A quick thank you to all the wonderful ladies who shared their thoughts on last week’s controversial post, it wasn’t easy to put out there, but in retrospect, I’m very glad that I did.
Moving away from feminine hygiene, but in the same vein of pursuing a more sustainable lifestyle, what I will share with you today is something that has truly changed my life. I know I know, I seem to be saying that a lot lately, but it’s true! 2016 has been rife with change.
9 months ago, my life was full of clutter, both mental and physical. Every space I inhabited seemed to be teeming with useless and unnecessary items – from my room to my car, to my handbag – it was all one big mess. And I was a mess too. My mind was constantly on overdrive, trying to juggle countless hairdresser’s appointments, last minute shopping trips, and bridal showers, on account of wedding season, while also going through the biggest change my career had seen in over 3 years.
Somewhere amidst the craziness, I came across a neat little app called Capsules by Cladwell. While I had heard of “capsule wardrobes” in passing before, I must admit that I never truly understood what they were or why I should care about creating one. I figured that something that sounded so sophisticated was for someone far more fashionable than myself.
After all, while I’d always liked shopping for clothes, I found it hard to pinpoint anything close to resembling a “personal style” and chalked my arbitrary fashion choices down to eclecticism. My closet was full of clothes – some that I loved, others that had been worn just a handful of times, and some that didn’t fit or flatter me anymore but which I insisted on keeping around anyways. Getting dressed in the mornings was an affair – I would try in 3-4 different outfits sometimes and still leave the house without really feeling convinced.
Little did I know, this was all about to change.
Cladwell’s app is all about removing the clutter, and paring your wardrobe down to only the things you truly love and wear all the time. They claim to help you “own less, while loving it more”.
The idea, in short, is to create a simple and minimal “capsule” wardrobe comprised of only your favourite items. The app feels more like a service to me, because of how bespoke and guided the entire process is. From taking you through the closet cleanout, to helping you select a colour palette and adopting a signature style, everything about the experience feels tailor-made to your preferences.
One of my favourite features of the app is the ability to input your daily activities, their frequency, and your garb of choice for said activities. So for example, I could put in an office job, 5 times a week, and pick from an array of generic clothing items like blouses, t-shirts, tailored pants and pencil skirts. Based on the information you input on your lifestyle and clothing preferences, Capsules will then suggest specific articles of clothing to help you build your core wardrobe.
The most cathartic and important step, however, is the closet cleanout.
They advise you to take all of your clothes out of your closet and laundry baskets, lay them out in front of you and start taking stock. With each item you pick up you ask yourself, “do I love it?” and “do I wear it all the time?” If the answer to either of those questions is yes, then it goes in the yes pile. If the answer is a no, or even a maybe/I’m not sure – then it goes in the no pile. Once you have your piles, you’re advised to you to get rid of your no pile, by storing it in another room to begin with. Out of sight, out of mind.
While it was incredibly difficult, I was firm and stuck to the rules. This ended up in a mountain of clothes I didn’t want anymore, and would be donating to charity – a medium sized suitcase of “maybe” items, that I wasn’t ready to part with just yet, and a humble heap of “yes” items. It took hours but once I was done, it just felt right. I knew I had my core capsule.
The next steps were fun and incredibly interesting. Looking at the clothes I had left, I realised that I was very big on neutrals, simple clean lines and flowy materials. Sadly, none of the colourful floral print tops and dresses I had been buying compulsively for years because “they look pretty” made the cut – but what a revelation that was. I logged on to Pinterest at the advice of Cladwell and created inspiration boards for outfits, textures, patterns, colours, and slowly but surely began to see a mood board that reflected my true personal style.
With the help of the app’s suggestions, I was able to mark off items that I already owned and easily identify the few items I needed to purchase to complete my capsule – most of which I was able to extract from my “maybe” pile, by the way.
One thing to note is that while the app does provide a suggested number of pieces, it’s not the gospel and no one will slap you on the wrist for having three grey t-shirts instead of just the one. With time I’ve come to look at the suggestions as a basic framework, which I can adapt and adjust to suit my own lifestyle.
While the app suggests you create a new capsule every three months to accommodate for the change of seasons, I’m constantly capsuling in between too. Every so often, I’ll see a shirt hanging in my wardrobe, realise I haven’t worn it for months, and banish it to my maybe suitcase or even pass it on to a friend.
All in all – I can’t recommend Capsules enough. Whether you attempt it on your own, or take the plunge and sign up to the app I think everyone can benefit from creating a capsule wardrobe. While it didn’t cause the stresses of my daily life to dissipate, the effect of removing all of that physical clutter was immeasurable. Instantly I felt lighter, calmer and more at peace. Clearing out my physical space helped free up mental energy to de-clutter internally too.
The app is a paid service, but at $15 every three months, I think it is incredible value for money. 5 dollars a month is a small price to pay considering what I save in buying new clothes, too.
