Creating a winter to summer capsule wardrobe

There are clothes that you need all year round such as T-shirts and jeans, whereas shorts are only worn in the summer and thick knitted jumpers are only worn in the winter. Generally, a capsule wardrobe consists of about 37 items of clothing per season so that you have a bit of flexibility and choice depending on the weather. We'll show you how to create an adaptable capsule wardrobe for all the seasons.

Capsule wardrobe tips & tricks for the different seasons

The basic idea of a capsule wardrobe is to have only a few items of clothing that you can easily combine with one another to make various stylish outfits. Minimalism experts recommend limiting yourself to about 30 to 40 items of clothing that can be added and swapped out as the seasons change. The 37 basic essentials are a rough figure to guide you, but in total your capsule wardrobe can include 50, 70 or more items of clothing depending on the season. The point of putting together a capsule wardrobe is not to restrict yourself, but more to make styling easier by consciously reducing the clothes in your wardrobe.

Tip: There are certain items of clothing and accessories that minimalists do not count when putting together their capsule wardrobe. These are underwear, stockings or tights, jewellery, sportswear and swimwear as well as clothes for formal occasions. They are usually not included in the total amount of 37 items of clothing per season.

Per season you can have about 37 items of clothing in your minimalist wardrobe, but this doesn't mean that you have to completely reorganise your entire capsule wardrobe four times a year. Likewise, you don't have to completely fill your wardrobe, but you should still try and limit yourself to only a few items of clothing. Follow the tips below to keep your winter to summer capsule wardrobe tidy and organised:

• Choose a colour palette for all the seasons that makes you feel confident. Neutral colours include cooler tones like black, grey or blue, as well as warmer shades such as beige and brown. These colours tend to work well with each other and with different accent colours. If a lot of black and grey seems too drab for your autumn or winter capsule wardrobe, you can opt for warmer tones and accent colours.

• By skilfully layering your clothes you can wear them all year round. It's easy to adapt your favourite outfits to different temperatures. You can wear tops, T-shirts and blouses on cooler days in spring and autumn with a light cardigan or jumper. In winter, you can wear long-sleeved T-shirts under jumpers to help keep you warm.

• Seasonal colours add a bit of variety to your wardrobe without having to completely change your capsule wardrobe for summer or winter. You can use accessories like scarves, shawls, hats, belts or handbags to add a few seasonal colour accents to your wardrobe.

• There will still be enough room in your winter and summer capsule wardrobe for items of clothing that you don’t wear every day. These are generally summer dresses, pairs of shorts, thick woollen jumpers or a warm winter coat. However, you should also make sure that they fit in well with the rest of your wardrobe.

• It is a good idea to get clothes that are made out of high quality materials so that you can wear them all year round and enjoy them year, in year out. These include jeans and T-shirts in neutral colours. Make sure that these basic items of clothing have a good fit and you feel comfortable in them. For example, if you don't like to wear dresses and skirts, you don't have to include them in your summer capsule wardrobe.

What is the difference between a year-round and seasonal capsule wardrobe?

In a year-round capsule wardrobe quite often you will have to do without thick coats and jumpers for autumn and winter. Instead, the focus is more on clothes that you can wear in layers. In countries with year-round temperate weather or mild temperatures a year-round capsule wardrobe would be the ideal choice.

A seasonal capsule wardrobe allows you to reorganise your wardrobe two to four times a year, which gives you the flexibility to create a wide variety of outfits. However, this requires more planning as you will have to regularly reorganise your wardrobe. You should also make sure that you still have enough storage space. If you live somewhere where you get the four different seasons a seasonal capsule wardrobe would be the ideal choice.

How to reorganise your capsule wardrobe for the next season

You will first need to check what is in your wardrobe before rearranging it for the next season. Below we have put together some helpful tips on how you can rearrange your capsule wardrobe:

• Think about which items of clothing you would like to wear in the upcoming season. Clothes such as lightweight, summery T-shirts, for example, can also be worn in autumn with a cardigan. This way you are best prepared for unpredictable weather in autumn or spring.

• Clothes that you don’t want to wear in the next season you can put aside for storage: However, before putting these clothes away make sure that they are clean and stain-free. It is also a good idea to take clothes such as woollen coats to the dry cleaners. If minor repairs are needed (e.g. removing bobbling), it’s best to do it now so that you can wear it again in the appropriate season. Afterwards store your clothes away in bags or boxes.

• Adding seasonal items of clothing to your wardrobe. When it’s summertime you can add shorts or summer dresses to your capsule wardrobe. As autumn arrives add thicker knitwear or a coat to your wardrobe.

