Did you all have fun brainstorming yesterday?  Ready for another day in the series?  Here is Stephanie to coach us through a closet cleanout!

Here is where the real fun begins! Today we purge our closet. This is always my favorite part because I love seeing my bare closet. It reminds me of the beauty of simplicity. It reminds me how much having empty space in my closet….being able to see all my favorite pieces….putting them back one by one…brings me JOY.

So today you must take EVERY CLOTHING ITEM OUT OF YOUR CLOSET. Yup. EVERYTHING. The only things you are allowed to leave are exercise clothes, pjs, socks, and underthings (things that wouldn’t fit into your capsule).

Take out:

Sweaters

Tanks

Dresses

Tees

Leggings

Socks

Jewelry

Purses

Shoes

Belts

Coats

Swimsuits

Other seasonal wear

Let me know if you think I’m leaving anything important out.

I typically lay everything on the bed, but if you have a lot of stuff to go through, you should put your pile in a place where it can stay for a day without inconveniencing you terribly. When I did my big purge I laid everything on the floor in my living room. All day it looked like my toddler’s room after she has friends over.

Now, Marie Kondo might scold me for this, but I like putting on some classical music at this point. This is to prevent me from getting major decision fatigue after going through all my clothes. I find the music helps soothe me a bit so I don’t get overwhelmed by the large pile. DON’T use this as time to catch up on Downton Abbey or Serial’s latest podcast. You want to have all your attention focused on this task so you can get through it as quickly and efficiently as possible. Trust me.

So here is what you are going to do. You are going to pick up each piece of clothing and put them in one of 4-6 piles.

1. Love
2. Maybe
3. Seasonal
4. Donate
5. Maternity
6. Trash

1. Love. These are the pieces that bring you JOY. This can be hard at first, but you will figure it out as you discover your personal style. These are the pieces you wear constantly and bring you a sense of joy and confidence when you wear them. No, your Target yoga pants and VS hoodie probably aren’t going to be in this pile. Think about what you would wear if you were doing a runway fashion show of your closet. Also, think back at your brainstorming day yesterday. You don’t need three fancy dresses if the only fancy events you go to are the occasional wedding and Christmas party. Also, though you might like the variety in color, perhaps that shade of green does nothing for your skin tone.
2. Maybe. If you can’t tell if you love it, that probably means it has to go. But I totally understand wanting to hold onto your “maybes”. As you figure out what your loves are, it’s totally ok to have a pile of things you want to hold onto to see if you end up wearing them. The caveat here is that if you don’t wear the this season, then OUT they go! I do this for a lot of my basic pieces. Right. Is I have a basic black sweater in my maybe pile. I rarely wear it, but it’s a basic, so I’m going to hold onto it in case.
3. Seasonal. Swimsuits, short sleeves, fancy spring dresses, shorts, coats, flip-flops….you get the idea. Unless you live in a place like CA or FL, then put what isn’t in season into storage until you are ready to go through your next season’s capsule. I already have all my clothes divided by season, so I didn’t have anything other than my coats and a fancy dress for this pile. For those of you who can’t store anything or who live in a climate with constant summer, you probably don’t need/want this pile. One option for you guys might be to look into creating an all-year-round capsule….or maybe a two season capsule.
4. Donate. I think this one is obvious?
5. Maternity. Also obvious I hope! Lol! If it’s a piece you can and do wear when pregnant or not, keep it separate. But if it’s an obvious maternity piece and you don’t have a bun in the oven currently, then store it just like your seasonal stuff.
6. Trash. If you wouldn’t give it to your sister, it goes here and NOT in the donate pile.

I ENCOURAGE you to get through all of your clothes in one day. Even if it seems like a lot of work, you will feel better about not dragging in on for two days. Again, trust me.

Once you have all your piles divided the store, bag, toss, donate each one. Hang up or fold your “loves” in your closet. I fold my “maybes” and put them on a high shelf where I can see the, but have to make an effort to get them down. This encourages me to only get it down if I really need to add it to my wardrobe. You could also hang your “maybes” in a separate part of your closet. Or you can just put them in a box. Just remember to keep the separate so you can toss/donate them after the season is over.

Don’t worry if you feel like you still have too many clothes, you got rid of too much, or you don’t have any real outfits. Tomorrow we will go over how to sculpt your wardrobe with what is left.

For fun, post a pic of your pile/piles of clothes! Or take a before and after of your closet! Or post a pic of something you can’t decide on so you can get feedback.  Lets make this process as enjoyable as possible, since this really is the toughest part.

Thanks Stephanie!  Alright time to roll up my sleeves and get to work!  I’ll see you all tomorrow!

And we are back for Day 2.  Today we are getting into the planning phase of our capsule wardrobes.  I can’t wait.  Here is Stephanie to walk us through the process:

Alright! Let’s get into this! So today’s task is super simple and fun. Think of this as our BRAINSTORMING day. What I want you to do is to get some INSPIRATION for your wardrobe.

Why?

Because part of creating your capsule requires that you have a goal for your closet. So here are the four things I want you to decide (and it’s ok if these change by the end of the week….we just want to get an idea of where to start).

