5: Set Yourself Up for Success with a Capsule Wardrobe with Caroline Bower
A capsule wardrobe is the great way to get your closet and life organized. Learn more about what a capsule is from Stylist for moms and founder of The Bluebird Collective, Caroline Bower. If you're looking to get your closet organized once and for all, the capsule wardrobe might be the perfect solution for you.
In this episode we talk about:
What is a Capsule Wardrobe?
Who is a good candidate for this type of wardrobe organizing & planning?
What is the investment?
What happens when life changes, like having a new baby, marriages, divorce, tragedies, etc?
Favorite tools for capsule wardrobes
Where to find Caroline Bower online:
https://thebluebirdcollective.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thebluebirdcollective_/
The Organized & Productive podcast is brought to you by The Organized Flamingo and hosted by Stephanie Y. Deininger! For those of you who love the thought of organizing & being more productive, but don’t know where to start or constantly up against hurdles that don’t let you advance the way you want to, this podcast is for you!
Review the Transcript:
Stephanie
Well, hello friends and welcome to our episode about capsule wardrobes. Today we are talking with our guests, Caroline Bauer, who is a style mentor for moms. And we're going to give you the rundown over what a capsule wardrobe is, who's the right candidate for it? How can you use this type of system methodology of organizing your closet to simplify to minimize and become more intentional about your closet what you wear, and ultimately give you greater joy, ease into your life. So I'm so excited about this conversation with Caroline. If you don't know what Caroline is, she's a style mentor for moms. She is the founder of the bluebird collective. And she is amazing. She is so passionate about empowering women to use clothing as a tool to become the best version of themselves. I mean, that's pretty cool. So let's get right into the conversation with Caroline. Welcome to the organized and productive podcast with organized grooming go, I am your host, Stephanie, a professional organizer and productivity expert, ready to explore the right organizing and productivity solutions for you. Yeah, well, then let's go. Alright, Caroline, well, thank you so much for joining us today, we are here to talk about capsule wardrobes and what it is, who's a good candidate for this type of organizing this type of system, this type of methodology when it comes to organizing their clothing. So we're just gonna get right into it right, we're just going to start talking about it for all this episode is for both seasoned capsule wardrobe knowledge, knowledge people, the people who already practice it, because you will be giving some tips for those individuals. But if you don't know what this is, but it's intriguing to you to have less, less and having more of an impact in your closet in life, then we're going to just talk about the one on ones just to get a start the conversation started. And then from there, we'll we'll give some tips. So can you tell us a little bit about what is a capsule wardrobe? What does it entail? What is it all about?
Caroline Bower
Yes, absolutely. I love capsule wardrobes. The very short and sweet answer is a capsule wardrobe is a small selection of very thoughtfully chosen flows of gem are rotated quarterly or based on the season. So you may put away for example, your warm weather clothes and just have a winter capsule, and then you'll swap it out when the seasons change. But it allows for easier decision making and just more simplicity in your life when you're not one at a time creating outfits every day. And you're just choosing from a much smaller selection of clothes that you've put a lot of thought integrating.
Stephanie
I love this. And when I came across this concept, years and years and years ago, I remember thinking how, how overwhelming it was, you know, for individuals to pick up their clothing at the very beginning of their especially at the beginning of the day, like what am I going to wear for the day, right? And I remember when I saw this whole methodology, I thought, oh my gosh, this is genius. This is amazing. This is great. But the one thing that stopped me in my tracks, because you mentioned small selection, right like that, that part stopped me in my tracks. And I thought oh my gosh, I can't imagine how individuals are going to go from their, their wardrobe now to that small selection. So can we talk a little bit about who was a good candidate for this type of wardrobe for organizing and planning and, you know, their their wardrobe? Who's like a good candidate for this? And then who is not? Because, you know, you mentioned it's a small selection. It's a very well curated and thoughtful type of closet, and wardrobe capsule. But what happens if individuals can't downsize that quickly? Or like what is a good process that people should follow if they think that they want to do this, but they're not ready? Like who let's talk about who can do this? Who can't? Who shouldn't? And what are some good ways to get started?
