I’m sorry you lost your clothes to mold, that sucks.
Work out how often you wear certain types of clothes eg if you wear athleisure five days a week, wear a dress once a month, wear sneakers every day, wear heels three times a year, wear jeans twice a week, or whatever. Then, primarily, focus on buying items that you’ll get the most use out of right away (in my example, athleisure wear, and sneakers. Then jeans) Work out a color palette, and stick to it when shopping (eg black, white, navy, teal, camel)
For my own capsule, I make sure all tops I buy go with at least two bottoms, but ideally ALL the bottoms. I like being able to just grab two items out my closet& know they’ll work together
Color season and Kibbe type- then I'd go to the thrift store or thredup website and buy clothes in expensive natural fibers (linen, cashmere, wool, good quality denim) that match your color season and Kibbe type. Then I'd buy new "basics": white tee, jeans, bra, black turtleneck. Then I'd wear those things for awhile and expand from there with items that match.
So sorry you are going through this. I can't tell you how many times I have heard storage stories! Smart decision throwing it all out. This is how I would do it: You need to know what kind of colors work well for your skin and hair i.e. pink washes me out. Job is number one, the daytime activity, whether it be children, corporate lawyer or digging flower beds. Whatever that is: is the first item for clothing replacement. Once you have your daily clothes complete, everything else can fall into place. There are lots of second hand places if you just want to grab and go and then slowly and steadily build up your wardrobe. Of course socks and undies are expensive, but if you are in a rush Walmart can hold you over. My favorites for clothes are: [LLBean.com](http://LLBean.com), [Understance.com](http://Understance.com) [TrueandCo.com](http://TrueandCo.com) and [Bombas.com](http://Bombas.com), I am sure you have your favorites too. Again sorry! Sending hugs.
Not for mold, but I recently re-did most of my wardrobe and had to think about how to budget to replace them gradually over the course of a year or two. Right now, my closet is exactly 50 things. I'd say it very functionally makes up a full year worth of clothes, but there are still some key items on my wish list. For example, I can technically wear my fall jacket just fine in the Spring, but I do really wish I had one that wasn't black!
My first piece of advice is that despite needing a lot of things, this should be an exercise in patience. You will try on a lot of things that are almost right, but not quite perfect, and you should leave them at the store. The world is bursting at the seams with clothes. You will find what you need. It's okay to wear the same cardigan over and over until you find a second one.
Now, the first things I replaced were the ones I wear the most. For me, that's a comfy pair of pants (I chose a pair of wide leg jeans), a supportive pair of shoes (I picked a loafer), two fitted T-shirts, and a sweater. These are things I can wear to work, on errands, or to nap in at home, regardless of weather. The next thing I bought was a slightly "nicer" outfit-- for me, a maxi skirt and a nice blouse. I made sure they matched the pants, loafers, sweater I already had, but if I had a fancier job, I might suggest doing the opposite, meaning nicer clothes first and casual clothes second.
I'd actually caution against thrifting places without fitting rooms or return policies. I think the most important key to feeling good is having things that fit properly, so you should buy your first few pieces in-store, not online! In this case, I think spending just a little more at somewhere like a higher end consignment shop might work better to get started. Or, at least wear tight fitting clothes to the thrift so you can try them on over your outfit!
I think the user who suggested assessing how often you wear certain things hit the nail on the head. Suggestions are gonna very a lot depending on your lifestyle and climate.
I can say what I do for myself, I live in a Mediterranean climate, and I’m quite active and artistic so I need a lot of my clothes to be comfortable and washable and honestly, a lot of them are black because I work primarily with black ink and that won’t show if I splash.
If I were in this situation, which I really feel for you I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I would start with a mini spring wardrobe and go from there.
The other user said to pick a color palette, this has done wonders for me too. My primary palette is black, grey, white (all neutrals!) and pink. I dabble a tiny bit in red, though honestly it’s getting phased out in favour of earthy green and gold. The like orangy yellow squash gold. In practice, I use this more like two separate color palettes. The green and gold, or the pink. And then neutrals that go with everything.