1. What is your day-to-day life like? Are you a stay at home mom, do you work outside the home, do you travel a lot, do you have limited closet space, do you go to a lot of fancy events, are you expecting or will you be this season?
2. How many pieces do you want in your wardrobe (this number can include tops, bottoms, dresses, scarves, shoes and necklaces, but not pjs, activewear, etc)?  This can be ANY number you want. Some people have as few as 10…others have as many as 60. And some people decide to NOT include things like accessories or basic tees in their number. It’s up to you.
3. What colors do you like? Think about what colors flatter you as well as what colors make you happy. Consider the season also. Your palette might change with the season. Also, consider how small you want your capsule to be. The more color, the less flexibility typically. Picking colors that fit in the same palette will allow you to mix and match more.
4. What kind of overall style do you want your wardrobe to emanate? Minimalist, modern, relaxed, vintage, professional, bohemian, elegant, sporty, edgy, romantic, sophisticated….you get the idea.
5. What kind of outfits do you wear the most? Thinking of your wardrobe in terms of 3-4 “uniforms” really helps you get rid of and not buy pieces that you don’t gravitate towards and don’t fit organically into your closet. For example, I gravitate towards causal knit dresses with leggings, or jeans with a sweater and scarf. But maybe you are a jeans and tee person. Or maybe you prefer skirts.

Here are some ways to get INSPIRED

1. Create a Pinterest board and search for capsule wardrobe from other pinners (I’ll post some boards I found in the facebook group to help you get started.
2. Pick up some magazines. (Vogue, redbook, style, you get the idea; real simple also has some great fashion advice too)
3. Past fashion icons! A great way to get inspired is to go back to tried and true styles. Think Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, etc.

Today’s TASK:

Post the following

1. How many pieces you want in your wardrobe (a range is fine).
2. Use 2-3 words to describe your style.
3. A color palette (or several) you think will work for you.

Post pics or links too to help us get an idea of what you are thinking! That makes this whole process more FUN and we can hopefully give you better feedback for your capsule.

PS Do not get disheartened if you feel like you don’t have an answer to these three things. It’s all about just getting started. Remember, think of this as our BRAINSTORMING day!

Thanks so much Stephanie!  I thought I would jump in with a few links to some blogs that might help in the brainstorming process:

This is probably my favorite series of blog posts on fashion. 

This one is helpful for the SAHM.

If you are pregnant, check this post out.

My friend, Laura, has an amusing ongoing series called Style and the SAHM that you can find here.  

Remember that you can join Stephanie’s group on Facebook here.

I can’t wait to hear what you guys have planned!  What are your favorite colors and styles?

Hello!  Are you guys ready for Day One of our capsule wardrobe week?  I sure am!  Here is my friend Stephanie to get us started:

Are you guys ready to have a closet that you are EXCITED to walk into in the morning?

Are you ready to LOVE all your clothes, have your own personal and unique style, AND look forward to getting dressed in the morning?

I sure am!

You cannot even begin to imagine how excited I am to be doing this with you all! I’m eager to share what I’ve learned with you about capsule wardrobes AND (more importantly) to learn what has and hasn’t worked for you in your current wardrobe. If you have never done a capsule before, are new to them, or maybe you’re a pro, you are welcome here. I know a few of you have done capsules before, so I am really looking forward to learning from you guys because I’m still learning every season how to build mine better and with fewer pieces.

So, to start, let me introduce myself!

My name is Stephanie O’Keefe. I am a wife and mom to two kids. I live with my family in a rural little no-stoplight town in Wisconsin. I am a stay at home mom (my FAVORITE job in the world), but I also have a part-time job where I work from home helping people reach their health and fitness goals.

I’ve always loved fashion but realized I had a problem when I had to pack all my stuff and move twice in the course of a year! My “capsule journey” began when I read a book by Jennifer L. Scott:  “Lessons from Madame Chic.”

http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Madame-Chic-Stylish-Secrets/dp/1451699379

I was inspired to, like her, find joy in my wardrobe. She also has an amazing blog!

http://dailyconnoisseur.blogspot.com

I then read Marie Kondo’s book, “The life-changing magic of tidying up”

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing-ebook/dp/B00KK0PICK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1447685077&sr=1-1&refinements=p_27%3AMarie+Kondo

So I became convinced that creating a capsule wardrobe was the KEY to helping me find joy in my wardrobe, creating my own style, and living more simply. I got rid of 80% of my clothes and I’ve never looked back!

Maybe you are wondering now: That sounds great but what is a capsule wardrobe.

Well, the beauty of capsule is that everyone does them a little different and there are no “rule” so to speak. But here is a starting definition to give I like to give you an idea of what to aim for.

“A capsule wardrobe is a timeless collection of a specified number of pieces personalized and dependent on the individual’s lifestyle.”

YOUR TASK: Okay, so today’s task is an easy one! Introduce yourself below! Tell us where you are from, if you are married or single, kids or no kids, occupation, and what you like to do for fun!

Thanks Stephanie!  If you’d like you can jump over to the facebook page that Stephanie created for the series “Capsuled Style,”  and introduce yourself.  Check back here tomorrow for brainstorming day!