Does a capsule collection work for everyone, everywhere? The answer is it doesn't. I wholeheartedly believe in the idea's essence: conscious consumption is a good thing, and creating a capsule collection can carry you through the decades. Slow and steady wins the race. Capsules allow you not to overthink what to wear and create many variations of outfits with a relatively small wardrobe.
E Jean Carroll's court edit was a perfect example of building a capsule collection around the message you are trying to convey. In her case, it was credibility and courtroom etiquette. I was fortunate to meet and work with E Jean last spring. She is practical, witty, spunky, poised, present, and incredibly courageous. The clothes she wore to court were polished and exemplified precisely what they were supposed to. This article in the NY Times did a great job detailing her credibility and clothing choices. This capsule was specific for the courtroom. Yet, some of those pieces (think those notable turtlenecks) would be found in her everyday capsule, more representative of her spunk and tenacity, with the practicality fashioned for long hikes in nature and more artistic outings.
A capsule collection for a surgeon who dresses in scrubs daily won't be the same capsule as a CMO of a publicly traded company. The same goes with a Pilates instructor living in LA and a mom on a career pause in NYC. A capsule should be built for personal lifestyle needs and evolve from time to time.
I often ask clients to chronicle the clothing they wear throughout the week, from when they wake up to when they go to bed. At the end of the week, you take stock of what clothing you wear the most often, and then you build your capsule. Here are a few quick ideas of what you might find in my capsule.