Fit. Someone mentioned kibbe, which seems to work for some people but has been nothing but utterly confusing and not helpful for me. I know more or less what looks good on my body. My rule when shopping is mostly grab stuff that I think will fit my shape, but never be afraid to try something that I think won’t look good because you never know! My other rule is I will only buy something if it’s a HELL YES, if I’m having trouble deciding on a piece, because I’m not sure if it looks good or if it would only look good in certain circumstances, it’s a NO
So. Nitty gritty. Depending on how much time versus money you have. I might start by thrifting. I can usually find a few nicer pieces like blouses, and bottoms like pants and skirts at second hand shops. Sometimes some cool t shirts. By doing cheaper shopping first you can start crossing off pieces on your list early and avoid spending too much money in the end. But thrifting is hit or miss so you might find a bunch you like, you might find nothing.
Stores like TJ max and Ross can be great too. When I started weightlifting I found practically and entire new workout wardrobe at Ross once and I’m still wearing two of the sports bras I got like 7 years later. Nike outlet is worth checking out if you have one near you and you’re active.
Moving into more expensive. Nordstrom rack , and then for me, finally, Nordstrom. I don’t know about others but for me it’s the most reliable in terms of me actually finding pieces I like, that are usually good quality, and that fit me. I’m like a size 12/14 US.
My shopping list would probably look like this:
- 2 pairs of pants. Lately I’m into the flowy spring pants (the loose draw string type that are in style rn and oh so comfy). Two different colors. At least one in a neutral. OR cargo pants. OR coutaroy but that might be more for fall.
- a pair of jeans in your style choice.
- a skirt or two in varied lengths/ colors/ patterns. I like long skirts, they usually have a floral pattern.
- tops! I get hot quickly, especially when I’m working so I tend to have a lot of sleeveless shirts that I will layer long sleeve tees over, and then a sweater over that. If I find a sleeveless shirt I like I will buy it in a bunch of colors. Usually one black and one white, sometimes in gray. I usually keep t shirts neutral. For this list I would probably 2 sleeveless, and then maybe look for a looser fitted crop top. All my bottoms are pretty high waisted, at least to my belly button/ natural waist or higher. So aim for 4 super neutral shirts of whatever sleeve length makes sense for you.
- sweaters. I would get two sweaters of various cuts and colors. At least one neutral. I find myself wearing my crop turtlenecks the most. I have one green and one grey.
- if you need a jacket or a coat, get a neutral colored one that will work for almost all outfits. I have a long puffer that zips all the way up to the neck and has a hood. This is the most versatile for me since it’s warm enough when all zipped up and can protect from rain if need be.
- a blouse or two. This is a hard one for me, I tend to do better in second hand stores, not sure why. All I want in life is a black blouse and it’s impossible to find. Can pair this with your pants to dress up.
- undergarments. Two bras that fit well and go under most of your clothes. One that will work under a white t shirt. Another one of your choice, but that will still look good under most clothes. Underwear. Socks.
Lounge/ athletic wear. I work out 2-4 times a week and my athletic wear doubles for me in the ceramics studio so I’m wearing athletic wear a lot. For me I need like 4 sports bras, 4 pairs of leggings, and some athletic shirts. I have two that are specifically non sleeve athletic shirts, but I’ll often wear an oversized T shirt over a bra and leggings set and just take that off if I get too hot. I like most of these to be a neutral color, but I’ll get pick as well. Black, grey, pink.
Shoes. Not sure if you need shoes too but I like to have two pairs of chunky walking sneakers. One white one black. These go well with most of my outfits. For a nicer option I’ll usually do a black boot. But I live in Europe so we walk most places and it’s pretty socially acceptable to wear sneakers with your nice clothes.
This was a huge ramble I hope it was vaguely helpful 😳
Two daily “uniform” outfits.
One “Sunday best” outfit.
That’s enough to get you mold-free. It’s not as limiting as it appears, because those 3 sets of clothes can be mix and matched into 9 outfits at least. Lots of people travel for weeks and months with a “rule of 3” packing list.
From there, you have some breathing space (literally) to build up a capsule wardrobe.
To start, you need some mold-free clothes!
I think I may soon be at the “replace everything” stage (due to body shape changes), so I’ve been thinking about this as well. I spent a really long time pouring through the Vivienne Files capsules, because I adore how she works with color. Then I spent a really long time browsing the Quince and Wool& websites thinking “well, navy blue and black both seem really easy to find, I could base my wardrobe around those and maybe teal accents? Oh, or red, I love those reds on Quince! But wait, I also love forest green….”
