FALL 2022 NOTE: I originally created this wardrobe as a work from home capsule in the midst of the pandemic. But I recently looked back and realized that it’s a great casual capsule wardrobe, too! And you can make tweaks based on the weather - sneakers can shift to sneaker booties, flats can shift to boots, you can amp up the layers, etc. Let me know if it inspires you to create a capsule from what’s in your closet.
Whether working from home was something you did on a regular basis (pre-pandemic) or it’s completely new to you, I’m sure you’ve felt a shift in your style. You’re wearing more comfortable clothes. You’re selecting specific things from your closet that make you feel good when you’re at home all day (or all week!). And you’re completely ignoring parts of your wardrobe that don’t fit right now – whether they don’t fit your current lifestyle or your current preferences, or even your current body.
Did you know that most people (outside of a pandemic) wear only 20% of what’s in their closets? And I think that’s more like 5-10% right now. Because you’re discovering what makes sense for your current lifestyle - which is definitely a subset of what’s sitting in your closet. So here’s my idea: since you’re only wearing a small portion of your wardrobe, how about being deliberate about it? How about choosing which pieces function best for your stay at home/work from home style (that make you feel good) and creating a work from home capsule wardrobe?
The idea of a capsule wardrobe has been around for a while, and for good reason. Essentially, a capsule wardrobe is a select number of styles that mix and match to create a multitude of outfits. And that’s it. Yes, you can Google a ton of ‘rules’ around how to make a capsule wardrobe. Some places will tell you to only pick solid neutrals. Some places will show you capsules that solely reflect a minimalist style. And other places will tell you to wear 30 pieces for 3 months and you can’t go shopping. But I won’t tell you any of that. Because capsule wardrobes work with any style, any color palette and how many pieces (and whether you shop or not) is up to you.
I am in no way an expert in creating capsule wardrobes. But I am an expert in creating modern, versatile wardrobes without needing a ton of clothes, that work for your lifestyle, body type and budget and that you love wearing – even in a pandemic (click here to see work from home outfits I created for a few clients). So, to provide some capsule wardrobe motivation, here’s a work from home capsule that I created for a recent virtual workshop.
This is more of a mini-capsule wardrobe, since most of the ones you’ll find online are 30-40ish pieces. This one is 20 pieces (15 clothing items + 4 shoes + 1 scarf), plus some jewelry – and I’ve created 30 outfits (and I could probably come up with a few more). Here’s what I chose and why:
Comfortable bottoms
I usually start with bottoms because bottoms often define the tone of your outfit. You know what I mean, right? You’ll look at your closet in the morning and decide whether it’s a jeans day or a leggings day or a regular pants day. And while you’re at home, comfortable bottoms are essential for your wardrobe (read this for 5 other essentials for your quarantine wardrobe).
So, I chose a legging pant (not yoga pants), a pull-on style pant, drawstring joggers and boyfriend jeans. And these all reflect the neutrals I decided upon for this capsule wardrobe – black, ivory and olive (and jeans, just because they’re jeans). But you can choose whichever bottoms you like – my main recommendation is to keep most of them neutral, with maybe 1 pop color for this size capsule.
CAPSULE WARDROBE TIP: A quick note on color, because color is a crucial element in making a capsule wardrobe work. The easiest way to start a capsule wardrobe is to pick a tight color story – 2-3 neutrals, with a couple of pops of color. I chose black, ivory and olive as my neutrals, and burgundy and mustard as my pops. By choosing a tight color story, most things will easily go together, since the goal is ultimate mixing and matching and avoiding any one-hit wonders (click here for a few one-hit wonders I found in clients’ closets and how I repurposed them).
Versatile tops
These can be a range of styles that you feel good wearing for working from home. I selected a couple of knit tops, two casual blouses and a couple of sweaters (6 total) – and this is where I added the pop colors. Ideally, each of your tops will work with every bottom – but if that’s too constricting, choose tops that work with at least 3 of your bottoms. And you’ll get even more versatility if you pick tops that layer with each other – like a button-down shirt or turtleneck to wear under a sweater.