A couple of months after I started capsuling, I watched a documentary called The True Cost that has changed my shopping habits forever. The documentary exposes the ugly side of the “fast-fashion” movement, naming and shaming so many of the retail giants I had been supporting for years, blissfully unaware of the atrocious working conditions and unethical practices they employ on a global level. While transitioning my wardrobe to be completely eco, animal and human-friendly will take some time, I’m so glad to have finally learned the truth. Its daunting, but exciting to discover new eco-fashion brands, and I am slowly but surely becoming accustomed to investing in ethically-made clothing that doesn’t cost the earth.
Until next time, dear readers.
Veganopoulous says
this is a really interesting read. I’ve recently been doing the declutter to end all my declutters and used the Konmari method a bit, asking “does it spark joy?” when I take a piece of clothing out of the wardrobe. I don’t always ‘love’ an item of clothing, and choose to keep it because it’s practical or does the job. But I love the idea of a core wardrobe, or even a personal style uniform. I’ve been applying this “does it spark joy?”/”do I love it?” question to *everything* in my house now. I will absolutely not buy anything unless a) I need it and b) I love it. The idea is that I will (hopefully!) have my home full of things I love, which in turn makes me happy. In the past I’d look at a blank space in the house and just buy anything to fill it, with the attitude of “yeah it’s nice, it will do”. But now I have loads of blank space and refuse to buy anything unless it jumps out at me as being something wonderful. It’s also been great for my bank balance because I’m no longer buying for the sake of buying something. I’ll check out the Capsule app, thanks!
Nada says
“Does it spark joy?” is a great mantra – I may just borrow that one from you! Thank you for sharing, and for reading.
Lisa says
Hi Nada, thanks for this post. I’ll definitely watch that documentary. I’ve known something about what goes into clothing manufacture — but not enough, really.
You said that working w/the app and becoming more aware has changed your shopping habits forever. I’d be very interested to know in what ways your habits have changed. You also mentioned eco-friendly and ethically made clothing — any tips on brands, etc.?
I haven’t bought new clothes in ages, in an attempt to simplify, to stop supporting “cheap” retail, and to save money, and my plan is to buy clothes at resale/thrift shops when I do (although I can’t do that for ALL clothing, and shoes are especially hard). I certainly do not have all the answers; the thrift store thing is just one strategy I’ve come up with to reduce consumption and support for unethical practices in the industry…
All the best.
Nada says
Hi Lisa! I’m working on an ethical fashion lookbook and corresponding post so keep an eye out for that soon. Some of the brands I’m currently loving are Everlane, Mat and Nat, Peopletree, and Reformation, though there is so much else out there.
And my habits have changed in that I now think long and hard before deciding to purchase something and am no longer tempted to buy clothes just because they’re cheap. The way I see it is that an unnecessary purchase like that means not only contributing to the deplorable fast fashion industry but also, adding clutter that I would probably only get rid of during my next capsule.
Reshma says
Love this! I have been doing this for years (keeping my wardrobe minimal and only use what I need) and it always works wonders. I always find that when you declutter your surroundings etc, you actually create space for new things to enter your life! Thank you for sharing this with us!!
Nada says
That’s amazing – I wish I had discovered minimalism sooner myself. Thank you for reading!
dixya @food, pleasure, and health says
i am soo with you..i havent checked out the app yet but im trying to minimize and repurpose my wardrobe, donate and live with as little as possible. i am not a hoarder by nature so it makes me feel really good when i declutter.
Sal says
Just discovered your blog and loving it (as a vegan arab myself, I understand your pain lol). I also agree with above comment re KonMari – you have to read the book, and then apply her decluttering method to your life, not just wardrobe. It’s truly life-changing 🙂
M says
Loved this post, as I come back from vacation I think it’s a perfect time to bring in some of the new pieces and out with the old — so much stuff and I barely want to wear any of it.. saw the trailer for the film just now, really sad 🙁
ninaframbuesa says
Nice to see another vegan who is interested in minimalism and ethical fashion. I believe that we cannot say we care about animals and at the same time not care about our fellow humans who produce the clothes we wear.
While I am not interested in creating a capsule wardrobe for myself, I am currently getting more and more into minimalism and seriously paring down my closet.
What I find difficult is to find tips on a minimalist wardrobe for people who live in climates with fewer seasons. Here in Greece, I will simply not need many jackets or winter boots. On the other hand, I own three swimsuits, because one would simply not be enough in our hot summers. It would be refreshing to see your take on a minimalist wardrobe given that you live in a similar climate.
M says
Nada I just read this article and wanted to share: http://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/5-tips-for-simplifying-your-wardrobe-buying-fewer-clothes
It shares tips such as figure out what clothing doesn’t work for you, to avoid buying those. I also want to say this article got me started into really thinking about clothes differently and taking out lots of clothes to donate and reestablish my wardrobe collection and my relationship with it :p thank you 🙂
Ari says
Hi, I just found your blog and I love it. Have you heard of PACT Apparel? Great for basics, and they’re such a nice company. (One time I needed to exchange an item for a different size; they sent me the proper size and told me to keep the spare and give to someone in need…how cool!) Keep up the awesome posts, I’ll be reading!