What Is A 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe – How To For Business

What is a 10 item capsule wardrobe? A 10 item capsule wardrobe is a wardrobe limited to just 10 items of clothing.

The concept of the capsule wardrobe comes from the rising trend of minimalism:

By limiting or eliminating the number of things you own, you create more space and freedom for the things that truly matter.

Not to mention that decluttering and minimizing the clothes you have in your wardrobe will simplify your life significantly.

The capsule wardrobe concept promotes *a wardrobe limited to a certain number of carefully selected and useful items.

With these few items, you put together your capsule wardrobe outfits with many different stylish variations.

A 10 item capsule wardrobe then is a capsule wardrobe limited to just 10 items (not counting shoes and coats).

Is it possible to have a full business wardrobe using the 10 item capsule wardrobe concept?

This article will show you how a 10 item capsule wardrobe works, taking a business capsule example.

Moreover, I will also give you my opinion on whether 10 items are really enough for my day-to-day business life.

As a result of reading my post, you will understand how you can put together a 10 item capsule wardrobe yourself and what a business capsule wardrobe could look like for you.

What Is A 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe – For Business

I have recently put together a great Capsule wardrobe for business courtesy of Classy Yet Trendy as follows:

Select your base color (black or navy)
Select neutral-basic essentials
Choose your accent color (optional)
Add a few patterned items and layers
Add shoes and accessories

Using this method, I ended up with a very nice 23-piece capsule wardrobe, including

4 pairs of pants
10 tops (4 neutral coloreds, 3 accent colored, 3 patterned)
1 blazer
1 dress
3 jackets
4 pairs of shoes

To further simplify my life, I want to see what it is like to minimize to a 10 item capsule wardrobe.

To get to a 10 item capsule wardrobe, I need to alter the method slightly, focusing on just the essential steps:

Steps 1, 2, and 4 are essential, as this is where I choose a base color, my neutral basic essentials, and my layers.
You need these 3 steps as a minimum to build a 10 item capsule wardrobe.
I want to include some color and patterns into my wardrobe, as I would otherwise find it a bit too basic. So, I am also using step 3. However, you could put together a 10 item capsule wardrobe just with steps 1,2, and 3 of the 5-step process.

Let´s see if this works.

Remove Any Excess Items To Get To a 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe

Right, here is how I will remove absolutely any excess in my business capsule wardrobe and limit it down to just 10 items.

This is all about how much you really NEED. Honestly, in my original 23-piece capsule wardrobe, I had 4 pairs of pants and 10 tops – I definitely do not NEED that number of items; it is more like a nice-to-have. So there is some room to minimize here. With blazers and jackets – I need at least 1 blazer and 1 jacket, so that is the minimum I need to go for and with shoes, I can definitely live with just 2 pairs of shoes for the office, one pair of pumps and 1 pair on ankle boots.

My New 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe For Business

So, here is my mimimalisitically awesome 10 item capsule wardrobe for business consisting of:

2 pairs of pants:

I chose 2 pairs of business pants – one straight pant and one ankle pant

5 tops and shirts.

I chose 3 Tops, 1 blazer, and one cardigan as a minimum

3 Blazers and cardigans (Layers)

I gotta say, I am feeling a bit panicky; I am not sure if this will get me through the whole week. One thing that is really important to me is that I have 5 tops and blouses, one for each day of the week, as I definitely want to avoid a mid-week laundry day.

10 Items = 40 Different Outfits

Ok, let´s put my newly gained freedom to the test. I only have 10 items for business in my wardrobe, so I shouldn´t have to think about what to wear for too long in the morning. The choice of items is limited, but what about the choice of outfits. Allegedly, you can put together 48 different outfits with just ten items in your wardrobe.

How does this work?

The way to think about your capsule wardrobe outfits is that you take each of the tops and

1) Combine them with each of the bottoms (in this example: 1 top + 2 bottoms = 2 outfits)

2) Combine them with each of the bottoms and each of the layers (in this example, 1 top + 2 bottoms + 3 layers = 6 outfits)

So, each top will give you 8 outfits in my example.

Since I have chosen 5 tops, I will get 40 outfits out of my 10-item capsule wardrobe – enough outfits for 8 working weeks or two months – how awesome!

==> To finish off your outfits, add these shoes and a coat <==

Hooded Duffle Coat in Blurred Teal

Ankle Boots Navy

Azra Suede Pumps in Camel

What Is A 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe – My Verdict

After putting together my 10 Item Capsule Wardrobe for business, I understand the concept well.

What I like about capsule wardrobes is the simplicity it brings into getting dressed – especially for work.

In my opinion, you don´t need a huge variation of clothing when it comes to business clothing, and a 10 item capsule will do just fine.

One condition for me was that the 10 item capsule includes a fresh top for every day of the week, as I don´t do laundry during the week.

If that is not important to you, you could also substitute one of the tops for an additional bottom, like a skirt; this would give your outfits even more variations and would add another 8 outfit possibilities to your choice.

All in all, I find that a 10 item capsule wardrobe gives me enough variations to choose from for everyday office life, and I´d be more than content with this limited capsule.

I recommend trying the approach yourself if you want to simplify getting dressed and still look stylish every day of the week.

If you have any questions or need any help, please drop me a line in the comments below.

All the best, Drea

Sources:

How to Start A Capsule Wardrobe: https://classyyettrendy.com/2017/02/start-capsule-wardrobe-5-steps.html/

Images: Ann Taylor, Boden

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