I don’t add shoes to my capsule wardrobe. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a shoe capsule. Does that even make sense?!? I guess what I mean is that I treat the 2 separately. I usually build my clothing capsule wardrobe first and then sit with that for a few weeks and see what shoes seem to be the best options to go with the clothes that I’ve selected.

Each season, I rotate around a few favorite pairs of shoes that I wear over and over. These are tried and true styles that are fun and functional! I see no point in being uncomfortable but I also want to look good too 😉

Since I’ve never shown you how I put together a shoe capsule, I figured there was no time like the present.

Shoe Selection Criteria

I have bought a lot of shoes in the past. But the rate at which I buy shoes nowadays is greatly reduced. I think that it’s because I am much more choosy than I used to be. Which means two things: a lot of shoes don’t meet the criteria that I have when it comes to purchasing shoes and also because I am quite content with the selection of footwear that I do have. A selection that I have built over the past few years. What is this criteria you may be wondering? Well, here goes:

1. First, I have to love them. Obviously, right?!?

2. They need to be comfortable. I’m over wearing shoes that cause blisters or that make my feet hurt after I stand in them for an hour. I want to be able to walk for blocks in my shoes!

3. They need to be stylish. Not trendy, but classic. Something that will be timeless.

4. They need to coordinate well with the clothes in my wardrobe. I have a lot of neutral colored shoes!

5. They need to be well made so that they last for a very long time.

6. If I am buying them new, they need to be ethically and sustainably made, with the welfare of the workers who made them and the planet taken into consideration.

My Sustainable Shoe Capsule For Spring

My shoe capsule consists of a variety of shoes that were purchased new or secondhand, with the exception of one gifted item, which have become a favorite.

They are all comfortable and have been racking up many wears! They can swing dressy or casual, well except the converse :). I tend to dress on the more casual side most of the time and I find that my selection of shoes is perfect for casual outfits. But a few of these pairs go really well with a dress or a blazer and pants when I need them to!

From left to right (* denotes affiliate link):

Secondhand Free People Suede Boots, similar

ABLE* Rojas Mules

Secondhand Swedish Hasbeen clogs, similar

Sandgrens Victoria clogs, gifted

Secondhand Loeffler Randall slingbacks, via the Real Real

Secondhand Converse All Star High Tops, via Ebay

Steps to Building the Perfect Shoe Capsule

I consider a few things when I’m deciding what shoes will be a part of my shoe capsule for a particular season:

1. The weather. For my most recent shoe capsule, which was for spring, I considered the weather where I live. The weather can be all over the place with temperatures ranging anywhere from freezing to around 75F (24C). This means that I need to have shoes that can keep my feet both warm and cool. I like to keep a pair of boots in my capsule for this reason and I also like to make sure that all of my shoes have closed toes.

2. Activities. What will I be doing? Will I have an appropriate shoe option for events? I try to keep a range of styles in my capsule from casual to dressy to everything in between so that I don’t have to go searching for something at the last minute.

3. Color palette. This depends heavily on the season. During colder weather capsules, I tend to gravitate more towards darker colors and my shoe capsule ends up containing more black shoes than my warm weather capsules, which tend to be lighter in color. As you can see from my current spring shoe capsule, it consists entirely of neutral colors with the majority being of lighter tones. I’ve thrown in 1 pair of black clogs because I believe that you have to have at least 1 pair of black shoes available!

Taking these things into consideration, plus my shoe selection criterial from above, I build my perfect shoe capsule. I would really like to add a pair of colorful shoes to my capsule for the warmer months, perhaps in orange, lilac or blue. I’ll be keeping my eye out!

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I hope that you found this little guide to building a shoe capsule wardrobe useful! The criteria and tips that I have outlined should be helpful if you would like to try out a shoe capsule. They may also help guide you if you feel like there are holes in your shoe collection that you would like to fill.

Do you have a capsule wardrobe for your shoes? If so, what criteria do you use to build yours? If you are new to a shoe capsule but you want to give it a try, do you have any specific questions for me?

Until next time,

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