Capsule wardrobes, 80s outfits and my favourite jeans

The benefits of owning less

People often ask me if I have a capsule wardrobe. If I fold Marie Kondo style. If I’m a minimalist. How many items do I have? Where do I buy from?

So let’s talk about wardrobes. One of the first things you have to do in the morning is get dressed. If you’ve got an overloaded wardrobe full of things you don’t like, it’s going to make for a stressful start to the day. But if you’ve culled it down to items you love and use, there’s one less decision to stress over as you begin your day. Less chance of decision fatigue later on.

Capsule wardrobes: inspired by the matchy-matchy craze of the 80s perhaps? I think they have something going for them. While you might not want to have matching family tracksuits these days, having a wardrobe of items that go together well, and that you love, takes a lot of morning decision making angst out of the equation.


Nathan and I, 80s style at our joint 40th birthday party. 80s matching really is hard to beat. And no, this isn’t part of my usual capsule (but the shoes are!).

Steve Jobs wore the same outfit, a uniform of sorts, because it removed decision making and gave him headspace for the decisions that matter. So did Barack Obama, and many other prominent leaders. With a far wider array of wardrobe colours, styles and options available for women compared to what menswear sections tend to offer, a narrow uniform style isn’t so straightforward (or appealing, if you love variety). But still, aiming for a reduced level of options has its many benefits.

Some purist capsule wardrobe types aim to have a certain number of items. If this works for you that’s great; rules can be a great place to start. But sometimes too many rules can become legalistic, making us a slave to them rather than working for us. I’m not a minimalist. I don’t try to survive on the fewest items. I love beautiful things and they bring me joy, so I aim to have what I love and need, and no more.

The main thing is to focus on the mantra that I continue to teach: Only keep what is truly useful and beautiful to you. If it’s neither of those things, get rid of it. Be ruthless.

You will know when you’ve arrived at a wardrobe that works for you. It should contain items that you feel comfortable in, that you love, that suit you, that fit you well. If they don’t, they shouldn’t be in there gathering dust and stressing you out.

If you’d like ways to fold your clothes beautifully, Marie Kondo focuses on that. This works for some people, not for others. I fold most of my clothes in the way she teaches because it’s a simple, and efficient way to keep my wardrobe organised.

If you’re curious, here are some of the basics that make up my current capsule-ish wardrobe:

1. Knitwear: I generally buy NZ made knitwear, because it’s ethical, and beautifully made. I often get Juliette Hogan and Kate Sylvester merino pieces in near new condition off trade me. It means I get beautiful quality pieces for a fraction of the price.

2. Jeans: I bought a pair of Madewell jeans several years ago, and I love them. They’re the perfect cut, size, shape, and super comfortable. So now that I’ve found them I stick with them. I’ve got a black, grey and a dark blue pair in this style.

3. Shoes: I live in white sneakers. I wear them with jeans, dresses, shorts, activewear, everything. My current go-to are these Reeboks. I walk a lot, and they do the miles without giving me a sore back.

4. Tops: I aim to buy all natural fabrics: merino, silk, cotton, linen. I’ve become far more fussy over the years and can’t stand to wear polyester. It doesn’t tend to wear well, and can look cheap and worn pretty quickly. Many of my pieces I’ve had for years, and I still love them. I choose carefully and try to buy things that will go the distance. Over time I’ve gravitated to a small colour palette that go with most of my other pieces. Most of my tops are white, navy, blush pink, grey and black. They’re colours I’ve worked out that suit me, I feel good in, and that go with other items in my wardrobe. [If you’re trying to work out what colours suit you, notice what colours you feel the best in, and also what people compliment you on. You’ll tend to get compliments on things that naturally suit you.]

So if you’re keen to go and attack the wardrobe, remember my simple process:

1. Take everything out of the wardrobe.

2. Go item by item and ask yourself, “Is this useful or beautiful?” and ONLY keep the items you say yes to.

3. Put each item into one of 3 piles; keep, throw away, give away.

Happy Tuesday everyone 🙂