Caroline Bower
Sure. So I think a capsule or I kind of personally have coined the term capsule ish word of a, be a really good fit for many people. The first type of person that I think can benefit from my capsule wardrobe is someone that a lot of us identify at least as an in our life and this person who has a closet full of clothes, but not to wear. This is a really, really common experience and it happened we bring our clothes in piecemeal. I used to be the clearance shopper, just go straight to the clearance, buy whatever was on sale and kind of fit without any strategy. And so that ended up with this closet just jam packed with clothes, but nothing made sense together. And so curing a much more intentional closet. For me, it's a capsule closet. I don't have a set number of clothes that I wear each season. But I have a small variable selection, I was eliminated problem of nevermind what to wear because I have clothes that I love and feel great and know how to make outfits. So if you identify with that a closet clothes, but nothing to wear, then a capsule wardrobe or a capsule ish wardrobe might be a really, really good solution for you. If you love organizing and just kind of lean towards minimalism or sustainability capsule wardrobe, it's also really good fit for people in those kinds of camps. Not a good fit. There's, I think the only type of people that it's not a good fit that comes mind are people who just love maximalism, if you just love a closet full of options, and that is are you thrive, and you don't feel the need to kind of simplify. And a capsule wardrobe might feel really stifling and limiting, you may still like the idea of kind of a foundational wardrobe, where you pare back. And the pieces in the front and center are are the pieces that you build off of. And so you're simplifying that part. But if you just love bright and bold and light colors, and you want a ton of sense, then maybe a capsule wardrobe isn't going to bring you a lot of joy and simplicity in your life.
Stephanie
Oh, I love that. And you know, one of the reasons that I really connected with you is because you gave and give people options, you know that based on your social media and just the conversations that I have had with you in different ways. It was it was the notion that you know, it has to be well has to fit your lifestyle, which is a big mission for us and a big tagline for us if you will, but you you give people options, you know that you understand that people have different lives and different schedules of lives and seasons of life. And this may not work for you and I loved it because capsule I feel like a lot of people think that once you go into the capsule wardrobe system, that you're you're stuck there that that is now your life like that is your identity and that your lifestyle and it doesn't have to be that way. So I so thank you for sharing that. And I love the font, the foundational wardrobe. That is a genius. I love that like that having it's a mixture of both right? And I'm sure I bet I don't know if you have clients like this or people you work with, but I'm sure once they see that, okay, yeah, you know, they want to keep all their clothes, so they keep them. But once they see that the only you truly wear those fundamental items, maybe in time they become capsule wardrobe enthusiasts just by by doing it little by little, so I don't know, maybe like that's a good transitional moment for some people. Okay, so let's talk about the investment of, of this, all of it all of transitioning into a capsule wardrobe. If somebody decides that this is for them, like you know what, it's time for me to be intentional about what I wear, what I buy, I have, I do have a closet full of clothes, and I always come up short with what I want to wear, I am always saying I have nothing to wear. But I've spent a lot of money on this closet and under all this wardrobe. So what it what are some what is the investment to go in transition? What are some tips that you would give people that are feeling overwhelmed about the money they've spent on their clothing? And then what is the time and monetary investment they probably will need to make to transition?
Caroline Bower
That is a good question. And the answer is going to be really personal to each person, I think I do recommend if you're transitioning to a capsule wardrobe, one of the caps, one's kind of pillars of my business's sustainability. And one of the most sustainable or the most sustainable way to to use our clothes is to wear what we all have. So for that reason, I don't recommend just ditching everything you have and starting fresh, I recommend a more kind of gradual approach or like we talked about before kind of selecting a foundational wardrobe from what you already own, which can help you kind of identify the gaps, I have resources that I that guide you through the process. So if you feel totally overwhelmed, I have a free like wardrobe I identify the gaps in your word guide. But you can also go to Pinterest and find like a capsule wardrobe template and kind of use that as your your pattern to in a sense go shop your closet and pull out just kind of the basics from what you already own. So you're not spending any money yet. And then just dress from that basic little foundation for a while and I As you're doing that, pay attention to what you're pulling from the rest of your closet, and what you're wishing that you had, that's not in your closet, maybe you'll make a list. So from there, you can start to go and shop. And like I said, this is gonna be really, really personal, you can go and, and she has a lot of times, capsule wardrobe, people, users will decide to spend a lot more on a higher quality item. So if you decide that you really need a pair of jeans, you might choose rather than spending $30 at a big box store on a pair of jeans that might stretch out and not feel good after several wears, you might go and spend a lot more on a pair of jeans that you love and feel really good in and that are going to last in your closet for a lot longer. So investment is going to be a decision that you have to kind of decide I honestly, I can't say like it's going to be $700 I don't know. But from a sustainability standpoint, I love secondhand clothes, not only are they a way to save money, but they're also a way to choose a more sustainable option rather than clothes that are being new produce, you're choosing clothes that are already in circulation. So that's a kind of a long winded answer, say I have a short answer to the investment question. It's just there's so many factors, but I do recommend choosing a first and, and using what you already own.
