The capsule wardrobe movement continues to gain momentum.
Fast fashion deserves criticism. And our culture’s obsession with ever-changing fashion trends is an artificial pursuit manufactured by those who benefit from it.
The capsule wardrobe movement is far from mainstream. But, elevated in the social consciousness by some high-profile personalities, more and more people are applying minimalist principles to their fashion.
Many people outside the movement remain skeptical. They wonder why anybody would intentionally choose to wear the same outfit every day—especially when financial resources are not in question.
Evaluating my personal experience with a minimal wardrobe and studying recent profiles in various publications, I have created this list of reasons.
If you have ever wondered why some successful people choose to wear the same outfit everyday, or better yet, if you are considering adopting a more streamlined wardrobe yourself, here are 8 convincing reasons:
1. Fewer decisions. Decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making. For people who make significant decisions every day, the removal of even one—choosing clothes in the morning—leaves them with more mental space and better productivity throughout the day.
This forms the basis for President Barack Obama’s limited fashion options, “You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.” Mark Zuckerberg cites similar rationale. One less frivolous decision in the morning leads to better decisions on things that really matter.
2. Less time wasted. We have no idea how much of a burden our possessions have become until we begin to remove them. But when we do, we immediately discover a new life of freedom and opportunity. It was almost five years ago that I first experimented with Project 333—a personal challenge of wearing only 33 articles of clothing for a period of 3 months. The project is simple, life-changing, and wildly beneficial. I quickly discovered one of the greatest benefits of limiting my wardrobe: the gift of time. Getting ready in the morning became easier, quicker, and more efficient.
3. Less stress. Matilda Kahl, an art director in New York cites both decision fatigue and less time getting ready as her reason for wearing the same outfit everyday. But she adds another: less stress—specifically, less stress during the day over the decision she originally made in the morning. “Is this too formal? Is that too out there? Is this dress too short? Almost always, I’d choose something to wear I regretted as soon as I hit the subway platform.” But now, in her trademark silk white shirt and black trousers, she has one less source of anxiety during the day.
4. Less wasted energy. Christopher Nolan has created several of the most critically and commercially successful films of the early 21st century. But, according to New York Times Magazine, he decided long ago it was “a waste of energy to choose anew what to wear each day.” Now, he settles instead for a dark, narrow-lapeled jacket over a blue dress shirt with black trousers over sensible shoes to wear each day.
Christopher offers an important distinction when he refers to “wasted energy.” Not only do large wardrobes require more decision-making, they also require more maintenance, more organization, and more shuffling around. Additionally, while a capsule wardrobe may not result in less laundry, it does result in both easier laundry and storage.
5. Feeling put together. Denaye Barahona is a young mother in Dallas, TX. This spring, she exchanged her full, disorganized closet for a minimal wardrobe of versatile pieces she loves to wear. She summarizes the difference like this, “Pre-capsule, my wardrobe was like the Cheesecake Factory menu. It went on for days and was overwhelming. Most of my options didn’t fit right, didn’t look right, or I just plain didn’t like. On the other hand, my capsule wardrobe is like a fine-dining restaurant. I have fewer choices but I can be sure all of the choices will be amazing. Not only do I look better, I feel better.”
Easy, versatile, and always put together. This is the promise and opportunity of a capsule wardrobe—and just one more reason the movement continues to grow.
6. Iconic. Alice Gregory is a writer living in New York City. Last year, her piece for J. Crew magazine brought a new word into my reasoning for wearing a uniform. She called it “Iconic. A cheap and easy way to feel famous.” She continues, “A uniform can be a way of performing maturity or, less charitably, impersonating it. A uniform insinuates the sort of sober priorities that ossify with age, as well as a deliberate past of editing and improving.”
Alice points out that wearing the same outfit everyday is a way of asserting your status as a protagonist. “This is the reason why characters in picture books never change their clothes: Children—like adults, if they’d only admit it—crave continuity. Adopting the habit of wearing a uniform is not unstylish—this is a classification that no longer applies.”
7. Less expense. Our closets are full of clothes and shoes purchased, but rarely worn. The average American family spends $1,700 on clothes annually. Which may not seem like a lot—until you consider that most clothing purchases are not based on need at all. In 1930, the average American woman owned nine outfits. Today, that figure is 30—one for every day of the month.
Living with a capsule wardrobe or adopting an iconic uniform removes most of the waste and expense from trial-and-error clothing purchases—not to mention all the time wasted shopping for items only to return later.
8. More peace. Last month, Drew Barrymore wrote an article for Refinery 29 highlighting her new stage of life and relationship with clothes. “For starters, I’m almost 40, and the 20s clothes don’t make sense anymore. And, after two babies, the 30s clothes don’t fit anymore. I am at a clothing crossroads, and it’s a painful one at times.” To counter these feelings, Drew put herself on a closet diet limiting her wardrobe and only buying items thoughtfully. Months later, her closet is “sane and happy.” Getting dressed is no longer a battle. And her fashion sense is “now calmer and more peaceful.”
