A guide to building your capsule closet: Part 2 — finding your unique style
Now that you have cleaned out your closet and are only holding onto pieces you love, we can get into the fun stuff!
Curating your own unique style is not an overnight process. It takes trial and error and tons of research before you even can pull out your credit card.
You first need to compile inspirational images of looks and pieces that speak to the ideal style you are going for. Then evaluate the pieces you already own and see if you can recreate these looks. You’ll realize if these looks actually work and the pieces you still need to acquire to help elevate your wardrobe and get you to your desired aesthetic.
Here we dive into four easy steps on how to properly research the closet you desire and how to use pieces you already have to get there all before you have spent a penny.
1. Researching your aesthetic
Start by looking on sites like Pinterest or Instagram for inspiration. Save everything to one folder or even print it out. You can look at your favorite style influencers, characters from your favorite tv show, current trends, magazines or even people-watch while out and about. The world is your muse. Just take note of it all and keep it in one place to analyze later.
Then you will take all the inspiration you have accumulated and take a double pass through it all to make sure it all still resonates with the look you want.
2. Building your style mood board
You then should create a massive mood board or collage of all the aspirational looks. Take note of the reoccurring colors, silhouettes, pieces, fabrics, accessories and prints that you are seeing. These key takeaways are the foundation of your aesthetic. These are characteristics you know to look for when shopping and when building an outfit.
Now take these same photos and create sub mood boards based on purpose tailored toward your lifestyle. So, a mood board of looks that fit your everyday wear, working from home/ working in the office, going out with friends, date night, sports/working out and so on. This may take some additional research to flesh out each bucket.
3. Documenting your style journey
You can see from my photos that I like full sleeves, button-downs, trousers, very tailored pieces that are a bit more oversized, lots of neutrals with a pop of color on special occasions. My aesthetic is a mixture of minimalism, academia, cottagecore, and vintage. It’s okay to mix aesthetics as we are multifaceted and can fit in several style buckets.
I know you’ve got your card out ready to shop, but not yet! Now, open up your closet, and with the pieces you already have, try to re-create looks from each lifestyle mood board you have created. Try doing this for about two weeks to a month and document it with photos.
The photos will help with showing your growth and progress. Also, if you continue to document your photos, you can use them to reference later on down the line and be your own style inspiration.
Have fun with it! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes because it’s all a part of the process.
4. Paying attention to the details
Take note of how you feel in the looks you try on. Ask yourself about how the look made you feel initially and how you felt throughout the day. Do you like the proportions on your body? Are the colors complementary to your skin complexion? Does the silhouette flatter your figure? What pieces do you feel like you are missing to elevate or complete the look? What fabrics were most comfortable to wear? Do you feel over or underdressed?
Once you have done this for a decent amount of time, you should have a better understanding of what looks work best for your lifestyle. Go back in and revise your mood boards on looks that you feel don’t work. Also, during this time, you may have a running list of pieces you thought you were missing to complete these looks. Keep all these notes together because you will need them when it’s time to shop.
Now that you have a clear idea of your style identity, we can jump into the best shopping practice when it comes to completing your personal capsule closet based on all the research you have done.
Header by Alyssa Strohmann / Unsplash