Stephanie
And I remember you mentioning the part about you know, if people have budgets, you know, if they have something like in mind a budget in mind, obviously that that would also help. So I know that that's something that you if someone decides to work with someone like you and they don't do the DIY version of it, I know that that's part of the conversation, right? Like what, what is your budget? Is there something that you know, you have a budget to just kind of get you started and then we can go from there. So I know that's so for anyone listening, just know that there's different ways that you can approach it, especially with the investment piece, but I know that most people like yourself they do they they will work with what you have, and your financial and your financial budget. So speaking of money in sustainability, which I love, use what you have huge YouTube admission on that, yes, I just use what you have. And then you know, go from there. But what happens when there's life changes? So this is actually a question from our community that they wanted to ask you. What happens when life changes, like there's a new baby maybe marriages, divorces, tragedies, etc, are aware that clothing that capsule is no longer either it's no longer relevant, also like weight gain, weight loss and things like that, that it's no longer relevant. Or if you need to pause that capsule and bring in a new one. Because you know, there's changes in life. So what what would be a tip that you would give individuals that feel like they don't want to do this because, you know, life changes, and they don't want to get rid of their clothes quite yet, or they don't want to be limited to what they bought during a time when you know, it was different?
Caroline Bower
That's a really good question. And it touches on kind of the emotional side of clothes that we don't always realize is there. So I will start with in a life changes were the clothes that we had maybe don't fit us anymore. I work with a lot of like postpartum mamas who are in a season of transit, where their pre baby clothes work anymore, but they aren't ready for they don't know what size they are. And so in that case, I recommend kind of a transitional capsule, I didn't recommend just like throwing out all of the big clothes, yeah, but putting them in a box in the closet, so that they're not occupying physical space so that they're not in front of you. And you're not having to look past them to find what actually fits. I always recommend only being the clothes that you love and are serving you in your current season visible and then putting everything else whether you push it back to the back of the closet, whether you put it in a box up in the closet or under the bed or whatever, just clear up your physic base so that it's not adding to your mental burden. So that would be true for like a physical change. If it's a health transition, or you're gaining or you're losing weight, keep the the size up in the size down. But put them away with them out of sight so that you don't have to feel like there's a lot of just mental burden of why I wish that those clothes work for me. But if they're front and center and you're not seeing them, you don't have to have that kind of mental burden each day. So for physical change, something like that. That's what I recommend other like lifestyle changes. I also work with a lot of women who are transitioning, a lot of women are going Back to work in the office right now. And so I would recommend using some really kind of heavy hitting items, great pair of blacks that you feel good, and maybe a couple of blazers that really feel great. So choose kind of items that you get a lot of mileage out of initially, and then see what you can pull from your closet already. And then for like a a major life change, where you just have a lot of maybe emotional baggage tied to those in your closet. Now, that's kind of a whole different ballgame, I would say. And that may be where you you take those clothes, either donate them somewhere where they'd be used in perhaps the woman's home or something like that. Or you take them to a consignment store where you can reinvest the the money that you get into clothes that serve you now, or you maybe sell them on Poshmark. So again, you kind of use money to reinvest into clothes for your current season. But I always recommend just kind of starting with the heavy hitters, the maybe jeans that fit great, or some layers that can kind of dress up a t shirt or a button down to give you a lot of options when you're kind of in a in a season of transition.
