5 Reasons to Build a Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe that Reflects Your Personal Style

If I had to choose one word to describe my wardrobe and personal style over the past 10 years, it’d be this one: fickle.

Yep, frequently changing says it all.

I’ve gone from living in sweats as a college athlete to wearing polished, professional pieces as a journalist, to selecting scrubs daily as a speech therapist, to creating a capsule wardrobe of graphic tees, stretchy skirts and artsy accessories as a stay-at-home mom and minimalist blogger.

Although my roles in life and my clothing pieces have changed—even dramatically at times—one thing has been consistent. My wardrobe has always had the subtle power to make me feel like me.

Truth is, working on your outer image matters. Not in a shallow way where you impulsively follow trends, buying things with money you don’t have to impress people you barely know. But in an intentional way that allows you to express your authentic self and encourages you to show up fully in your life.  

Entrepreneur and author Ed Mylett writes, “To be at your best, you need to feel good about the outer you and the inner you. When those two work together, you project an aura that attracts people to you. Your internal self-esteem has a direct bearing on your external self-esteem. When these two are in sync, you relax. Your energy flows. And your confidence grows.”

The best way I’ve found to consistently feel good about the outer you is by creating a capsule wardrobe that reflects your personal style. The idea of a capsule wardrobe gained popularity through Courtney Carver’s minimalist fashion challenge, Project 333, in which participants wear 33 pieces of clothing for 3 months. Her book Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More is your go-to resource for learning how to create a capsule wardrobe. 

A capsule wardrobe focuses on the clothes you love wearing and feel good in. This teaches you a lot about your personal style and frees you to wear clothing that aligns with who you are at your core. Curating a minimalist wardrobe steeped in your personal style cultivates confidence, promotes inner peace, and spreads positivity to the world around you. But there’s more.

Here are 5 reasons to build a minimalist capsule wardrobe that reflects your personal style:

1. You feel better

Clothes trigger feelings, both positive and negative. Carver writes that until you are clued into how clothes can trigger negative emotions, you can feel worse after getting dressed and not know why. You can continue to carry the weight of these emotions throughout the day without realizing it. By choosing to own only the items you love, you’re inviting positivity into your life each time you open your closet. 

2. You learn to trust yourself

Dressing with less is an exercise in trust. Carver says, “Fear will tell you that you’ll never have enough. The realization that you need way less than you think to be happy will change your life in the most amazing ways.” Creating a capsule wardrobe may feel like a leap outside of your comfort zone at first. As you remove the excess, you begin looking to your heart for answers instead of outside yourself (i.e., the latest fashion magazine). Trusting yourself in this challenge, as you realign your choices with your heart, can prime you to do the same in other areas of your life.

3. Your self-talk improves

We have around 70,000 self-talk thoughts a day and 80% are negative. When we dress in a way that makes us consistently feel good about ourselves, that percentage decreases. Any self-talk about your appearance and wardrobe become positive because you’re wearing what you love and feel your best in. The more positive our self-talk becomes, the more confident, relaxed, and authentic we become.

4. You accept yourself

A capsule wardrobe focuses on the clothing items that support who you are today. When you dress for who you are today—not who you used to be or who you wish you were—you learn to accept yourself more deeply. You begin to listen to your own needs, honor them, and give yourself more grace. As you become more comfortable in your own skin, your energy will invite others to do the same.

5. You stop comparing

When you become confident in your personal style, you drop any tendency to compare your wardrobe to others. You’re no longer distracted by thinking you should wear what others are wearing. And you won’t feel inadequate if your wardrobe doesn’t reflect a certain popular trend or brand. Rooted in self-knowledge and acceptance, you’re liberated to be fully present and show up more fully in your life.

I work each season (every three months) to create a capsule wardrobe that reflects who I am. I use most of the same pieces (dresses can be worn year-round with leggings underneath, graphic tees go with jeans and a cardigan in colder months) and have slowly been adding in sustainable pieces now that I know my style. My pieces are pregnancy and postpartum friendly—that’s the season of life I’m in. 

I use these three A’s as guidance when defining my personal style and deciding if a piece is a good fit in my capsule wardrobe: Artsy, Articulate, and Amazingly comfortable. The clothing I love and feel my best in has either a unique, artsy quality to it or articulates a message I love. And, as a highly sensitive person, all pieces must be amazingly comfortable. 

Author Leah Darrow writes, “What we wear communicates to the world what we believe in/about us.”

Our fashion choices speak about what is going on inside us. Take a few moments today to check in with your heart. How do you feel about your wardrobe? How does what you wear make you feel about you? Does your wardrobe express your personal style and reflect your true self? Sit with the answers, and if you’d like them to be different, believe you have the power to change them. 

Developing a capsule wardrobe that reflects your personal style isn’t an overnight endeavor. In fact, it will likely take several seasons of experimenting to feel right. The benefits of dressing with less are worth any time, energy, and attention spent refining your wardrobe. 

If you’re looking to create a capsule wardrobe that reflects your personal style, then Carver’s book is a must read. I could write a how-to piece, but Carver has already done this beautifully in her book.

Building a capsule wardrobe that reflects your personal style is a step toward showing up more present, confident, and authentic in your life.

Why not start today?

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia practices what she preaches in her Kansas City apartment home with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, and 10-month-old son. You can also find her on Instagram.

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I want to help you design a simple, intentional life! I’ve created a 30-day course that will guide and inspire you to declutter your home, heart and schedule, and live focused on what matters. Learn more HERE.