3 sweaters, which will be a part of my spring capsule wardrobe, partially stacked on top of each other, lay on a light wood floor. A medium blue sweater is at the top of the photo, slightly covered by a bright yellow sweater which is partly covered by an olive green sweater. Part of a pair of feet wearing mustard yellow/charcoal grey and light grey socks are visible at the bottom of the photo.

I’ve been having a on/off relationship with capsule wardrobes since last summer, when I decided to just not do one. But once fall rolled around, which is my favorite season for fashion, I put one together again. Only to give up on it shortly after. Which led me into a bit of an identity crisis. Who was I if I didn’t have a capsule wardrobe?

I had let a capsule wardrobe become the thing that defined who I was, instead of a tool that I use to simplify my life.

So, what did I do? I created a winter capsule wardrobe and then stuck to it in very loose terms over the past few months. And because I wasn’t in the mindset to fully commit to it, I bought clothes. Clothes that I didn’t need. Luckily, all, except one, were conscious purchases. But still, I’m having a little bit of buyer’s remorse.

And some shame. I had decided to do a low buy year, and what did I do? I started it off by buying things. First, it was a few things and I was feeling okay with it. But then I just kept buying things. Major fail!

Do you know how many things I bought in the first 2 months of this year? 10! That’s 5 items/month. If I keep going at that rate, I’ll add 60 items to my wardrobe this year. That’s not sustainable.

* If you’ve been a part of this little community for a while (and thank you for being here), you know that I like to challenge myself, and you also know that I often fail. As hard as I try, I’m still someone who is heavily influenced, especially by social media (basically instagram, which is the only social media I regularly use). People still like to see new, even within the “sustainable fashion” community…new things from slow fashion brands, new thrift finds, new makes. And I’m not immune to that. And sometimes, I fall into the mindset that I need to be showing “new” stuff too.

I’m imperfect at sustainability. I’m imperfect at minimalism. I’m imperfect at capsule wardrobing.

But I’m learning to accept that being perfect shouldn’t be the goal. Being better should be.

So, how do I come to terms with being someone who doesn’t want to keep consuming but also be an active participant on social media, which has brought a lot of value into my life?

This is a question that I’ve been asking myself a lot lately.

And I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to go back 4 years, to when I started this blog. I called it “Uncomplicated Spaces” because that’s what I wanted my life to be…uncomplicated. I still do, now more than ever. But my relationship to clothes is not. It used to be…when I was using a capsule wardrobe as a tool instead of an identity.

And you know what? I’ve realized a few things about my relationship to a capsule wardrobe:

1. Without a capsule wardrobe, I focus on the things that I don’t have instead of the things that I already own.

By focusing on the things that I don’t have, I feel like I’m constantly searching for something better. This is something that I’ve been trying to reign in since 2015 when I first discovered minimalism. As a recovering shopaholic, I know that I’ll always struggle with this. But I’ve also come to realize that a capsule wardrobe pulls me back from this ledge and puts the focus on what I already own.

2. A capsule wardrobe gives me a feeling of order, a sense of calmness.

I don’t function well with clutter. I have a slight claustrophobic reaction when I’m surrounded by a lot of things. Dramatic, but true. And a closet full of clothes, especially ones that I don’t wear, feels like clutter.

Looking at an organized rack of clothing each morning puts me in the right headspace to tackle the day. And I don’t waste time thinking about what to wear.

3. A capsule wardrobe makes me feel more creative with my style.

Having a smaller selection of clothing means I often think of new ways to wear them, by styling them with items I wouldn’t normally think of or in a different way altogether. It’s because of my capsule wardrobe experiments that I started to style dresses with tops/sweaters to make them look like skirts. Which meant I didn’t even need skirts!

I don’t find that I’m as creative when I have a large selection to choose from, and consistently adding more makes it even harder.

I also become more crystal clear about the things that I enjoy wearing and it becomes easier to discard items that don’t suit my lifestyle, which is quite casual.

TL:DR I’m ready to commit to a capsule wardrobe again. Not because I’m supposed to. But because I want to. I have been able to recognize the true value and structure that they bring to my life.

Stay tuned for the Spring Capsule Wardrobe Part 2: Building My Capsule Wardrobe. Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more Capsule Wardrobe content.