How I Accidentally Made My Most Wearable Capsule Wardrobe Yet

Hint: It didn't start with a checklist of "must-haves"

Wearing an Abercrombie built-in bra tank and my favorite Aritzia linen skirt.

Remember last week when I shared seven outfits for my ordinary summer?

Somewhere in the middle of putting them together, a thought struck me:

What if I took all the pieces from those outfits and turned them into a capsule wardrobe?

Would it work? Could seven real-life outfits — designed with specific summer moments in mind — combine to make a functional, mix-and-match wardrobe?

Well…yes!

Not only did it work, it might actually be the best way I’ve ever built a capsule. I wasn’t starting from a checklist of “must-have” basics — I was starting with fully-built outfits I already knew worked for my real life.

Seeing the full picture helped me realize a few things that make a capsule truly usable:

First, I think a capsule functions best when it’s a focused and functional slice of my wardrobe, not the entirety of my wardrobe. I think of it as an evolving collection of pieces that are working especially well right now.

Second, a capsule really only works for me when I give it its own space — as in, physically separate it from my other clothes. When I carve out a separate section — even just a corner of my closet — something clicks. There’s something really nice about looking at a group of clothes and knowing, “Yep, I can get dressed from this. Easily. Repeatedly.”

Third, if the phrase “capsule wardrobe” makes your eye twitch — like it’s selling you some ideal of minimalism or perfection — I get it. But the concept can be so much looser than what we’ve been sold. It doesn’t have to be rigid. It doesn’t have to be forever. It can just be a way to play.

So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with your closet — maybe you’ve got too many options, or nothing feels quite right — you don’t need to overhaul everything. You don’t need to commit to a minimalist lifestyle or clean out your closet. Just gather what’s working. Give it its own space.

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So let’s jump in! In the full post, I’m sharing:

• One beautiful capsule (that took me forever to make, so please, enjoy it slowly, lol)

• 23 outfits (yes 23!) made from the capsule

• All the nerdy little details that make this thing work (like color palette, lifestyle, weather, etc)

• What I’d already tweak now that it’s even hotter outside (because we’re not about sticking to the plan at all costs)