How to Get 17 Clothing Items to Last You 6 Weeks Without Repeating an Outfit

If you’ve heard of a capsule wardrobe, you already know the appeal of a closet pared down to just a handful of items.

A streamlined wardrobe makes outfit planning easier. After all, it limits you to just 15 or so versatile pieces you truly love. Each item coordinates with the others, so it’s easy to throw an outfit together. Plus, when you’re committed to a small number of clothes you truly love, you aren’t tempted to waste money on clothes you’ll never wear.
As appealing as a capsule wardrobe sounds, though, it can be tough to visualize. With just 15 or so items, won’t you get bored wearing the same outfits all the time?

If you build a capsule wardrobe right, every piece will coordinate with all the others. That versatility means you can mix and match endlessly, creating way more outfits than you realized. Don’t believe us? With just 17 items of clothing, Polyvore user kristin727 built six weeks’ worth of work outfits—without repeating a single one.

You can copy her template too. Purge your office wardrobe of everything but three pairs of dress pants, one pair of jeans, one skirt, two dresses, two blazers, three long-sleeved tops, one short-sleeved T-shirt, two camisoles, and two sweaters.

Now get creative with how you pair the outfits. A suit looks sleek for a big meeting, but that blazer from it looks just as chic paired with jeans for casual Friday. Even a dress gets a totally different look when you play around with accessories.

Depending on your office culture (or whatever lifestyle you’re building around), feel free to customize. Swap out the dress pants for more jeans, or drop the dresses in favor of another T-shirt. No matter what your lifestyle is like, you’ll be thankful for a streamlined, clutter-free closet.