How to Create a Basic Summer Capsule Wardrobe

The 'capsule wardrobe' is just a beautiful thing, props to whoever came up with such an amazing idea. Having the ability to wear the items in your wardrobe in a number of different ways is not only practical but it's a little kinder on your budget too, as even if you're starting from scratch you only need to buy a select number of things. Rather than running into the ladieswear section like a lunatic (and throwing items into your basket just because they look good on the hanger) if you spend some time planning and deciding what works, you can create a wardrobe that offers a huge range of options with a limited number of pieces. It saves you buying from clothes that only end up getting worn once, and means everything gets used but without feeling like you're constantly wearing the same things.

The trick to creating a capsule wardrobe is finding pieces that work in harmony with each other. To do this you'll want to begin by choosing your 'staple items'; I've gone with five summer dresses but choose based on the things you wear most often. Once you have these basic items you can go about selecting footwear and accessories that will work for each staple piece- white and neutral colours are a good choice as they go with just about everything. Metallics also work well (things like sandals, belts, bags and jewellery) and always look nice in the summer. All of your staple items should work with every jacket, bag and pair of shoes so you can easily chop and change between different looks.  My capsule wardrobe above contains just five dresses, four pairs of shoes and two jackets but will give a huge amount of perfect 'summer days' outfits suitable for both casual and slightly dressier occasions. Standard capsule wardrobes are usually built on around twenty or so items (not including accessories) but I think this is a good place to start, and could easily be built upon by adding a couple of skirts, a pair of shorts and some pastel jeans.

Seeing as the nice weather here in the UK never really lasts that long, creating a summer capsule wardrobe is a savvy choice, and means you can either spend less overall or have more money to invest in certain items and mix and match highstreet with higher end. Personally I'd spend less on strappy sandals seeing as you're only going to be able to wear them for a few weeks, and invest in things like dresses and jackets which will see you right through the summer and into the autumn. Ralph Lauren have created a great little style guide here in the form of a slideshow which is well worth checking out if you're looking to brush up on your fashion and style knowledge.

Have you ever created a capsule wardrobe?