Ladies, gentlemen [in the voice of Christina Aguilera in ‘Dirrty’], I have found more reasons to be against capsule wardrobes. More?! you cry, how can there be more after this devastating piece 5 years ago??!! Indeed. I will get to that in a moment.

But to make things more confusing, I want to underline that I am not entirely against capsule wardrobes. For some people in certain circumstances, they can be very useful. If your main issue when dressing is that it takes too long or you cannot decide what goes with what, a capsule can be great. If you are a disciplined person with a very clear sense of style, ditto. Or if you aren’t disciplined and crave very clear and strict rules to get thing under control. It is often useful in case you need a separate wardrobe for separate areas of your life – if your work requires very formal clothing or you are an avid outdoorswoman or a semi-professional ballerina.

There are also few things more satisfying than putting together a travel capsule for a business trip or holiday. I still remember going to Berlin for a high-profile work event, packing a largely cream and tan wardrobe and wearing every single piece. Afterwards, I felt like I could end world hunger or at least bring peace to Middle East. And when a capsule wardrobe is done with skill, conviction and style (see Use Less for a good example), it is a thing of beauty.

But. But. I have several buts, mostly inspired by watching too many capsule wardrobe videos on YouTube. Which you could say is my own fault, but I cannot help it. I must watch. And later, I must complain and engage in overly detailed critical analysis of the concept. So let me count the ways in which I find it wanting.

First, it can encourage (over)consumption. Of course, if done right, this will not be the case. The whole point of a capsule wardrobe is that you have a limited number of clothes. Unfortunately, what often happens is that people limit the number of clothes, but then aggressively edit the selection every season and buy new stuff to replace it, on the hunt for the ‘ultimate’ blazer or t-shirt or trousers.

The more I think about sustainability, the more I’m against getting rid of things you already own. Of course, if it’s something you will never wear or an item that makes you feel bad or if you have simply way too many clothes and they are stressing you out, by all means, get rid of some. But there is nothing more sustainable than wearing clothes you already own, no matter how responsibly made the replacement. Also, if you buy good pieces in the first place, you will fall in love with them again, even if you haven’t worn them for a while.

I have an oversized H&M Studio* trench that I bought almost ten years ago that was a huge statement at the time. I went off it for a while, because its proportions felt too exaggerated. Now, when everything is oversized, it feels completely right and I have been wearing it on repeat. I feel that influencers are also often disingenuous here, presenting capsule wardrobes that are clearly only curated for the screen, while their real wardrobes are much, much larger. This is not true of everyone and I don’t even mind it if it’s done in a transparent way, but it again highlights why direct copying from Instagram, TikTok or YouTube is not that straightforward.

Second, it makes you obsess over coherence. A capsule wardrobe should, at least in its purest form, consist of items that can all be combined with each other. Again, making sure that the thing you are buying can be worn with (at least some) things you already own is common sense. But you really do not need every single thing to work with everything else. I’m sure you have seen these ‘ten pieces in 75 ways’ videos and always, always, there are a handful of outfits that look really good and the rest is just filler.

I am a big advocate of buying clothes you actually want to wear and that fit reasonably well into your wardrobe, without obsessing over theoretical combinations that you will never actually need or wear. Trying to find things that can be combined with everything often forces you to go for something very middle-of-the-road and boring, the lowest common denominator. Sure, for shoes, bags and coats it does make sense to give serious consideration to the ‘combinability’ factor. But unless you truly have one of each, even these things don’t need to go with absolutely everything in your wardrobe.

Third, it’s unfriendly to colour and pattern. If you have seen any videos or blogposts about capsule wardrobes, chances are that they have featured clothes that are black, white, beige, grey, tan, navy, perhaps blue. Now, many influencers make a point these days to say that a capsule wardrobe doesn’t have to be neutral, that you can use the same principles with whatever colours and patterns you like. Except that you can’t, not really.

If you are someone who loves colour, especially colour in both cool and warm varieties, it is much, much more difficult to put together a proper capsule wardrobe. There are so many variables and it is likely that some of the colours you adore will not work with each other. Same with pattern, unless you consider pattern to mean stripes and perhaps a stray polka dot. Sure, these two you can make work. But if you love plaid, big florals, small florals, paisley, geometric prints, houndstooth, herringbone, psychedelic seventies swirls… you get the idea. 

What I think works much better for this – and often better in general, not only for colour and pattern –  is to have mini capsules or clusters of clothing that work with each other, but not with everything in your wardrobe. I for example have a number of red items – a pencil skirt, a silk blouse, a dress, a sweater, a pair of velvet shoes – that I often wear together and that I can also wear with many of my other pieces, but definitely not everything.

So to come full circle, let me summarise: if the capsule wardrobe works for you, fantastic. And the goal to have fewer, better pieces that reflect your style and make your life easier is admirable. But I am against trying to fit everyone in the same box when it comes to dressing – a capsule wardrobe is not right for everyone and these people should not try to force themselves to adopt this strategy or feel wanting if they cannot.

*I’m not sure if it was called Studio back then, but it came from one of those special/limited H&M collections.