Women’s spring capsule wardrobe:

• 5 T-shirts

• 3 Blouses

• 2 Thin cardigans

• 3 Pairs of jeans

• 3 Paris of trousers

• 1 Lightweight jacket such as a trench coat or bomber jacket

• 1 Raincoat

• 2 Skirts

• 3 Midi or maxi dresses

• 1 Pair of trainers

• 1 Handbag

• 1 Scarf

• 1 Neckerchief

• 1 Pair of sunglasses

• [__] Extras (optional)

Men’s spring capsule wardrobe:

• 5 T-shirts or poloshirts

• 3 Short sleeve shirts

• 3 Long sleeve shirts

• 1 Cardigan or hoodie

• 2 Pairs of jeans

• 2 Pairs of trousers

• 1 Pair of shorts

• 1 Lightweight jacket

• 1 Raincoat

• 1 Pair of trainers

• 1 Belt

• 1 Shoulder bag/backpack

• 1 Scarf

• 1 Pair of sunglasses

• [__] Extras (optional)

Women’s summer capsule wardrobe:

• 5 T-shirts

• 3 Vests

• 3 Pairs of shorts

• 2 Pairs of trousers

• 2 Skirts

• 3 Summer dresses

• 2 Thin cardigans

• 1 Lightweight jacket such as a trench coat or bomber jacket

• 1 Pair of sandals

• 1 Pair of trainers

• 1 Sun hat or cap

• 1 Handbag

• 1 Light neckerchief

• 1 Pair of sunglasses

• [__] Extras (optional)

Men’s summer capsule wardrobe:

• 3 Tank tops

• 5 T-shirts or poloshirts

• 5 Short sleeve shirts

• 2 Long sleeve shirts

• 3 Pairs of shorts

• 1 Pair of trousers

• 2 Pairs of jeans

• 1 Thin cardigan

• 1 Lightweight jacket

• 1 Pair of sandals

• 1 Pair of trainers

• 1 Sun hat or cap

• 1 Shoulder bag/backpack

• 1 Pair of sunglasses

• [__] Extras (optional)

Women’s autumn capsule wardrobe:

• 3 T-shirts

• 5 Long sleeve shirts

• 2 Thin cardigans

• 5 Jumpers or hoodies

• 2 Pairs of jeans

• 2 Pairs of trousers or leggings

• 1 Lightweight jacket such as a denim jacket, corduroy jacket or leatherjacket

• 1 Raincoat

• 3 Midi or maxi dresses

• 1 Pair of trainers

• 1 Pair of ankle boots

• 1 Handbag

• 2 Scarfs

• 1 Beanie

• [__] Extras (optional)

Men’s autumn capsule wardrobe:

• 2 T-shirts

• 3 Long sleeve T-shirts

• 3 Long sleeve shirts

• 2 Jumpers

• 1 Cardigan or hoodie

• 2 Pairs of jeans

• 2 Pairs of trousers

• 1 Lightweight jacket

• 1 Raincoat

• 1 Pair of trainers

• 1 Pair of ankle boots

• 1 Belt

• 1 Shoulder bag/backpack

• 2 Scarfs

• 1 Beanie

• [__] Extras (optional)

Women’s winter capsule wardrobe:

• 5 Long sleeve T-shirts

• 5 Jumpers or hoodies

• 2 Cardigans

• 3 Pairs of jeans

• 2 Pairs of trousers

• 2 Knitted dresses

• 1 Coat

• 1 Quilted coat

• 1 Pair of ankle boots

• 1 Pair of boots

• 2 Scarfs

• 2 Beanies

• 2 Pairs of gloves

• 1 Handbag

• [__] Extras (optional)

Men’s winter capsule wardrobe:

• 5 Long sleeve T-shirts

• 5 Jumpers

• 3 Long sleeve shirts

• 2 Cardigans or hoodies

• 3 Pairs of jeans

• 2 Pairs of trousers

• 1 Coat

• 1 Quilted coat

• 1 Pair of ankle boots

• 1 Pair of boots

• 1 Belt

• 1 Shoulder bag/backpack

• 2 Scarfs

• 2 Beanies

• 2 Pairs of gloves

• [__] Extras (optional)

Conclusion: seasonal capsule wardrobe – look stylish in all four seasons

A capsule wardrobe that adapts to each individual season ensures that you are effortlessly and stylishly dressed for whatever the weather. You will need to have items of clothing in your wardrobe that can be combined with each other to create chic outfits through the different seasons. You could also dress in layers when the weather is a bit colder so that you stay warm. This is a great idea as you can add or take off a layer depending on if you are feeling too warm or too cold. For example, long-sleeved blouses and shirts can be worn as a light jacket in spring and summer. Whereas you can wear light dresses and skirts with thick woollen tights and a cardigan in autumn and winter. Add seasonal touches like a pair of shorts, summer dresses or a thick winter coat and you're ready for any weather whilst still sticking to a minimalist wardrobe.

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The image sources in this text are in chronological order:

Cover photo: iStock.com/Liudmila Chernetska

All other images in this text are from C&A