Essential Guide to Building a Men's Capsule Wardrobe
A men’s capsule wardrobe is a limited selection of interchangeable clothing pieces that work with each other.
The idea is that there is no waste. Nothing unnecessary.
I love the concept of a men’s capsule wardrobe. It's basically what I build for my clients when they go through the Online Style & Grooming Consultation Program.
However, what I don't love are prescriptions for what you need to own. If you look up how to build a capsule wardrobe, you'll see a lot of blogs touting something like "every guy needs exactly 3 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of chinos, etc."
Really? Every guy? Regardless of the climate they live in, what they do for work, and what they like to wear?
There is no exact prescription, and this is one of a thousand reasons blogs and Youtube videos fall short of helping you.
More than that, what's important is that you own stuff you actually like and want to wear. Some guys hate certain items that others love. Why spend your life wearing stuff you don't like?
As an example, I love jeans. I like geeking out about well-made denim. I like the look of them. I like the feeling of them. I like the way they look on me. For all these reasons, I own a lot of jeans. Way more than any sort of "men’s capsule wardrobe guide" would allow me to own, and I'm good with that.
At the end of the day, I always come back to a guiding principle for myself and clients: Buy stuff you dig that makes you look good; Get rid of stuff you don't that makes you look bad. That's it.
But, I realize sometimes you need a place to start. To help further, here are some pieces I always keep in the rotation that basically go with everything and the brands you should be looking at getting them from.
With these items, we're looking at basics that basically go with everything and won't go out of style. Now, I have no idea how these will fit your body; there's no way for anyone to know that without knowing your sizing, but, at the very least, you have a good start here.
PLAIN BLACK TEE
I use these for everything from working out to going out. Plain tees provide the blank canvas for a ton of awesome outfits.
Banana Republic
Uniqlo
Buck Mason
Goodlife
JEANS
A staple. A dark wash blue is a very versatile pair.
Uniqlo (Selvedge)
Nudie
AG
3Sixteen
CHUKKA BOOTS
If you're not used to wearing boots, these are the perfect entry point.
Clarks
Thursday
Drakes
LEATHER JACKET
Nothing gets cooler than a leather jacket. If you buy a good one and take care of it, it'll be around for a very long time.
The Jacket Maker
Allsaints
Hey, look, we've made an outfit.
The goal with a men’s capsule wardrobe, or simply a minimal wardrobe, is that you're buying well-made stuff that will do a lot of work for you. Items that can be paired with tons of other items rather than just one or two things. This is why you should never shop for outfits.
Think about it like a toolkit. Would it make more financial sense to buy 10 tools to do 10 different jobs? Or buy 1 tool that can do 10 jobs. It's just more practical.
Remember, if you're redoing your wardrobe, start with well-made basics. Plain stuff. The timeless stuff you've seen forever. Then, buy the fun stuff that catches your eye.
Don't stock your pantry with exotic spices if you still don't own salt.
If you have questions, you can schedule a phone call with me, and we can talk about your goals - chat with me here - Patrick