In defense of an “Adaptive Closet”

The “capsule closet” has become increasingly popular in the past decade.

I first heard the term buried deep in a lifestyle blog, and now quiet luxury has made timeless wardrobes into more of an aspirational goal.

Creating a capsule closet requires near constant maintenance of curating just a few select items that are supposed to be worn in rotation. The idea is to have a smaller number of timeless pieces that all work together so you don’t have a closet full of clutter, most of which you never wear.

I wanted to try making one for myself. At the time, pre-Covid, I was all over the place with fashion and aiming to reduce and reuse. I wanted to save money and be more creative with what I owned. I wanted to buy more intentionally. I wanted to buy from brands that I loved and still love.

Well, almost four years later, my closet is nowhere near capsule-ready.

Because while the capsule wardrobe is certainly respectful of product quality, it doesn’t always serve personal style evolution and is deceivingly difficult to maintain.

Aiming for fashion sustainability (an industry responsible for huge carbon emissions and water consumption) means the capsule wardrobe is a tempting reason to escape mass consumerism tendencies.

However, for those of you like myself who find it hard to curate and maintain, defining a capsule wardrobe comes with its issues.

  1. You may end up spending more money on clothing that you think is timeless and trendy, but isn’t really you. Not all of us need or want a simple trench. However, I would encourage the investment in better quality jeans.

  2. You actually may end up spending money on clothing that isn’t practical. If you love to work out, hike, camp, or are in any way outdoorsy, maybe you actually do need more clothing items for your hobbies.

  3. Sometimes we just need options. I’m not encouraging spending all over the place on Amazon, but I do think growing a wardrobe that feels open to new creative ideas is worth the expansion.

While I pride myself on having a fairly neat closet, the capsule wardrobe never really fit my personality. I change my personal style every day. I am a real sucker for trends I love, and fashion is my best way of expressing myself.

I prefer the term “adaptive closet” versus “capsule closet”.

By adaptive, I mean investing in items you love and will wear often, without feeling the need to pare down your wardrobe unless you actively dislike whats inside. Maybe you haven’t worn something in six months or a year, but do you love it? If you’re like me, I’ve taken out clothes not worn for multiple years and found new purpose for them (exempting clothes that obviously do not fit me).

When it comes to sustainability, paring down and simplifying may sound ideal. In practice, I believe it’s more about what you’re investing in that makes a small difference. If you’re buying entirely new and ignoring resale opportunities, it’’s likely more sustainable to start looking at vintage online shops instead. No need to sell off everything you own that you may love, rather, rethink your habits as a whole.

Adaptive closets can change and grow and become smaller again without judgement on their overall size, but rather on what’s within them.

If you’re looking to make more conscientious clothing purchases, the website Good On You has brand ratings and is a worthwhile discovery for fashion lovers.

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