Welcome back to the Gentleman’s Gazette! In today’s video we discuss capsule wardrobe
for men, what it is, we touch the history, what it’s benefits are and whether it’s right for you or not.
Of course I also discuss my capsule wardrobe for fall-winter and spring-summer so you have a good starting point.
Capsule wardrobe is a term you hear all over the place
but first let’s establish what the term actually means? Basically, it’s a small
collection of outfits with a sole purpose or maximizing the use of each item meaning everything
works well with one another so you get a maximum number of outfits with minimal wardrobe. A
capsule wardrobe includes only the everyday essentials you have in your wardrobe and the
idea is that you have something that you could wear for three months exclusively.
It follows the quality over quantity approach and it’s supposed to reduce the dissatisfaction
with your wardrobe even though you have a lot of items. Overall the capsule wardrobe
is a minimalist approach to clothing and it does not include accessories. Personally,
I love clothes but I had to resort to a capsule wardrobe when I was traveling for 105 days
around the world. Because of that I had to carefully think what items am I going to wear,
what climate zones will I be in and then I could only choose what I had without buying
anything more because we travel all the time and having heavy luggage and overweight luggage
is not fun to travel with. Chances are you’ve created your own capsule wardrobe whenever
you travel for an extended period of time.
So the capsule wardrobes been around since 1970s and the phrase was actually coined
by a boutique in London. In the 1980s Donna Karan released a capsule collection that was geared
towards women and the idea was to have items that all work with one another.
So why could a capsule wardrobe make sense for you? First of all, if you’re going to
go on a long trip or any trip at all, it’s really good to have items that you can combine
with one another because it gives you more options and you don’t have to haul heavy
stuff with you. It’s also great for people who have a large closet and many items of
clothing yet they can’t see to the trees for the forest and they don’t know what
to wear. It could also be good for you if you wear the same things over and over again
or if you have 3 or 4 different versions of very similar items such as the blazer yet
you’re never entirely happy with each or anyone of those items.
So what are the big benefits of a capsule wardrobe. First of all, it’s a very conscious
process which forces you to think and therefore generally reach better results. Each item in your
collection has a specific purpose and you have to check beforehand if you can wear it
with one another or if it goes with existing items that you already have on your wardrobe.
As a result you take your clothes shopping a lot more seriously. And as a result, you’ll
likely be a lot happier with your choices because everything works with one another
you bring down the cost per wear enormously. On the flip side that means you can now invest
in higher quality garments that cost more because you buy fewer of them. It also means
you stop settling for garments that are just okay and you go for really really good. On
top of that you learn how to utilize accessories to really change your look because at the
end of the day, a pocket square, a bowtie or a tie are a lot less expensive yet the look
can be the same as if buying an entirely new suit. If you live in a big city where large
closets and apartments are very expensive or you if you just don’t have enough closet
space, the capsule wardrobe is a godsend because it significantly reduces the amount of space
you need for your clothes. Also you can have a hundred bow ties or ties that take up as
much space as a single suit so having a large number of accessories won’t hinder you from
having a really versatile wardrobe once you have that capsule collected.
So how do you create a capsule wardrobe. First of all, choose a 3 month period because that’s
a good time frame. It’s not too long, it’s not too short that will help you to choose
the right pieces. Initially, you look what you already have in your wardrobe that you
will like to wear and that you think you can combine with other pieces. Ideally, you do
all this two weeks before you actually need it. Which means two weeks before the season
starts two weeks before your trip or whatever that event is. Of course, if you go on a hiking
trip, you need a very different outfits than if you’re going to go on Vienna and you
visit operas all day long. Rather than just going out and buying everything new, I suggest
to focus on what you already have because you know what it looks like, know what it
feels like, know what its shortcomings are and its benefits. Then fill in the gaps from
there.
Store all the other clothing away or donate to people in need. Force yourself to not wear
anything outside of your capsule wardrobe. It makes you creative and as I said before
accessories are not part of that so that’s where you really start creating your unique
looks always having that same jacket.
So what does my personal capsule wardrobe look like? Basically I decided I need about
thirty seven items. Now when I say a three-piece suit, that’s already 3 items. For the fall-winter
season, I would choose 2-3 piece suits, one in gray flannel and one in a small houndstooth
maybe in brown or gray and white. I would also go with a navy solid 2-piece suit, a brown
needle head suit or maybe brown striped suit, choose one of them. And then maybe a mid gray
suit or something with a pattern such as a nice classic glen check or prince of wales
check. On top of that I would add 2 sport coats. Definitely a tweed coat maybe in a
herringbone pattern, even brown and then maybe a navy blue flannel blazer double breasted
with patch pockets and differing maybe blonde horn buttons just so I have a different look
from just my regular navy jacket for my suit.
