What’s a capsule wardrobe?

A capsule wardrobe is basically essential items that don’t go out of style and will last you for many years, through many trends and seasons.

I love fashion so for myself for fall and winter, a capsule wardrobe might look like: a black t-shirt, a white t-shirt, a pair of straight-leg or skinny jeans, a basic crew-neck knit sweater, open cardigan and pair of black pull-on boots. Then, I would add in a couple trendy items and voila, I have a capsule wardrobe that is trendy and works for my life!

Where do we begin when making a capsule wardobe?

I did capsule wardrobes for all my children… while I was supposed to be making one for myself!!! I did tell you not to do that :) I’m still working on my own, and started my husband’s capsule as well.

The children’s wardrobes were much easier because theirs needed to only last for a few seasons (not the next twenty years!) but I tried to make sure I had a lot of pieces that would easily transition into the spring and summer and hopefully, will still fit next fall. For my older son, I tried to buy items I thought would last long enough for my younger son to wear them after. I spent a bit more on a couple items that were better quality but that cost will be divided between two children. 

[Update- A lot of what I ordered him online didn’t fit well and he’s already outgrown it in the past three months! Gah! Well-laid plans, spoiled! Next time, he gets a three-pack of Hanes tees.]

For my husband and I, our closets will be built slowly over time because I want to buy high-quality clothing. However, he already snagged himself a pair of lace-up leather boots for work and a very nice 100% wool jacket. I plan to take time to look for just the right thing, save my money and buy good quality. I don’t care about the brands as much as I do the quality. I am getting older and want my clothing to last, well, forever. Trendy items are better bought inexpensively.

Here are the children’s capsule wardrobes for fall and winter 2018/2019 and I’ll explain why I bought what I did! I’ll post my husband’s and mine when I am finished with them.

The baby-

For all my kids, I have a “keepsake” from when they were babies. My oldest has a knit jumpsuit, my middle boy has a sweater and baby blanket and Flora Grace has a sweater I just bought from Jamie Kay. Although any item can become a keepsake item, I prefer knits and shoes. My mother saved a few of my brother and I’s baby items and it’s really cool to put them on my own children!

The Mini Mioche dress is a company from Toronto, Ontario, Canada that my children have worn in the past. My son got a pair of cool harem pants from a friend as a gift and I have loved them ever since. All of their clothing is dyed, cut and sewn in Canada. The brand was created by a mom who wanted soft, organic neutrals for her children and couldn’t find anything at the time. It’s a very ethical company, their clothing lasts a long time and I am happy to support Canadian business!

You could do this capsule for half the price by replacing some of the pricier items from Jamie Kay, Huxababy and Mini Mioche. Imagine spending $100-$150 for your child’s entire seasonal wardrobe, plus have half their spring and summer items?! Let’s say you spent $80-$100 on spring and summer, since you already have it started, thats $250 a year on clothing.

I’d say that’s smart shopping!

Mind you, this doesn’t include onesies for underneath clothing in the winter and the baby’s pajamas, but I was given two huge bags of secondhand baby clothing so I’m able to splurge a bit on a few, special items.

Favourite thing I bought for her? The Huxababy sweater! It’s such good quality.

The toddler boy-

Many people don’t but I love to buy boy’s clothing and a toddler is the perfect age. Little boys look adorable dressed as tiny men and yet, they’re still little enough to wear waffles on their shirts! My middle son has wavy/curly hair (depending on the weather!) so with his little mop of locks, he kills a pea coat and rubber boots.

A lot of this was items he already had so I didn’t buy much new. Yes, I found his existing clothing online (or something close to it) and made this whole plan.

#typeApersonality

He got a spring jacket, a hat and mittens, and a couple shirts. We didn’t buy him boots (yet) because his old ones still fit and he tends to throw all his layers all over the house so I haven’t worried much about the sweaters.

He was very upset about the cardigan. I promised we would keep our eyes peeled for the perfect one.

Since doing his clothing, I have found it tremendously easy to get him dressed in the morning. Everything matches. There is very little laundry for him. It’s great!

My favourite thing I bought for him was his Mini Mioche t-shirts. They’re adorable, so soft and they wash very well.

The tween boy-

Oh, my tweenager... he is getting so saucy!

If he had his way, he would be in sports gear 24/7. It’s only a matter of time before he will turn on me, I’m sure, and start to wear only athletic gear. But I’m doing my best to instill in him a sense of style so that when the day arises and he wants to look snazzy for a girl, he won’t show up for his date in Adidas tear-aways.

He’s on the brink of leaving the “big boys” section and moving into small adult sizes. Which means bad news for my wallet unless I get this clothing business under control!

Four of the tops in his capsule are too small. One company had their items mislabelled and were sold out of his size and the other he outgrew far too quickly. He had clothes already and we added a winter coat to his capsule, so in the end, it ended up alright.

My favourite thing we bought for him was his winter coat from Zara, it’s reversible! But his favourite is his Vans hoodie. He tries to wear it everyday and every other day, I remove it from his body and put it in the wash.

My husband also bought him some super cool Nike high-tops from Saks Off Fifth for about $20, great deal!

As I said, I did the kids and not myself or my husband. I’ll share our capsules as soon as they’re finished but I wanted to share these in case you are like me and can’t help but do your children’s wardrobes! (They’re the best accessories, after all)

I’d love to see how you’re doing on your fresh journey. Share your pictures on social media with the hashtag #freshminimalism so I can follow along on your progress.

Happy freshening up!

Leah Grey