Unstructured third pieces
Fall weather is coming (or it’s already here, depending on where you live), so I included a few third pieces – aka jacket/cardigan ideas. I used a black denim jacket, a camel cardigan and a camouflage print sweater bomber. For your work from home capsule, choose layers that work for you, but it’s still about selecting options that are versatile – ideally every third piece you choose will work over almost all of your tops and dresses.
Easy dresses
I just chose two for this capsule, but if you like dresses, choose more (and if you don’t like them, add another bottom and top). I specifically selected easy dresses for comfort – one knit midi-dress and one long sleeve sweater dress. And if you love print dresses, check out 4 outfits I created with one dress to wear inside and outside, now and into fall.
Slip-on shoes
Since this capsule wardrobe is for working from home, I went with flat shoes that you can easily slide on and off during the day – a gold slide, a snake print flat and two pairs of sneakers. But again – choose what works for you, and if you find yourself wearing slippers most of the time, that’s totally ok (I wear my fuzzy slippers almost every day!).
Accessories
I chose one print scarf that works with the overall color palette of this capsule (so I could add it to almost any outfit) and that’s the only other accessory I included in the 20 item total. For jewelry, work with what you have – in these outfits I used 3 necklaces (2 long, 1 short), 2 pairs of earrings and 2 bracelets.
And another quick note – many of my selections are based on the pictures of clothes I could find – so if your vibe is more color or more print, or romantic or edgy details, go for it!
Are you ready to see some outfits? Here are 10 of the 30 outfits I created with this 20 piece work from home capsule wardrobe.
LEGGINGS
Since I believe that your choice of pants sets the tone for your outfit (especially when you’re at home), I separated these outfits into pant categories. With these two looks, I’m showing how a legging pant can be dressed up or dressed down for working from home. Wear it with a striped t-shirt, denim jacket and sneakers for when you’re walking the dog on your lunchbreak, or with a pop color sweater and sassy gold slides for a day that you’re feeling a little bit extra.
PULL ON PANTS
Pull on pants are basically another version of leggings since they have no construction at the waist, but they’re often a more substantial fabric. I chose these because they’re a straight leg – so they look like a ‘real pant’ when you’re not seeing the waistband. And if these pants aren’t your style, a pair of white/off-white jeans will integrate just as seamlessly into this capsule wardrobe.
JOGGERS
I love joggers for working from home, don’t you? They’re super comfortable and very kind if your size has changed during the pandemic - they’re basically your daytime pajamas. Yes, they’re a more sporty/casual style – but a solid pair (like these black ones) works just as easily with a t-shirt/bomber jacket combo as it does with a blouse and cardigan. (Side note – the striped t-shirt/camouflage sweater bomber is one of my favorite outfits in this capsule, and when I presented this workshop, 2 people immediately bought the bomber online!)
BOYFRIEND JEANS
You may be thinking, “Paul, I haven’t worn jeans for months!” But many of my clients are die hard jean fans, even during quarantine, so I wanted to include a pair. And the best thing is that jeans are super versatile, so there’s a good chance that they’ll go with every top in your capsule. FYI – this ivory top, camel cardigan and jeans outfit might be my favorite. It’s super simple, but with the gold accents it’s also super luxe – definitely an elevated version of work from home style. And there’s no reason not to elevate your work from home style when you’re in the mood!
EASY DRESSES
In my experience, you either love dresses or you don’t, with minimal middle ground. But if you do love dresses, they’re an easy way to multiply outfit options within a capsule wardrobe while still being an almost complete outfit. For ultimate versatility, make sure that your dresses go with all (or almost all) of your third pieces and work with multiple shoe options.
Ok, I know that was a lot to take in – but I hope you got some useful outfit inspiration, along with ideas on how to create a work from home capsule wardrobe from what’s sitting in your closet. Because narrowing your focus makes it so much easier to decide what to wear – and wouldn’t it be nice to have parts of your day that just feel easy right now?
I almost forgot – if you’re curious about the 30 outfits I created from this 20 item capsule wardrobe, scroll through all 30 in the gallery below. And if you’d like help creating outfits from what’s sitting in your closet, click here to schedule a free 20 minute phone consultation where we can chat about your needs and strategize your work from home wardrobe.
