Capsule Wardrobe: Kids’ Edition
Many of you have asked, “what exactly is a capsule wardrobe?” If you look it up on Pinterest you will see these perfectly curated wardrobes with links encouraging you to scrap your entire wardrobe and purchase all new pieces. Let me assure you that you can achieve a capsule wardrobe without doing that.
Today I’m going to be talking specifically about kids because I feel that having a capsule wardrobe for your kids makes life easy and saves so much money!
So what is a capsule wardrobe? According to Wikipedia.com a capsule wardrobe “is a term used in American publications as early as the 1940s to denote a small collection of garments designed to be worn together which harmonized in color and line.” Basically it is a wardrobe that can be mixed and matched.
The number one reason I stick with a capsule wardrobe for my kids (and it’s a great place to start if you are interested in trying this out) is this. Kids grow. Sometimes a lot. We don’t need a ton of clothes for our kids because they will likely have an entire new wardrobe next year, possibly even next month.
So how do you get started?
Choose a color palate. Many times this is chosen for me by what is popular that season in the stores I like to shop in. This doesn’t mean your child’s clothing all needs to be the same color, but if these colors coordinate together it will make it easier.
How many pieces of clothing does your child need?
School clothes: My daughter went to school 4 days a week last school year. I wanted her to have 2 weeks of school clothes. 8 outfits
Dress clothes: We go to church every Sunday and I like for my kids’ to dress nice for Sunday service. 6 outfits
In-between clothes: These are clothes for dinner out with friends, or a graduation, or a birthday party. Many times clothing in this category can be pulled from school clothes or dress clothes. I love versatile pieces!
Play clothes: I never buy play clothes. Play clothes can be a little bit small (maybe a dress that’s too short for school) or a faded t-shirt that’s a little big. These are usually old school clothes or hand-me-down items that are faded.
Shoes: We usually keep one pair of shoes designated for school. I love a pair of leather, washable sneakers. This pair is usually thrown away at the end of the year or kept until she outgrows them as a play pair. For the summer we usually have 1 pair or dress shoes and 2 pairs of sandals (that can also be worn to church.)
As you purchase, make sure they can be mixed and matched (if it’s a top or bottom) and be sure the shoes coordinate.
Here are some tips:
Stay away from things that need a particular pair or shoes or do not match anything else.
If you do buy one piece (a top or bottom), be sure you already have something at home that it coordinates with. When my daughter was really small I fell into this trap. I would find this super cute skirt on clearance and then I never found a top to match. Or spend way too much time searching for one.
Buy second-hand when you can. This is almost exclusively how I shop for my daughter’s dress clothes. Matilda Jane is our current favorite line for (church and the in-between category) dresses. They are soft so she loves wearing them and they are really cute, so I love for her to wear them. When I buy them from Poshmark, I typically pay the same price that I will eventually re-sell them for. When kids are growing so fast, it’s best to save money where you can.
Choose versatile shoes. Our current shoes for this summer are some iridescent sandals that pretty much match everything.
If you have already purchased clothing for your child for this season, do not go out and get all new things. This was a process that I slowly worked through. And each year we do have some things we are given or dresses I purchased in advance of the size and sometimes they don’t work for our capsule. I try to make them work, but if they absolutely can’t I will sell them.
Having a capsule wardrobe for my kids has been a great time and money saving tool.
Please let me know if you have any questions on this topic!