How I shop for my capsule wardrobe

Tips and tricks to building a sustainable & minimal wardrobe

In my early 20’s, clothes shopping was a hobby.

I spent hours trawling through high street clothes stores or scrolling online. Purely from boredom most of the time. I certainly didn’t need any more clothes to pack into my overstuffed wardrobe.

Fast forward a few years and this couldn’t be more different. I tackle clothes shopping with military precision and every purchase is very intentional.

I’ve finally found a method that means I still enjoy shopping, but I end up with clothes that I actually benefit from and suit my values and lifestyle. This is the method I wanted to share with you today.

Remove temptation

Browsing is lethal.

Mindlessly scrolling through clothes never ends well. No matter how strong I think my willpower is, I’m needlessly putting myself into an uncomfortable position where I feel I need something that hadn’t even crossed my mind before.

I’ve made my life easier by cutting browsing out of my life. I have strict rules, such as unsubscribing for marketing emails and removing shopping apps from my phone, which has made this far more manageable. I highly recommend tracking any triggers that lead to mindless browsing and cutting them out where possible. It’s a real gamechanger.

Create a style manifesto and clothes list

Finding my style took years or trial and error, but it was so worth the effort. You can watch my latest YouTube video on how I found my authentic style here.

Now, I have a style manifesto, that has a few simple reminders of what I should look for when shopping for my wardrobe. This ranges from where I shop to the type, fit and colour of an item.

I use this manifesto to make my yearly clothes list. This is a detailed list of items which I rigorously stick to.

Shopping windows

I tend to shop seasonally, with 2-4 shopping windows a year, rather than buying clothes all year round.

A create a budget for each window and try my best to stick to this. Shopping seasonal means that I can spot any gaps and make sure my wardrobe is fully stocked before the weather changes.

You can change these windows to interims that suit you.

Second hand first

When it actually comes to buying clothes, I always try and shop second hand first. This is the most sustainable way to add clothes to my wardrobe and means my limited budget stretches further.

I do most of my clothes shopping online. My preferred second hand option is Depop but I also check out Ebay, especially if my favourite brands have their own Ebay outlets e.g., Seasalt.

I make sure that my searches are specific and try and stick to items from higher quality brands that I’ve previously bought from.

Ideally, I buy from sites where returns are possible (e.g., Ebay outlets) and stick to lower risk items that are much more likely to fit e.g., jumpers as opposed to shoes that rarely fit!

Use a sustainable brand directory

Over the years, I’ve curated a list of go to brands that meet my values, style and budget. If I can’t get an item second hand, then I turn to my brand directory to search out the items on my clothes list.

Some of my favourite sustainable brands are -

• Seasalt

• Finisterre

• Passenger

• Olive

• Thought

• Lucy and Yak

• Nomad

• Organic basics

• Wills Vegan Store

• Vivaia

Final checks

Once I receive an item, it has to pass a series of tests before its actually accepted into my wardrobe.

This includes making sure it fits properly, appears high quality and I can pair it with multiple items in my existing wardrobe. I’ve accepted that no clothing is perfect, but I need to rate it at least an 8 out of 10 before I’m satisfied.

That’s it! It sounds quite intense, but over time this has become habit and I can speed through these steps fairly quickly. If you're interested, you can watch my full capsule wardrobe tour on my YouTube here.

I’d love to hear your shopping tips or any brands you enjoy, so please do drop a comment below.

Until next week

Molly xx

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