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This post could also be titled, “Confessions of a Clothes Hoarder.”

I like clothes and fashion a lot. I see nothing wrong with that. Except that my closet is packed and it takes me forever to figure out what to wear.

Yes, I have been a clothes hoarder and I know I can’t be the only one.

I was first introduced to the idea of a capsule wardrobe with Hayley Morgan’s ebook, The No-Brainer Wardrobe, a few years back. I’ve always loved Hayley’s style, so I was very curious about the mindset and process behind her own wardrobe. This is what I learned about the value of a capsule wardrobe from Hayley:

“Every woman should be able to choose an outfit in much less than ten minutes regardless of her plans for the day, the state of the weather…or her laundry. Meaning, when your feet hit the floor in the morning–you should be thinking more about the delicious cup of coffee that awaits than whether you will look cute in your clothes.”

Yeah, my closet excess often hinders the getting-dressed process, but it had been over two years since I first read the book, and I hadn’t done anything about my hoarding. Then I got a little reminder jump-start form Caroline over at UnFancy, who says this about a capsule wardrobe:

“Simple definition? It’s a mini wardrobe made up of really versatile pieces that you totally LOVE to wear.”

I loved this idea  – fewer, high quality pieces that can be mixed and matched –  but I was still hesitant to actually implement it because, well, I like clothes and I like lots of options.

My mentality has shifted in the last few months, however. I knew that I should be buying better quality basics and less of the cheap, trendy stuff. I knew I didn’t need the same shirt in five different colors. I knew I had a basic style I loved, but I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the things I wasn’t wearing…you know, just in case.

As I’ve added more fair trade accessories to my wardrobe, I’ve found myself grabbing the basics in my closet more and more often, gravitating to the same tops and bottoms in different combos, and then dressing them up with a fashionABLE scarf or a Root Collective necklace and flats. I realized I was basically dressing from a capsule wardrobe within my overstuffed closet, and it was time to just get rid of the excess.

I need a capsule wardrobe because I need simple. I need less clutter. I need fewer decisions in my day. And I also need better. This clothes hoarder still loves clothes, and I tend to be an impulse buyer in the clothing department. Now I know I want well made, classic pieces that fit me and my lifestyle – and I don’t need to add lots of extras!

Here I am, diving in to the capsule wardrobe world. I’m still hesitant to throw out or donate all the clothes that didn’t make my fall capsule wardrobe cut, so I’ve taken some advice from Caroline over at UnFancy, my other online capsule wardrobe mentor. When I cleaned out my closet, I made a donate pile and a “maybe” pile. The clothes I still like and that still fit that aren’t in my fall capsule – the maybe pile – are now in a storage tub in the basement. If I find that I “need” something from there, I can always go grab it. If, at the end of this fall, I find that I didn’t even miss those pieces, I can donate them!

In the next few weeks, I’m going to share with you some tools that helped me create my capsule wardrobe, as well as the pieces I finally settled on! Everybody arrives at different pieces, a different number of pieces, and a different style, but I think these tools and this series will be of great value – accountability for me and hopefully some inspiration for you!

I’ll be explaining a lot more as we go, but if you have questions or ideas you’d like me to address in reference to a fall capsule wardrobe, let me know in the comments or at homewiththeboys at gmail dot com!

Have you attempted a capsule wardrobe? Do you need to try it?