In 1926 Coco Chanel published a photo of a simple black dress in Vogue magazine. Her design of a simple, statement piece that could be dressed up or down became the backbone of women’s fashion for many years. Whilst the colours may change the idea of having one piece of clothing that can always be used became the beginning of the capsule wardrobe.
However, no matter how fabulous your clothes are you will never be catwalk ready unless you learn how to care for and store the items. Unless you are fortunate enough to own a dressing room and walk-in wardobe you will have to make the most of the furniture available. If you have more clothes than space, and can’t bear to part with anything, try using suitcases to store winter clothes during the summer, and vice versa. Another space saving tip is to place small handbags inside larger ones.
There are now dozens of self-help books available to show you how to create a hard-working wardrobe that you’ll use every day of your life. By learning how to de-clutter your wardrobe you will be left with the staple basics that you can build on and can use these to make new outfit combinations. The Pocket Stylist suggests 2 dozen pieces should be sufficient to form the backbone of your collection.
By organising your wardrobe you might find items that seemed so right when you bought them, but have never been used. Sell them or donate them to charity and make more of the clothes that are left. Become colour co-ordinated, and learn what does and doesn’t suit your skin tone and hair colour. Once you discover this you’ll then have everything you need to create your perfect capsule wardrobe and never have a bad style day again!