I had three vests, one maybe a burgundy doeskin, another one a bottle green velvet or different
fabric, maybe tweed. And then sweater vest also in a color that works well such as camel
or gray maybe or blue. Because it’s cold outside I would add a peacoat which is a shorter
coat and you can learn more about the garment here. As well as a Paletot which is a stylish
overcoat maybe in a gray color with a black velvet collar, that way it’s formal. I can
wear it with a tuxedo but I can also wear it in any kind of suit and during midday.
Obviously a tuxedo is a very special item and you have to decide if you need it or not
depending on the events that you’re going to attend in the next three months. In terms
of shirts, I suggest you go with 8 basic ones which includes a white shirt with a french
cuff and a regular collar or something that suits your face A light blue shirt maybe with
barrel cuffs. An oxford shirt definitely with barrel cuffs and a crew shirt which you can
wear with tweeds or casual outfits. Also you may want to invest in twill shirt in a pastel
color such as pink or purple, green or yellow simply because it adds a different note to
your outfit.
For pants, I’ll go with corduroys, maybe olive green or brown, definitely add a pair
of gray flannel. If I have already gray flannel suit, I’d skip that maybe go with a doeskin
or a pair of chinos.
For sweaters, I’d go with a v neck sweater because I wear a lot of ties. If you don’t
you could get a round crew neck. Color wise I’d stick with burgundy or bottle green.
You can also go with blues or grays or whatever you prefer but I would also suggest you go
with a cardigan because you can button it up. Its just a slightly different garment.
Its very comfortable and always make sure to go with a different color than what you
chose for your sweater.
For shoes, I’d go with 3 pairs. A black classic cap toe oxford. Then a mid-brown derby
shoe and a burgundy loafer. To learn more about the specifics of these 3 shoes please
check out our in depth video here.
Because it’s winter I also want 2 pairs of boots and ideally you want to have a chelsea
boot and a chukka boot. And to learn more about those, please check out our boot video
here. Now if you live or travel to a warmer climate, your capsule wardrobe will look entirely
different. First of all, because it’s warmer I’d skip any type of 3 piece suits and only
go with 2 pieces. My picks would be a fresco suit maybe in a mid gray or something in blue.
Then a tropical worsted one that’s in a different color maybe slightly lighter and
a seersucker suit. To learn more about seersucker, please check out this guide here.
Because it’s a warmer climate you can be more daring and you can have more sport coats.
I suggest to go with a blue and white checked cotton sport coat maybe a brown linen sport
coat something in green. Also something of a mix maybe with a silk blend just to get
a different texture and you can get a coarser weave such as a Panama weave because it just
provides a different look to your outfits. Ideally you also want to have at least one
checked item in there, such as a glen check or an overcheck one is small one is bigger
so you don’t just end up with solids.
For more casual outings, I’d thrown in a Harrington jacket and you can learn more about
that in out full fledge guide here. Again, I would 8 dress shirts however slightly differently,
I would have open weave shirts that are really breathable in white, in light blue. Only stick
with very pastel colors because it works really well summer. Instead of using all cotton you
can experiment with linen cotton blends or even some silk blends. They are more coarse.
They have modeled look. They wrinkle in a different way and they are just more casual
and seasonally appropriate.
For pants, I suggest you go with nantucket red pair of cotton trousers because it’s
very contrasty. It has a preppy feel. I’d go with maybe a beige seersucker pants if
you already have a blue seersucker suit. I’d add a navy pair of slacks in solid color.
just for very office appropriate wear and in a tropical worsted because its the perfect
material for hot summers. And then I would add a mid blue pair of linen pants which is
also very versatile and brighter in it’s color. Of course you always want to thrown
in a khaki pair of chinos because it goes with anything. You could dress it up or down,
super versatile, you can learn all about it in this video here.
If you wear shorts, go maybe with something like madras shorts which would be my personal
pick. Then I would go with a needle head and maybe something else in linen.
For my dress shoes I would get 3 pairs probably a plain derby in a mid brown or a full brogue
in an oxford brown or the other way around as well as a tan light loafer or a penny loafer
or tassel loafer because those three colors are more seasonally appropriate rather than
a black oxford that wouldn’t go so well with the other items in your spring summer
capsule wardrobe.
Last but not the least, I would add a pair of boat shoes because you can wear it barefoot.
It’s comfortable, it has a much more casual look and for the same reason maybe add a pair
of driving mocs which you can wear driving or at a resort. To learn more about boat shoes
check out this video. To learn more about driving mocs, have a look here.
Now all these suggestions were just highly personalized to my tastes and they may not
work for you. I you want to learn more about it, please go to our full fledged guide where
we have 2 additional wardrobes laid out for you that you can take as a foundation and
then change things as you see fit.
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