Stephanie
Oh, I love that. And if anyone's listening, thinking, I just couldn't do this myself. This is why people like Caroline exist. By the way, there is always a different way to do things, you can do it yourself. So I hope that this episode is helping you have some of those aha moments like you know what, I can do this, I can do this, I love these tips, and I'm going to implement them. But if you're feeling overwhelmed about everything that she said, You just know that you have someone like her that can help you and encourage you to make these decisions together so that it becomes easier as the time progresses. So speaking of you named a couple tools in the conversation, so I'd love to kind of end with two questions I have for you first is what are some of your favorite tools that you'd like to give a shout out to either items in the closet in the capsule wardrobe, closet system apps, tools, things that have been really helpful for your own journey and or client's journey that you'd like to shout out. And then the second is, what is your favorite magazine to read for either business and our pleasure? And why we asked this of all our guests and I always love to hear what is people's favorite magazine. So let's get right to it. So first, like your tips, your products, your shout outs, tools that you've used. And then favorite magazine.
Caroline Bower
Okay, it's the spine tools I am ended the list. So I I don't I don't have a whole lot I don't have or anything. Heard of ones that I don't even know the name of offhand, I won't, I won't there. I will say this, I love matching hangers, I love the velvet hangers, the low profile ones because your clothes don't spin off of them. So if you're looking to have to invest in something physical to improve your closet, that's not just the clothes, I would say, matching hangers, they're not they're not a big investment, you can get a pack of like 50 of the velvet hangers from amazon for like $25 That's, that brings me so much joy in my closet when all the hangers match and and the clothes don't slip off them. And they're just easy. So that would be kind of my tool, I do have some resources that I've created. I tried to use like the Pinterest tights are if you Google or if you go to Pinterest and You for capsule wardrobe or capsule wardrobe inspiration or or templates, you will find so many so for me that became really overwhelming. And I created my own template that helps me kind of creational wardrobe that I talked about. And so that's free can find it in my Instagram, I think we'll talk about Instagram and a little bit. But that's a tool that I needed. And I didn't see it anywhere in my searches. Just kind of like breaking down is the foundational wardrobe. And how do I know what the gaps are in my closet? So I know what to fill in. And so that's available for free from me. Those are kind of my top tools I would say and then to go answer the magazine. I am not a big magazine reader. So I had to think on this for a minute. Like I've read recently is the Magnolia magazine. I don't know they love it. Joanna Gaines magazine. And she does such a beautiful job of curating an experience in her magazine. I think that's why I love it that it just feels feels a little bit indulgent feels almost like self care just to sit and read her magazine. And I come away just feeling like my cup is filled and not like I've just read a tabloid a free gossip or stuff that makes me feel yucky about myself. So I think that's that one's my favorite magazine.
Stephanie
Oh, I love that. I love that and when it makes you feel, I also love that hurt her magazine. Are the magazine for them? Well, thank you so much for your time and Caroline and thank you for helping us set our closet and close up for success. The words and the emphasis on reinvesting in yourself and your time that you have given us today. I hope that that was an inspiration for people to to help them along their journey when they're feeling overwhelmed with their clothing, their items that are just starting to be really overwhelmed in that area like if they're home of your space. So thank you so much for setting us up like this up for success. And if you think you're listening and you think that a capsule wardrobe is right for you, where can people reach you find you and follow you and get more tips from you.
Caroline Bower
You can find me I hang out the most on Instagram I am the bluebird collective underscore that's the best way place to find me that's where you can find my free resources and that's where you can find the waitlist I'll be opening enrollment soon forks it's actually called katholische. And it does the kind of deep dive into the closet audit. What do you need? What do you already have what to fill in what to do with what you're getting rid of. And then it kind of even dives into the mental side of of our relationship with our clothes and how to cultivate a closet that serves us and brings us joy and Sophia ease and serves our right now body. That is my heart is to to serve women and help them feel comfortable and confident in their right now body. But is there a best place to find me at the bluebird collective underscore?
Stephanie
Awesome, wonderful and what a brilliant workshop in sessions that you're going to be hosting. I love that. All right, well thank you again for your time and everybody. Happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the organized and productive podcast with the organized Flamingo. If you enjoyed today's episode, I would love it if you leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps with letting people know that we're here. For full show notes and resources head on over to the organized flamingo.com/podcast Happy organizing.