On one of my late night Pinterest searches, I came across what is called a capsule wardrobe.

The idea here is to create a wardrobe containing basic pieces that can be mixed and matched together to create outfits that capture your style.

Upon further investigation, I found a subcategory of capsule wardrobes called the French Minimalist Capsule wardrobe. This style of closet is based on finding quality basics with neutral colors and then buying a maximum of five seasonal pieces each season.

In France, it is hard to find flats with a lot of closet space, so French women often wear classic pieces and don’t have a huge selection. However, this is not only ideal for saving space, but for saving time. Studies show that women only wear about 20% of what is in their closet at any given time. By condensing what you own, and having a selection of clothes that can be thrown together and still look chic will also save you time getting dressed in the morning.

Challenge Rules:

Here are the general rules to the French Minimalist Challenge that I will follow when creating my wardrobe:

1. Underwear and bras do not count
2. Accessories do not count
3. You may buy up to 5 seasonal pieces to add to your basics

 Here is a list of basics that I will be using to guide my wardrobe: (basics seem to vary from closet to closet, so these are the ones I think will complement my style best)

SO since I literally travel and move back and forth internationally so often, having a condensed closet with options is seriously important to me. Last time I moved, I paid to take 3 suitcases of clothes with me, and I didn’t even wear most of it.

General Goals:

My goals with creating a French Minimalist Capsule Wardrobe are:

• Have a closet with pieces I love and would wear anytime
• Condense what I own, but still feel like I look chic and have options
• Get rid of clothes that I am hording with no good reason to (this one is going to be particularly hard for me)
• Have a closet full of clothes that I feel confident in

Challenges:

It is going to be very hard for me to keep to the basics list and stay within the allotted amount of items. I am a serious shopahollic and I love getting new pieces. So restricting myself to these pieces is going to be my main challenge.

My other challenge is going to be in the cleaning stage. I get very attached to my clothing, even if I haven’t worn it in years. So I will need to adopt a cut throat attitude towards my closet. I just need to be reminded that purging, while maybe painful, will help me to reduce my closet and will make moving easier.

My Plan:

I have set a budget to rebuild by wardrobe at 1000 dollars. And I have built a colour palate to guide my wardrobe:

What is your biggest challenge in your closet?