The Little Black Dress as the Capsule Wardrobe
Capsule Wardrobe: a collection of foundational, interchangeable, and versatile garments that are timeless in style, can be worn season to season, and are adaptable for wearing on a variety of occasions
lbd: little black dress
If you are in a period of life transition — entering a new decade, moving to a new climate, overhauling your day to day lifestyle, identity shifting into your dream self — this dressing carousel is for you.
Before I continue, remember this:
You are allowed to want something different.
You are allowed to stay the same.
You are allowed to hold on.
You are allowed to let go.
You are allowed to want more.
You are allowed to want less.
And, you are allowed to move forward in this life at your own pace without carrying guilt, shame, and a wardrobe that does not represent you.
In the Heat of Texas
For a period of six years, I lived in colder climates among the rocky and snowy and high desert landscapes. Seasons of heat were short. I was often cold and dry. Much of my time was spent moving about outdoors or holed up inside under multiple layers of clothing. Sometimes I even wore my coat in the house.
My wardrobe was fit for colder-weather nature dwelling: there was an assortment of coats, cashmere sweaters, a few t-shirts, and stacks of denim.
Recently, however, I made an abrupt move to the flat prairie of West Texas where 90*+ days have dominated the spring season, and even cashmere sweaters stop temperature-regulating. My baggy jean and t-shirt go-to is far too heavy as well. This is one of those times in life when I truly feel like I have nothing to wear.
Additionally, my entire day-to-day lifestyle has changed. The work I am doing has changed. The type of people I meet for work has changed. My intentions for how I want to move about the world have changed. My visions of how I want to show up creatively, visually, and in presence have changed. Even the style of exercise I engage in has changed. I’ve changed too.
And much of the wardrobe that traveled with me into this current life chapter no longer fits where I am now, nor where I am going.
†
Ok, um, also...confession: I’ve been carrying a massive tub of fancy designer high heels around the country with me for nearly a decade. All of the shoes were bought pre-2017, in a wildly different chapter of life than my last one, and I have not worn most of these heels for even longer. I’m very past due in reclaiming space from ALL of the old I hang on to.
†
Therefore, over the past month of settling into the new lifestyle and gathering data on what I actually wear and what I would like to wear, I’ve focused my styling efforts on editing. I edit what I have, and I edit what I bring in through several questions:
What can I throw on in a few minutes and still feel chic?
What can I wear multiple ways without having to think about ‘styling’ it?
What can I wear in both this heat and in the cold of winter? (Add a turtle-neck long-sleeve and/or leggings under dresses./Add a jacket on top.)
What can I wear casually and dressy?
What feels 10000000000% like me now and the me I’ve always wanted to be?
If the garment doesn’t support my needs and wants, it doesn’t stand a chance in my wardrobe. So, what’s making the cut?*
Enter: the lbd. (little black dress)
*And if it’s not the lbd, it’s a black top and black pant. And if it’s not black, it’s denim, or the few pieces of dark navy I’ve had for over a decade. Or, it’s a palette of yellow. Slowly, I’ve been transitioning the color portion of my wardrobe to be yellow-dominant because monochromatic capsules in a bold color also slay.
The lbd is the foundational garment of each look. It is the entire wardrobe collection. It IS the divine capsule.
What do you think? Have a read through the Capsule Carousel and let me know.
Captions from the Carousel:
I want something I can float around in, add a favorite accessory to, and be done with it. Dresses, caftans, and mu-mus please.
I want a dress that can be worn with or without a belt and with sandals or boots. Bam! Multiple functions.
I’m keeping to the same long shapes, but adding a new collar/neckline so that diversity in style is brought to the collection.
I add flair through accessories. Same color palette, but different textures activate senses and provide visual variety.
Think in shapes. Length of the silhouette is maintained, but strategic cut-outs and ‘parts’ mix up the look.
Garment details provide visual interest: buttons, zippers, pins, charms, etc.
Add garments to your collection that play visual tricks. Is it a dress? Is it a jumpsuit? Is is a skirt? Is it a culotte?
Build up go-to accessories that transform the foundation of the look: hat, gloves, shoes, jewelry, makeup, hair, the gaze...You can keep the garment the same and the look will still feel different.
†
Additional thoughts on wardrobe building:
It can be hard to let go of things once cherished. The wardrobe I acquired during the years when I was physically cold and didn’t know how to love myself through self-advocacy, self-compassion, and self-expression became the source of ‘love’ and self-validation I was constantly seeking outside of myself.
I accumulated as a way to increase fulfillment, feed the internal furnace, and feel self-empowered. I held on to everything as a way to feel in control.
With this latest move, however, there has been a shift from wanting, wanting more, and never being satiated, to not wanting more, wanting only what serves me now, and feeling overly full by what I currently own.
And so, I don’t feel the need to be surrounded by so many clothes/things anymore because so much of what I need to feel creative heat, supported, and fortified now comes from within myself. I don’t have to dress in the feeling I want. I AM the feeling I want. I do not seek identity through the clothes. The clothes express the identity I own.
(I don’t doubt this heat too is asking me to strip not only wardrobe layers but an outdated way of living. I can’t stand the sight of stuff – I want space, air circulation, and breathing room!)
I’ve found that my desire for a simpler wardrobe is not only reflected in how much (or how little) I own, but also in the styling and silhouettes of the looks themselves. Give me a uniform. I’m done with decision fatigue.
The older I get, the more I want simplicity and ease. Building a capsule wardrobe has been the start of this process. Constructing a wardrobe from a single garment or silhouette is the next step.
