Curated 'capsule' closet brings simplicity, says Island woman

Kathleen McAuley rarely feels like she has nothing to wear — despite the fact that she only has about 40 pieces of clothing in her closet.

The Charlottetown resident has a capsule wardrobe, meaning she curates a small selection of clothes each season, and either donates the rest or puts them in storage.

If you don't miss it, what did it really mean to you before hand?— Kathleen McAuley

"It means an easy decision-making process in the morning when I'm trying to get ready for work, it means less clutter around the house," she said — adding that for her, it's part of a bigger process of trying to simplify her life with less stuff.

"I like the things in my life to have meaning and I don't like to burden myself with things that I'm not going to use."

The term capsule wardrobe is widely credited to Susie Faux, who owned a boutique in London called Wardobe in the 1970s. It was popularized by designer Donna Karan, who launched a collection called 7 Easy Pieces in 1985.

In recent years, fashion bloggers have adopted the concept, creating different systems to apply it to their own closets.

'A nice structure'

McAuley started curating a capsule wardrobe about a year ago, but said she's been cutting back on the number of pieces of clothing she owns for the past decade.

"It's a nice structure, but I don't like to have a lot of clothes in general," she said.

While some capsule wardrobes use a specific number of pieces of clothing, McAuley currently doesn't. She estimates her current wardrobe has about 40.

"I have had a number on it at some points, I think my lowest was 24 pieces, and it might become useful again, but at this point I'm pretty comfortable with having a bit of wiggle room," she said.

Switching it up

McAuley reevaluates her collection every season, usually adding pieces from the clothes she has in storage — which she said is only around eight items right now — and occasionally buying something new.

It's also an opportunity, she said, to realize it's time to give away or donate clothes she no longer likes.

"If I'm taking our something that I actually haven't worn that season, it's a great indicator that I don't need it anyway," she said.

Not included in the count is sleepwear, socks and undergarments, or accessories like scarves.

She estimates she does laundry about once a week, and laughs that the only time she feels like she doesn't have anything to wear is when she hasn't done laundry in time.

A 'beneficial' process

McAuley encourages others to consider a capsule wardrobe — especially if they often feel like they don't have anything to wear or are spending too much money on new clothes.

"I think any process of putting some strategic thought into your wardrobe is going to be beneficial," she said.

She recommends that anyone who is curating one for the first time focus on basic and classic pieces to start, adding that it's a good way to rediscover your own personal sense of style.

She also recommends creating a "holding pen" for clothes that you're not sure if you want to keep or not, by putting them in storage to see if you miss them.

"If you don't miss it, what did it really mean to you beforehand?"

And, she said, it's important to be patient with yourself through the process.

"It might be hard, it might be emotional," she said. "People have a lot of attachments to their clothes because we express ourselves through them."

More P.E.I. news