What makes the perfect capsule wardrobe?
1. Timeless, classic designs
Trendy clothes, by their nature, need to be replaced by the next trend. We want to avoid needing to update our wardrobe all the time. A good capsule wardrobe centers around simple, classic styles. The white t-shirt. The dark wash jeans. The navy blazer.
2. Versatile Pieces
Fewer clothes mean you want to pick pieces that can double or triple duty. Your jacket should be appropriate for work but still look great on a date!
3. Focus on core neutral colors
Take a look at the image below. What do you notice?
Great examples of outfits using neutral colors
All the men center their style around neutral colors. (White, black, grey, navy, olive, khaki, and brown.)
It doesn't matter if you're young, old, black, Asian, white, formal, or casual. Neutral colors, or "Men's Core Colors" as I like to call them, make everyone look amazing. It's the foundation for great capsule wardrobes.
Here's why they work:
Neutral core colors aren't overpowering
Core color outfits vs bright colors
Many men overcompensate for the lack of style by wearing flashy and loud clothes. It comes off as showy.
Core colors are flattering and pleasant to look at compared to loud, bright colors. Nothing wrong with wearing bright colors, but many men overdo it!
They mix and match easily with each other
Because neutrals don't overpower on another, you don't need to worry about mixing and matching colors. They mix together "automatically."
They're the perfect backdrop for brighter colors and patterns
Neutral colors are a great backdrop for brighter, pop colors
Core colors are like your wardrobe's carbs: they're a great delivery method for more color and patterns. When you're ready to take your capsule wardrobe to the next level, you'll have the perfect backdrop. (See Ryan, Jonah, and Idris above)
The Perfect Starter Capsule Wardrobe
Need an idea of where to start? I got you...
Let's assume you do laundry once a week. Here's what I recommend for a starter capsule wardrobe:
14 essentials pieces (not counting the socks and underwear)
- 2 Jackets (1 dressy, 1 casual)
- 8 tops (a mixture of t-shirts, polos, button-ups and/or henleys)
- 2 pants (1 casual, 1 dressier)
- 2 pairs of shoes (1 casual, 1 dressier)
- 8 pairs of underwear
- 8 pairs of socks
Here's a breakdown of the starter capsule wardrobe:
2 Jackets (1 blazer, 1 casual)
Versatility is extremely important when putting together a capsule wardrobe! That's why for this starter, I went with a navy blazer. It's a jacket you can wear to important meetings and dates, but still dress down with a t-shirt if you wanted to. There are a lot of casual jacket options. I love a good, restrained leather jacket. Black mixes and matches with everything, and the minimal design (compared to a classic "rocker" leather jacket) means you can even wear it to the office!
8 tops (a mixture of t-shirts, polos, button-ups and henleys)
T-shirts are essential for any capsule wardrobe. But polos are my favorite secret weapon! They're the perfect "business casual" shirt — they're more casual than a button-up, but dressier than a t-shirt.
Button-up oxfords in a mix of white, pale blue, and blue striped will cover your needs for work. A blue chambray denim style shirt is a great versatile piece you can wear under a blazer, or throw over chinos and boots.
2 pants (1 pair of dark wash denim, 1 pair of olive chinos)
Save the light washed jeans for summer weekends. To squeeze out more versatility, make sure your denim is darker. Darker colors evoke a more serious vibe, allowing you to wear it to work. (Think about how intimidating security guards are when they wear all black!) It also makes it much easier to mix and match because a dark denim blue is not overpowering.
Chinos are the perfect business casual pant. I went with olive to give the capsule a bit of color. You can pair them with a blazer and button-up for work, or t-shirt and white sneakers for the weekend.
2 pairs of shoes (1 minimal white sneakers, 1 dressy leather boots)
Minimal white sneakers have become a staple in the modern man's wardrobe. The clean design, combined with more relaxed dress codes, means you can totally wear these to the office.
For a dressier shoe, you have a few options. A black penny loafer is a great, versatile style for the office. I like a lace up boot here, which pairs well with both the chino and jeans.
