My little one is all about the “capsule wardrobe” craze, and honestly, it makes sense. She’s not concerned with minimalism or closet organization; rather, she excels at picking a select few outfits to wear daily while completely disregarding all the other perfectly wearable clothes hanging in her closet.
Online, capsule wardrobes are often depicted as collections of around 30 timeless, versatile pieces: chic black bags, tailored gray skirts, and favorite skinny jeans. My toddler, however, has managed to narrow her entire closet down to these essentials:
- A set of fairy wings
- A Strawberry Shortcake nightgown (which she mainly wears outside)
- A Hello Kitty dress (the old one with a hole)
- Pink flannel pajamas that are two sizes too small
- A unicorn t-shirt that leaves glitter everywhere in the washing machine
- One left flip-flop (the search for its mate continues)
- 87 pairs of plastic novelty sunglasses
You know, just the basics.
On a serious note, while it’s hard to find something suitable to wear beyond Walmart from her chosen “capsule,” I find myself feeling envious. As a mom, I realize that I’ll likely never be able to simplify my wardrobe to such an extent. I won’t rediscover a pair of floral pants from a decade ago and figure out how to style them as a “neutral” or enjoy the bliss of some breathing room between my hangers.
From a mother’s perspective, a significant challenge with the capsule wardrobe concept is the limited number of items allowed. First off, asking moms to select just one favorite pair of yoga pants is a recipe for disaster. We could easily hit that 30-piece limit with our everyday yoga pants, sleep yoga pants, dressy yoga pants, and those worn for messy activities like baby feeding or roof repairs. Not to mention the spare yoga pants we bought in bulk, waiting until the others wear out completely.
Then we have shoes, which also count toward the capsule total. Sure, if you only need one pair of nude heels to match everything, then fine. But those heels look ridiculous with yoga pants—even the dressy ones—or while watching the kids at soccer practice. Plus, shoes are often the only item we can still fit into from our pre-pregnancy days, so don’t even think about telling a mom to part with the one thing that still fits from her college years. I don’t care if they’re chunky-heeled Sketchers from 1994; THEY STILL FIT, OKAY?
And let’s be real—what mom is ready to toss her “I-Might-Get-Back-To-My-Pre-Baby-Size-Someday” jeans? Or the Post-Delivery safety jeans we keep around, despite our love for Nutella? Add in maternity clothes—those pricey pieces we hold onto even when they no longer fit, because let’s face it, they were not cheap.
Moreover, mom outfits tend to lean more conservative, complicating the search for 30 items that can be transformed into multiple outfits for every occasion. In our 20s, we saw a sequined mini skirt and thought, “I can wear that to the club and then style it for daywear with an oversized denim shirt!” Now, as moms, we laugh at the idea of wearing a sequined mini skirt to a PTO meeting—yet we still keep it because you never know when you might need a costume for Halloween.
Ultimately, the biggest obstacle for moms attempting a capsule wardrobe is the constant interruptions. Just as we begin sorting through our closet, chaos erupts—someone gets hurt, someone needs a snack, or a toddler demands to skip the “scary part” of an episode of their favorite show, leaving our clothes scattered across the room. And there they remain, until the kids finally move out.
I genuinely appreciate the concept of a capsule wardrobe; it sounds appealing. But I’m not an idealist; I’m a mom. For now, since I can’t condense my wardrobe into fairy wings and toy sunglasses, I’m taking a page from my toddler’s playbook. I’ll simply leave my clothes piled where they lay—stuffed in drawers and strewn across the floor of my closet—just as my little one insists they belong.
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Summary
The concept of a capsule wardrobe is appealing, but for moms, the reality is filled with challenges. Limited choices, interruptions from daily life, and the struggle to let go of cherished clothing make it hard to embrace this minimalist approach. Instead, many moms find themselves sticking to their chaotic but comfortable clothing routines.
Keyphrase: Capsule wardrobe for moms
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