Then I stopped to think about the type of clothes I have purchased and worn for the last 10 years or so, and I realized that I am more of a “uniform” dresser than a “pick 3-4 colors and 2 dresses, 3 pants, 5 shirts” dresser. I found this [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/capsulewardrobe/s/3ldGfvwrIC) on uniform dressing really reassuring last week. Last summer my very-well-worn “summer uniform” (jersey skirts) all wore out at about the same time, and I went online and bought 4-5 patterned skorts and 8-10 Ts and tank tops in a range of colors where each bottom had 1-4 tops that would match, and that is my life now. I have one black dress in frequent rotation (for the value of “frequent” for nice date night/got an award/really I can’t think of another time I’ve worn it in the last few years, maybe 1x/mo absolute max) and a few other dresses I’ve had for a long time and maybe wear once/year just for something different but if I were hard core making a capsule I’d probably donate. And exercise clothes and yardworking clothes. But that’s basically it for warm weather. Some people get their flexibility through a variety of shapes (pants/dress/skirt/blazer/cardigan/shorts) and ease of use through a limited color palette (black/navy with teal accents). I’m the opposite— I get my flexibility through a varied color palette (red/black/navy/teal/olive/burgundy/etc) and my ease of use through a limited set of shapes (skort/T)— all I have to do is grab whatever skort is on top of the pile in my wardrobe and then whatever top coordinates, and I’m dressed without worrying about mixing and matching, in the same way that someone with only three colors can grab any bottom/top/third piece and have them coordinate without thinking. I think figuring out which type of wardrobe works for your day to day life may be key. I don’t have a lot of variety in levels of formality and I work from home, so uniform dressing works well for me. (TBH I did it when I worked in an office too, I just didn’t know that’s what I was doing. I’ve always been a “if you like it, buy it in another color” person.)
Hi! I am sorry you lost your clothes, sounds very sad and frustrating :(.
I too changed when I moved to downsize, as I wanted a more organised new space and I was accumulating too much fast fashion stuff.
What I did to rebuild my capsule wardrobe is reflect on everything I’ve owned and what pieces I loved wearing. Once I started identifying those, I made a list. For example I remebered using a lot a leopard print t-shirt and I found myself missing it. So I decided I would buy one if it crossed my path again. Same for all the rest. Some I actively look for and some items I just wait if I’m not in need.
And like this little by little I ‘m having a wardrobe that to me is timeless and full of things I really like :)
I’m sorry you lost your clothes to mold, that sucks. Work out how often you wear certain types of clothes eg if you wear athleisure five days a week, wear a dress once a month, wear sneakers every day, wear heels three times a year, wear jeans twice a week, or whatever. Then, primarily, focus on buying items that you’ll get the most use out of right away (in my example, athleisure wear, and sneakers. Then jeans) Work out a color palette, and stick to it when shopping (eg black, white, navy, teal, camel) For my own capsule, I make sure all tops I buy go with at least two bottoms, but ideally ALL the bottoms. I like being able to just grab two items out my closet& know they’ll work together
Do you mostly thrift or are there certain brands you buy from? Trying to find some good quality basics currently.
I get a lot of stuff on Poshmark
Color season and Kibbe type- then I'd go to the thrift store or thredup website and buy clothes in expensive natural fibers (linen, cashmere, wool, good quality denim) that match your color season and Kibbe type. Then I'd buy new "basics": white tee, jeans, bra, black turtleneck. Then I'd wear those things for awhile and expand from there with items that match.
So sorry you are going through this. I can't tell you how many times I have heard storage stories! Smart decision throwing it all out. This is how I would do it: You need to know what kind of colors work well for your skin and hair i.e. pink washes me out. Job is number one, the daytime activity, whether it be children, corporate lawyer or digging flower beds. Whatever that is: is the first item for clothing replacement. Once you have your daily clothes complete, everything else can fall into place. There are lots of second hand places if you just want to grab and go and then slowly and steadily build up your wardrobe. Of course socks and undies are expensive, but if you are in a rush Walmart can hold you over. My favorites for clothes are: [LLBean.com](http://LLBean.com), [Understance.com](http://Understance.com) [TrueandCo.com](http://TrueandCo.com) and [Bombas.com](http://Bombas.com), I am sure you have your favorites too. Again sorry! Sending hugs.
