What, exactly, is a “capsule wardrobe”? If you asked, oh, about a week ago, we'd have been pretty stumped ourselves. What we do, know, though, is this: we all own way too much clothing, and if it helps to think of a capsule wardrobe as a means of assessing the excess and deciding what to toss, we're totally here for it.
Wait, so … what is a capsule wardrobe?
A capsule wardrobe is a tight collection of highly versatile essentials that can be mixed and matched to create a near-infinite spread of outfits. In theory, it should involve a decent amount of simplification. It means the intentional paring down of your closet so that what you have left works for most situations—a Kondo-adjacent philosophy to getting dressed that largely eschews joy in favor of cold, hard utility. With a proper capsule wardrobe, the thinking goes, you should be able to get dressed with your eyes closed.
How to build a capsule wardrobe
Building a capsule wardrobe is essentially building a foundation for your closet. (Think building blocks, but for your fits.) Focus on classic-leaning, quality staples that are impervious to trends and easy to style.
Most capsule wardrobes are a morass of basics in neutral colors: tees, sweaters, and jeans in black, gray, and navy. And what they lack in, well, joy, they make up for in efficiency. (Spend less time deciding what to wear, and you're left with more time to focus on what really matters—or so every wannabe tech scion would have you believe.) There's a kernel of truth to that strain of thought: when you’re rushing out the door, grabbing the first things you see in your closet can be a huge time-saver.
How many items you should have in a capsule wardrobe is a matter of debate. Plenty of folks would say 20; plenty more would say 40. But in putting together this list, we felt like we could do with even less. Once we excluded essentials like underwear and socks—and forwent accessories like sunglasses, hats, and scarves—we wound up with an unassailable men's capsule wardrobe comprising just 15 items.
.jpeg "Studio Nicholson designer Nick Wakeman in 2025.")
