It’s not just the ladies who are buying more than enough clothes these days. The rise of fast fashion and the surge of streetwear is bringing just about everyone to get the latest trends and fashion. Trend-chasing doesn’t come cheap, unfortunately. Aside from the impulsiveness that comes with fast fashion and the high prices of branded wear, there has also been a rise in popularity of the “capsule wardrobe”.

See more: Fast Fashion Culture: Are we Saving or Wasting Money?

What is a “capsule wardrobe”?

A capsule wardrobe is somewhat of a minimalists’ style to clothes (and fashion). The ideal capsule wardrobe simply consists of only several “essential” Clothing that is able to be worn for many different occasions – multi-functional pieces of clothing. The idea is that older or unused clothing can be reworked together to create “new” outfits that suit different occasions without having to resort to buying more.

There are a lot of different variations and interpretations of a “capsule wardrobe” out there: The number of clothing, what to include in that number (some even count your watches). Regardless of whatever the interpretation is, the important part of a capsule wardrobe is that the number of clothing is kept to the essentials and to not have excess

Here’s an example of a list of clothing of a capsule wardrobe for a working executive male in Kuala Lumpur:

• A suit
• A pair of slacks
• 2 dress shirts
• A pair of smart/formal shoes
• A pair of khakis
• 2 T-shirts
• A jacket/hoodie
• A pair of sneakers
• A pair of sports shoes/trainers
• Pyjamas top & bottom

That example list totals up to just 13 main pieces of clothing (excluding undergarments). It is a short list, but it does get all the essentials down for the guy to get to work on the weekdays and chillax on the weekends. A lady’s capsule wardrobe wouldn’t be this simple to create, of course.

How does it save you money?

It could potentially save you money, but that’s in part with you being discipline as well. You don’t just automatically start raking in the savings just because you decided to go all minimalist on your wardrobe.

1. Declutter & Maximize Clothing Value

Starting a capsule wardrobe requires you get in your wardrobe and declutter. Dive in there and dig out items that you don’t wear – that dinner date you’re saving the dress for isn’t going to come anytime soon, get it out. Looking into your wardrobe might help you discover clothing you never thought you had nor you could work into your current styles.

This will help reduce excessive clothing in your wardrobe, and thereby maximizing the full value of whatever clothing you’re looking to keep – literally getting a little more mileage out of your previous purchases.

2. Saving on Storage Space and Costs

As you cut down your wardrobe and reduce the number of clothes you own, you start to free up more space in your room and home. You’ll get that free space to store other items and you won’t have to spend money on another closet or wardrobe if you keep less clothing.

3. Reducing excessive and impulsive spending

This one requires a little bit of discipline. If you’re used to spending on clothing impulsively, then starting a capsule wardrobe will be a bit of a challenge. You will have to learn to resist the temptation to pick up a new pair of shoes or a new shirt on sale.  In turn, however, it does give you new ways you can use your exiting clothes and save money at the same time.

4. Quality over Quantity

As you cut down to a capsule wardrobe, you will learn to slowly pick the right clothing over many impulsive temptations. Choosing the few but high-quality clothing will ensure that they last for a longer time as well, requiring you to spend less on replacements as they wear and tear. Even better, you can get yourself a cashback credit card to save more when you do make these purchases.

5. Saving Time

They always did say that time is money. With a smaller wardrobe, you’d likely spend less time wondering what to wear before you go out – the 10 minutes wasted deciding on what to wear could save you the time of rushing to the train or the bus.

Is the capsule wardrobe just a lifestyle-fluff? No, it isn’t. It is a lifestyle that can bring a lot of benefits to the everyday person, especially those who are looking to have a simpler life. Impulsive and unintentional spending is one of the easiest ways that people spend all their money away on and sticking to a capsule wardrobe is one of the many ways of mitigating it.

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