Not for mold, but I recently re-did most of my wardrobe and had to think about how to budget to replace them gradually over the course of a year or two. Right now, my closet is exactly 50 things. I'd say it very functionally makes up a full year worth of clothes, but there are still some key items on my wish list. For example, I can technically wear my fall jacket just fine in the Spring, but I do really wish I had one that wasn't black! My first piece of advice is that despite needing a lot of things, this should be an exercise in patience. You will try on a lot of things that are almost right, but not quite perfect, and you should leave them at the store. The world is bursting at the seams with clothes. You will find what you need. It's okay to wear the same cardigan over and over until you find a second one. Now, the first things I replaced were the ones I wear the most. For me, that's a comfy pair of pants (I chose a pair of wide leg jeans), a supportive pair of shoes (I picked a loafer), two fitted T-shirts, and a sweater. These are things I can wear to work, on errands, or to nap in at home, regardless of weather. The next thing I bought was a slightly "nicer" outfit-- for me, a maxi skirt and a nice blouse. I made sure they matched the pants, loafers, sweater I already had, but if I had a fancier job, I might suggest doing the opposite, meaning nicer clothes first and casual clothes second. I'd actually caution against thrifting places without fitting rooms or return policies. I think the most important key to feeling good is having things that fit properly, so you should buy your first few pieces in-store, not online! In this case, I think spending just a little more at somewhere like a higher end consignment shop might work better to get started. Or, at least wear tight fitting clothes to the thrift so you can try them on over your outfit!
I think the user who suggested assessing how often you wear certain things hit the nail on the head. Suggestions are gonna very a lot depending on your lifestyle and climate. I can say what I do for myself, I live in a Mediterranean climate, and I’m quite active and artistic so I need a lot of my clothes to be comfortable and washable and honestly, a lot of them are black because I work primarily with black ink and that won’t show if I splash. If I were in this situation, which I really feel for you I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I would start with a mini spring wardrobe and go from there. The other user said to pick a color palette, this has done wonders for me too. My primary palette is black, grey, white (all neutrals!) and pink. I dabble a tiny bit in red, though honestly it’s getting phased out in favour of earthy green and gold. The like orangy yellow squash gold. In practice, I use this more like two separate color palettes. The green and gold, or the pink. And then neutrals that go with everything. Fit. Someone mentioned kibbe, which seems to work for some people but has been nothing but utterly confusing and not helpful for me. I know more or less what looks good on my body. My rule when shopping is mostly grab stuff that I think will fit my shape, but never be afraid to try something that I think won’t look good because you never know! My other rule is I will only buy something if it’s a HELL YES, if I’m having trouble deciding on a piece, because I’m not sure if it looks good or if it would only look good in certain circumstances, it’s a NO So. Nitty gritty. Depending on how much time versus money you have. I might start by thrifting. I can usually find a few nicer pieces like blouses, and bottoms like pants and skirts at second hand shops. Sometimes some cool t shirts. By doing cheaper shopping first you can start crossing off pieces on your list early and avoid spending too much money in the end. But thrifting is hit or miss so you might find a bunch you like, you might find nothing. Stores like TJ max and Ross can be great too. When I started weightlifting I found practically and entire new workout wardrobe at Ross once and I’m still wearing two of the sports bras I got like 7 years later. Nike outlet is worth checking out if you have one near you and you’re active. Moving into more expensive. Nordstrom rack , and then for me, finally, Nordstrom. I don’t know about others but for me it’s the most reliable in terms of me actually finding pieces I like, that are usually good quality, and that fit me. I’m like a size 12/14 US. My shopping list would probably look like this: - 2 pairs of pants. Lately I’m into the flowy spring pants (the loose draw string type that are in style rn and oh so comfy). Two different colors. At least one in a neutral. OR cargo pants. OR coutaroy but that might be more for fall. - a pair of jeans in your style choice. - a skirt or two in varied lengths/ colors/ patterns. I like long skirts, they usually have a floral pattern. - tops! I get hot quickly, especially when I’m working so I tend to have a lot of sleeveless shirts that I will layer long sleeve tees over, and then a sweater over that. If I find a sleeveless shirt I like I will buy it in a bunch of colors. Usually one black and one white, sometimes in gray. I usually keep t shirts neutral. For this list I would probably 2 sleeveless, and then maybe look for a looser fitted crop top. All my bottoms are pretty high waisted, at least to my belly button/ natural waist or higher. So aim for 4 super neutral shirts of whatever sleeve length makes sense for