When you use a minimalist capsule wardrobe, you may not want to add in items that only get worn once a season. Here’s how you can handle special occasions when you use a capsule wardrobe.
This is a time of year when there seems to be lots of special occasions to attend. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas and holiday parties and New Year celebrations, you may have an event or two that requires you to dress up a bit.
And those occasions that require a fancier style happen all year. It’s inevitable, you’ll be invited to a baby shower or bridal shower, a wedding, a retirement party, a birthday celebration, a fundraiser event, an awards ceremony. And you won’t want to wear your typical black skinny jeans and flowy tunic.
But what do you do when you use a smaller, capsule type wardrobe?
How to Dress for Special Occasions When You Use a Capsule Wardrobe
It seems pretty simple. There are basically two options: incorporate special occasion clothing into your capsule, or don’t. (But I do have a third option for you!)
Incorporate special occasion clothing into your capsule…
If you feel comfortable including a few dressier items in your capsule that can also be used for a special occasion or two, go for it! There are lots of options for dressing up more casual items and dressing down more elegant items.
You can make your special occasion outfit a multi-piece ensemble, making it a bit easier to mix in those pieces with your everyday wardrobe. Or you can opt for a single elegant dress, which would give you more room in your wardrobe for the casual, everyday pieces.
This option is probably best for when you just have one or two special occasions to attend during a season. You won’t feel like you’ve dedicated half your wardrobe to just a couple of events, and you won’t have to go outside of your wardrobe to find something to wear to those events.
Bonus: you’ll have some inspiration and incentive to get a bit creative with dressier items in your everyday wardrobe!
… or don’t.
The other option is to NOT include your special occasion outfits in your capsule for the season. In this case, you would just set aside an outfit our two to wear to those gatherings, or even create a mini-capsule if you have several events coming up.
This is generally more the route I take. As a work-from-home mom of 3 age 7 and under, it is not practical or comfortable for me to try to mix in super dressy clothing into my everyday wardrobe.
If you have several events you plan to attend, this is probably a good option for you. Again, you won’t feel like you are dedicating half your wardrobe to outfits that are just for special occasions.
This is also probably a good solution if you have an event or two that require very dressy attire that you wouldn’t wear anywhere else, like a New Year’s Eve ball or company Holiday Gala.
I don’t typically attend those types of events anymore, but if I did I think I’d prefer the mini-capsule approach where I could include a couple of cute skirts and fancy tops that could be mixed and matched so create a few different outfits.
…or borrow what you need!
Of course, you can ask around to see if friends or family have clothing you can borrow for a special occasion. But that’s not what I’m referring to. I’m talking about clothing rental.
I tried Le Tote and shared my thoughts over the summer. I think this would be a perfect option for when you need a few fancy outfits but don’t want to buy them.
In each Tote, you get 3 clothing items and 2 accessories when you sign up for the Classic Plan. So that’s perfect for when you have back-to-back fancy occasions (like around the holidays)!
Just for fun, I browsed fancy dresses on Le Tote’s site and found a few I thought were pretty. (These were in stock at the time that I browsed. I can’t promise they’ll remain in stock because they could be rented out or sold.)
The great thing is that there are no hard set rules to using a minimalist capsule wardrobe. Even with Project 333, the rules are flexible! So you can do whatever works best for you.
How do you handle special occasions with your capsule wardrobe? Share in the comments!
Related posts readers also enjoy:
- A Primer to a Streamlined Wardrobe
- 5 Reasons You Hate Your Wardrobe
- 10 Ways to Make Your Clothes Last Longer
- How to Use Stitch Fix to Build a Minimalist Wardrobe
Alison @ Tickling the Wheat says
I have a mini-capsule wardrobe. I’m in the process of decluttering my closet, but I still have some really nice clothes that fit but I don’t wear every day (and I just can’t bear to part with them). I have to attend my husband’s annual Christmas party (which is formal and everyone is very fashionable so they would notice if I wore the same dress year after year), but I have a couple dresses that I wear to weddings and events in the summer and then break them out again for the Christmas party. I purposefully choose dresses in solid colors, sturdy material (nothing too flimsy or “summery”), and a flattering, traditional cut that will stand the test of time. This year I’m wearing a royal blue dress that I wore to a bridal shower and my nephew’s baptism this summer. Even though it’s really cold in Michigan right now, I just pair the dresses with a nice coat and either boots (for a more casual look) or closed-toe high heels (but watch out for ice – I fell one year and skinned my knees – not the look I was going for!).
Laura says
That’s awesome that you’ve got a system down that works so well for you! I love that you intentionally select dresses that can cross the seasons. So smart.
Sarah@TheOrthodoxMama says
I tend to keep a couple of nicer dresses to wear for special occasions. As a teacher, I don’t have very many opportunities to go to fancy parties, but it is nice to have a versatile option that I can wear if needed. I have a black dress than can be “glammed” up and a brown dress that I can add interesting accessories to. I usually just wear one of these two and change it up with jewelry, scarves, etc.