We are a society drowning in our possessions. People are looking for freedom and rescue. They are searching for new solutions. No wonder the capsule wardrobe movement continues to grow.
Those who adopt minimalist principles in their wardrobe choices are discovering more productivity, less stress, less distraction, less expense, and more peace.
Kurt says
Excellent! Now I have ammo the next time my wife comments on my (very) limited wardrobe! :)
meg says
plight? burden? sane&happy wardrobe?
although I understand the larger picture here, this article and the comments are so ridiculously privileged.
“the ironic stress of the privileged”
-Kathleen dean Moore
let us get over ourselves
John Brownlee says
Makes me think of Steve Jobs black mock turtlenecks. The master of simplicity was on this long ago. Capsule wardrobe now becomes a pursuit. Hmm…what to put in the capsule!?
Rob says
OR the very successful people around you wonder why you’re so lazy about your appearance, assume you take less pride in the way you look and how customers perceive you and your employer,…resulting in you getting overlooked on job growth opportunities. I’d INVEST time and energy into your appearance to promote pride in how you present yourself. If a job opens up and you and another candidate look similar on paper, the job is going to the person who appears to take more pride and invests in his/her appearance.
Linn schwiethale says
Well said Rob !!! Whether any one wants to accept it or not .. Appearance is huge and makes a very lasting first impression .. And when meeting someone for the first time , the way they appear truly reflects much about the individual ..
Dayhiker59 says
Rob,
I agree that you should look nice, but it seems you are assuming that if you choose to own less clothes they are automatically inferior, ugly, cheap, and do not portray professionalism. It is very possible to have a smaller wardrobe and still dress very nice. In fact, you are able to invest in better quality clothes. I would also be curious as to your definition of successful people. The way you used the term makes it seem very important to you.
Ari says
I’m kind of curious – are there many schools in the US which have uniforms? It seems to be a given that kids have loads of clothes. Asking because my son has a non uniform day next week and we have to go shopping to get him something to wear. He’s probably at the extreme end of things, but a combination of being a teenage boy who loathes clothes shopping and having a school uniform means that he owns maybe 10 pieces of non school clothing. Mostly tshirts, 3 pairs of shorts. One pair of track pants, no jumper. No jacket. He fits into his Dad’s clothes well enough that he borrowed everything needed for camps last year. He’s grown out of everything and not replaced it in the last couple of years.
I’ve been scaling my wardrobe down for a couple of years and stick to 2 pairs of work pants and 3 tops most weeks. I’m at the stage where I’m replacing the stuff that works with better fit/colour/quality, verrry slowly. It’s nice to find something awesome to wear, but nicer still to know exactly what I’ll be wearing and where it is.
riza says
Yay! Love this too! I had planned on having a uniform too, to start January this year. Far from it yet but working towards simplifying already, started by getting quality pairs of jeans. :) I didn’t realize so many are getting into it too — big names even! I think all of the above applies to me. More cabinet is new to me though but I realized it’s something I desperately need now too. :)
Erin Hancock says
Great article. However, I thought for sure you’d raise the issue of personal “branding”. If someone has that one thing they always wear (I.e. only black head to toe or those cowboy boots) I feel like that can be part of building a memorable image.
Personally, my husband and I moved from our spacious house in Toronto into a small RV so we could travel the continent for a year and we didn’t just select our key fashions for the trip, but we bid farewell to anything that didnt fit in our tiny 2ft x 1ft personal closet in the van. It was freeing! Whenever we want something new, we donate something to make space for it. So our wardrobes are simpler with only our favorite things.
Cam says
I have been minimizing for the last 7 years. I don’t buy a lot but I still find many things I don’t need or use. Just when I think, this time I did it , a year later I am again purging. Good thing is that I have done so little shopping in the last 7 years, I am not accumulating newer stuff. I did it again! I cleaned out closets and drawers this last month saying “I can’t believe I held on to this”. I am pretty much bare bones at this point except for my closet. I gained 40 pounds recovering from an injury that left me sidelined ( no exercise). Ugh!. I bought just 2 or3 things to cover me through the weight gain. Okay maybe 10 things but now I am going down. I have allowed myself to hang on to all my beautiful clothes for the way down. I will leave the closet for later in the year. I love that all I buy now is expendables like food etc. I am no longer suckered in by the pretty knickknack displays everywhere I go, I save my money for fun…which I will be having again once I am up and running. Take that Cervical Dystonia, Yeah turned out I didn’t have an injury but a disease. I am fighting my way back and having a minimalist house means I can expend my energy wisely, like doing more PT exercises. Yeah!
Kathryn Price says
I purposely tried this at one point last year, and it was a fantastic idea. Not only did I save time, I definitely felt better in what I was wearing because I knew they were my favourite items, that went together and looked good.
joan says
I have a minimal wardrobe of blacks, b&w, grays with a few pops of flowered linen tops as I live in Florida. But having worked and traveled overseas most of my adult life, my same basic minimal wardrobe is a perfect foil for great scarfs from Uzbekistan to Mali and beyond, great necklaces from Kenya, Morocco, and on. Great designs and happy memories.