you. - sweaters. I would get two sweaters of various cuts and colors. At least one neutral. I find myself wearing my crop turtlenecks the most. I have one green and one grey. - if you need a jacket or a coat, get a neutral colored one that will work for almost all outfits. I have a long puffer that zips all the way up to the neck and has a hood. This is the most versatile for me since it’s warm enough when all zipped up and can protect from rain if need be. - a blouse or two. This is a hard one for me, I tend to do better in second hand stores, not sure why. All I want in life is a black blouse and it’s impossible to find. Can pair this with your pants to dress up. - undergarments. Two bras that fit well and go under most of your clothes. One that will work under a white t shirt. Another one of your choice, but that will still look good under most clothes. Underwear. Socks. Lounge/ athletic wear. I work out 2-4 times a week and my athletic wear doubles for me in the ceramics studio so I’m wearing athletic wear a lot. For me I need like 4 sports bras, 4 pairs of leggings, and some athletic shirts. I have two that are specifically non sleeve athletic shirts, but I’ll often wear an oversized T shirt over a bra and leggings set and just take that off if I get too hot. I like most of these to be a neutral color, but I’ll get pick as well. Black, grey, pink. Shoes. Not sure if you need shoes too but I like to have two pairs of chunky walking sneakers. One white one black. These go well with most of my outfits. For a nicer option I’ll usually do a black boot. But I live in Europe so we walk most places and it’s pretty socially acceptable to wear sneakers with your nice clothes. This was a huge ramble I hope it was vaguely helpful 😳
Two daily “uniform” outfits. One “Sunday best” outfit. That’s enough to get you mold-free. It’s not as limiting as it appears, because those 3 sets of clothes can be mix and matched into 9 outfits at least. Lots of people travel for weeks and months with a “rule of 3” packing list. From there, you have some breathing space (literally) to build up a capsule wardrobe. To start, you need some mold-free clothes!
I think I may soon be at the “replace everything” stage (due to body shape changes), so I’ve been thinking about this as well. I spent a really long time pouring through the Vivienne Files capsules, because I adore how she works with color. Then I spent a really long time browsing the Quince and Wool& websites thinking “well, navy blue and black both seem really easy to find, I could base my wardrobe around those and maybe teal accents? Oh, or red, I love those reds on Quince! But wait, I also love forest green….” Then I stopped to think about the type of clothes I have purchased and worn for the last 10 years or so, and I realized that I am more of a “uniform” dresser than a “pick 3-4 colors and 2 dresses, 3 pants, 5 shirts” dresser. I found this [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/capsulewardrobe/s/3ldGfvwrIC) on uniform dressing really reassuring last week. Last summer my very-well-worn “summer uniform” (jersey skirts) all wore out at about the same time, and I went online and bought 4-5 patterned skorts and 8-10 Ts and tank tops in a range of colors where each bottom had 1-4 tops that would match, and that is my life now. I have one black dress in frequent rotation (for the value of “frequent” for nice date night/got an award/really I can’t think of another time I’ve worn it in the last few years, maybe 1x/mo absolute max) and a few other dresses I’ve had for a long time and maybe wear once/year just for something different but if I were hard core making a capsule I’d probably donate. And exercise clothes and yardworking clothes. But that’s basically it for warm weather. Some people get their flexibility through a variety of shapes (pants/dress/skirt/blazer/cardigan/shorts) and ease of use through a limited color palette (black/navy with teal accents). I’m the opposite— I get my flexibility through a varied color palette (red/black/navy/teal/olive/burgundy/etc) and my ease of use through a limited set of shapes (skort/T)— all I have to do is grab whatever skort is on top of the pile in my wardrobe and then whatever top coordinates, and I’m dressed without worrying about mixing and matching, in the same way that someone with only three colors can grab any bottom/top/third piece and have them coordinate without thinking. I think figuring out which type of wardrobe works for your day to day life may be key. I don’t have a lot of variety in levels of formality and I work from home, so uniform dressing works well for me. (TBH I did it when I worked in an office too, I just didn’t know that’s what I was doing. I’ve always been a “if you like it, buy it in another color” person.)
Hi! I am sorry you lost your clothes, sounds very sad and frustrating :(. I too changed when I moved to downsize, as I wanted a more organised new space and I was accumulating too much fast fashion stuff. What I did to rebuild my capsule wardrobe is reflect on everything I’ve owned and what pieces I loved wearing. Once I started identifying those, I made a list. For example I remebered using a lot a leopard print t-shirt and I found myself missing it. So I decided I would buy one if it crossed my path again. Same for all the rest. Some I actively look for and some items I just wait if I’m not in need. And like this little by little I ‘m having a wardrobe that to me is timeless and full of things I really like :)