Imagine you are packing a suitcase for a trip abroad. I’d guess you’d usually choose items that you like to wear and easily mix. I love the process of getting dressed when I travel. I find it easier to have a limited but versatile wardrobe to choose from. Yet, I am always happy to return wearing the other items in my wardrobe when my trip is over. For me, this is also the feeling when I have a capsule wardrobe.
I have been dreaming for some time now of creating a capsule wardrobe for myself. A capsule wardrobe is a collection of basic items that never go out of style. It contains a certain number of items that you love wearing and that easily mix. To this day, I have tried different methods to build a seasonal capsule wardrobe. However, whenever I reached the part of sorting and choosing items for my capsule, I found it challenging to focus on a limited number of items to choose from for the entire season. This winter, I decided to try the 10X10 capsule challenge. The challenge’s main advantage is that it lasts ten days and not an entire season.
What is the 10X10 capsule challenge?
Lee Vosburgh of Style Bee developed the 10X10 Challenge. The challenge involves choosing 10 items from which you can create 10 outfits you will wear for 10 days. These 10 items create a mini capsule wardrobe that allows you to understand how a seasonal capsule wardrobe works.
What items are included in the challenge?
- Shirts
- Trousers
- Dresses
- Skirts
- Shoes
The challenge does not include underwear, loungewear, sportswear, and accessories other than shoes (jewelry, belts, bags, etc.). You can also do the challenge without having shoes in the 10 items. In this case, you can choose 10 items of clothing in addition to the shoes.
How do I choose 10 items that will comprise a mini capsule wardrobe?
Since this is my first time experiencing this challenge in winter, I started looking for Pinterest inspiration. I looked at different winter capsules to understand what kind of items I should choose. Also, I tried to remember the last time I had traveled abroad in winter. I was in Paris in the winter of 2019, and I remember taking some wardrobe staples that I mixed in different ways and enjoyed wearing. Therefore, I decided to incorporate them in the mini capsule I built.
Since we were in lockdown during the challenge and my children were at home, creating the capsule required more versatility and creativity on my end. My weekly routine included three days at work and two days at home with my kids. Therefore, I chose items that would be comfortable and versatile for work and family time. Lastly, I’ve decided to do the challenge only on weekdays and take the weekends off.
Criteria for selecting the items:
- Weather – Items I can easily layer according to the current winter weather.
- Versatility – items that allow me to create a variety of outfits and layers.
- Color scheme – I chose items in neutral colors: brown, white, denim blue, and also black which I can easily mix.
- Planned routine – Items that fit my lifestyle and my planned routine in the next 10 days, including: time at work and time at home with my kids.
After trying this challenge last summer, I decided not to include shoes in my current capsule. This way, I was able to choose more clothing items. I also decided not to include outerwear in the challenge. I did this because, during the lockdown, I mostly spent my days at home. Therefore, I saw no point in narrowing down the wardrobe with items I would hardly wear.
The 10 items I chose for the 10×10 capsule challenge
Knitwear & Sweatshirts
- Wool cardigan with buttons
- Crew neck sweater
- Graphic sweatshirt
Tops
- Black turtleneck
- Denim blouse
- Graphic t-shirt
Bottoms
- Straight leg jeans in blue wash
- Straight leg jeans in black
- Tailored trousers
- Dark blue skinny jeans
Creating outfits for a capsule wardrobe
To create outfits for the capsule, I chose to use the Cladwell app. The app allows you to build a virtual wardrobe. It also offers possible outfit combinations based on the selected items. More information about the app can be found here. As part of my conclusions following the last challenge, I planned my outfits in advance. I also made sure that I would wear each item at least twice. Lastly, I organized the order of the outfits according to my activities and the weather. This way, I made sure I wouldn’t repeat the same items day after day.
Expectations Vs. Reality
In the first week, I dressed according to my plan. In the second week, the weather got quite warm here (about 24 °C). I realized that my winter capsule wardrobe needed to turn into a spring capsule wardrobe. To do this, I replaced one of the knits I hadn’t yet worn with a graphic t-shirt. After choosing the t-shirt, I built two outfits that would include it. Replacing items in my wardrobe due to the hot weather was the only challenging part of this capsule. I had to choose an item that would suit both the weather and the other items.
Conclusions and lessons learned
Eventually, I was quite happy with this capsule. I succeeded in creating versatile outfit combinations and got to be creative with my wardrobe. Also, I learned that the need to focus makes it easier for me to get dressed. For this capsule, I felt it was the right decision not to include shoes and outerwear. This enabled me to style the core items of my wardrobe with these items.
Every time I end this challenge, I feel relieved and even happy being able to wear my other winter items from my closet again. In my opinion, this is one of the great advantages of a capsule wardrobe. It allows you to enjoy more of the items you have and get excited again about the items you did not wear for a certain period (even if it is only for two weeks :)). For the next season, I choose to set myself a new goal- building a seasonal capsule wardrobe or experiencing the challenge of 30 items for 30 days. This way, I’ll be able to build a capsule wardrobe over time.
If you are also interested in starting a capsule wardrobe or have tips for a successful experience in a seasonal capsule wardrobe for beginners, feel free to share them with me in the comments 🙂
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