Any other insight to think of?

TIA!

ETA: neither of us have any experience in business or marking so if this sounds silly I’m sorry 🫪

For context, I live alone and WFH 4 days a week, so getting dressed had become weirdly dramatic for no reason. In April I dumped my closet on the bed and counted 74 pieces, excluding socks/underwear/coats. Eight still had tags, which was a little gross to admit.

I kept 14: black jeans, one skirt, two gray sweaters, four black tees, four white tees, and two "look employed on video calls" shirts. The rest became a maybe bag, then a chair pile, then a closet-floor lump I stepped around for three weeks. Very minimalist of me.

Finally donated it all Saturday. No life-changing moment, just less 7:40 a.m. nonsense and faster laundry. My basics are pretty much all Uniqlo and Kirkland from Costco, bought a bunch in one go. For the rare occasions I actually need to look put together I'll browse tiktok or Amazon for something cheap on sale or a price drop. I barely wear that stuff so I'm not spending real money on it.

For those of you running a small capsule, how do you keep it from feeling stale? Or does the convenience just kill the boredom eventually?

I feel like everyone has at least one item they were so sure would become a staple. The “I’m gonna wear this all the time” piece that somehow ended up sitting untouched in the closet.

Maybe it was a jacket you thought would be your personality, a pair of shoes you imagined styling endlessly, or a dress you swore would be your go‑to.

What’s yours?
What do you do now to avoid repeating that like buying something you’re sure will be a staple but ends up forgotten? Do you track your outfits, plan better, or just trust your gut more?

I am moving from FL to Chicago in December and feel completely unsure how to dress for the office. I am concerned about showing up like a fat marshmallow looking all frazzled and that’s not the impression i want to be making. I also love to run on the LFT so any items for making that more enjoyable !

Currently what I have:
Lands end expedition parka
Uniqlo heattech thermal long sleeves and legging
Know layering is key

Planning to wear long skirts/dresses and layering under/over them.

As someone chronically cold i need recs on outfit inspo, gloves, scarves, boots, jackets,fabric blends on clothes. Links or advice is appreciated!!!

Please drop your chicago winter survival items!!! Will be using the red line or blue line mostly depending on where I decide to live.

What loungewear brand do you keep going back to and why? I'm looking for a set of loungewear with nice material and help me feel unwind after a long ass day.

I have a super active lifestyle and I’m going to be in Florence for the next 4 months, and am anticipating a LOT of walking! I need a new pair of sneakers and wanted to turn to people I know will have some good suggestions.

I don’t like chunky, platform sneakers… looking for something a little more sleek and minimalist, but not overly trendy like the sambas. I always do white shoes because it looks good with everything.

Previous shoes I loved were Hokas for how comfy they were (but not fashionable) and the Veja sneakers (but looking to switch it up a bit).

Anyone have any advice on where they find their favorite sneakers??

I have been on the hunt for a button up (collared, long sleeve shirt) that is much easier to iron than the typical dress shirt and hopefully doesn’t show sweat. I’m not sure what material I should be looking for, but I’d love you all’s recs or fan favorites for soft but professional-looking button-ups/blouses. Thank You!

edit to add: i need more than brand recommendations. i would like follow those Canadian influencers provide practical outfits that i can literally buy the same clothes from their recommendation and are easy to copy directly? Are there creators who focus on accessible fashion for a size 10?

I could really use some help because I am feeling so defeated about my closet right now. A new medication has changed my body from a size 6 to a 10 recently, and the weight gain will not stop. My confidence has taken a huge hit. Trying to buy my old favorite clothes in bigger sizes just does not work for my new proportions. I really want to build a consistent personal style so I can cut down on the daily mental fatigue of getting dressed. I usually scroll Instagram for outfit inspiration, but I am so tired of seeing the same Aritzia and Lululemon hauls everywhere when I just need functional help as a size 10 woman.

Can you recommend any Canadian influencers who focuses on slow fashion and helps with styling a changing body? I want to avoid the endless Aritzia and Lululemon marketing that dominates my current feed.

Full disclosure first: I work on a clothing brand that hasn't launched yet. Nothing to buy, no product exists. But this post is a genuine question and I'd rather ask it honestly than pretend I'm a neutral party.

Here's what set me off. Everyone quotes the line that we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. I went looking for the study behind it. There isn't one. It traces back to closet organisers, styling blogs and a company that's literally named after the Pareto principle. It's an analogy that got repeated until it sounded like a fact.

Which annoyed me, because I think the underlying thing is probably true and nobody has actually checked. Definitely not here.

And Singapore should be the easy case, right? We have one temperature. No winter coats, no seasonal rotation, no "what's the weather doing." In theory getting dressed here should not take long.

It doesn't. At least not for me. I still stand there. And I've noticed my actual problem isn't choice, it's that I keep re-deciding something I already decided. Same five things, same hesitation, every morning.

Then there's the local version of the problem, which I don't think exists anywhere else in quite the same way:

• It's 32 degrees outside and 19 in the office, so you're dressing for two climates in one outfit
• The jacket that lives permanently on the back of your chair
• Anything that survives the MRT platform but still looks fine when you arrive
• "Smart casual" meaning six different things depending on the office

So, some questions:

1. How many genuinely different items do you think you wore in the last seven days? Guess first, then think about it properly. The gap is usually the interesting bit.
2. Do you have an actual uniform, or do you re-decide every morning?
3. What's the one thing you own that solves the aircon problem without looking like you're wearing a jacket indoors?

Genuinely curious what the community has to say. Thank you!

Hi there! Looking for unique pieces to add to my capsule. So tired of basics, i would like to try different textures to add interest in my look. What are your suggestions?