This week, something different. The following is a feature from my good friend, Dan Potocki, who shares his experience of creating a capsule wardrobe and the positive effects simplifying and identifying your own style can have on your life.
A P E E K I N T O A M A N ‘ S C L O S E T W I T H C A P S U L E
How adopting a mindset of simplicity will benefit your daily flow.
by Dan Potocki
February 2016.
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HOW I LEARNED ABOUT CAPSULE //
When I first heard of capsule, I thought it was for women only. Every quick search led me to article after article, written by women for the women’s audience about the women’s experience. So, I read almost every article, because I was interested in the concept of capsule, and I was intrigued to learn about its appeal to simplify your budget and mindset. But overall, it was confirmed in my mind – capsule was for women.
Then I learned about how my good friend, Ben, had been “capsuling” for months. At the time, Ben was studying at Parsons School of Design while running his business design firm, Guildsmith. Still, even though my thoughts shifted to thinking that capsule might be for men, too, I associated it with artists – you know, creatives who paint or film movies, or stylists who work at J. Crew or the local brick-and-mortar boutique.
From my perspective, Ben was wearing only black and white, which was too “artsy” for me, so I dismissed it. I thought of capsule as the thing that fashion professionals do, and I was not comfortable with how “feminine” capsule seemed to be, seeing as the trends were being led by women across the board. In retrospect, there was nothing for me to relate to, given my experience. There were no resources or guides to read, no coworkers to consult, no teammates in my men’s basketball league or mentors in the board room to speak to about it.
WHY I RELATED TO CAPSULE //
Quick check – I am just being honest, and I think many other men might likely feel the same way, but it took time for me to realize that my sense of style and dress was shaped by my experiences of being born and raised in Yonkers, NY, home of the brave, in a blue-collar family. I attended prep school, where we wore khakis with Hush Puppies and blue shirts with blazers, and I have spent a large amount of my time working with senators and business executives, all of whom dress traditionally in suits.
As I thought about capsule more and more, I realized that these experiences are at the very core of capsule: A simplified approach to dressing, in accordance with what defines a person. Thinking back, there had been flashes of capsule around me, including my dad’s generational weekend dress – blue jeans, calf-high white socks and white sneakers, with either a tee or button-up shirt. Capsule, in a sense, harkens back to the philosophy/approach adopted by religious order monks and/or priests, and has been known to be a driving force for radically-successful businessmen including Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. I thought time and again about Harvard and Princeton’s rockstar professor, Cornell West, who is known for reciting word for word the classical texts of Plato and Aristotle while wearing his go-to black-and-white attire on campus.
Capsule started to appeal to me because I associated it with excellence, and it became more of an approach to daily life, rather than a way to be fashionable. Capsule struck a chord with my yearning to simplify, while being a pragmatic way to focus on what defined me. In light of my search to gain more ease in my day-to-day flow, and a need for more space in my closet and mind, one of the defining factors for adopting my own capsule was relating to my paternal grandfather, Grandpa Charlie, who wore dark trousers and a white, pocketed dress shirt or plaid button-up every day of his life. Gramps lived simple because he had to, with little money and a fixer-upper house, but huge responsibility to run a government department and take care of a growing family. In fact, I was struck by how he is an example of the difference between how his generation and mine value things like clothing and household goods: If his coffee pot broke, he would go down to his workbench in his cellar and rummage through his old coffee cans or Ball jars to find a piece to replace it; if my coffeemaker breaks, I will go to a superstore and buy a new one. What this means to me, and how this relates to capsule, is based on my perspective on value: Build from what you have, not from what you want. And with this in mind, I took the chance to dive in and refresh my flow, which has already had a ton of influence on my mindset, in addition to allowing me to better manage my closet and wallet.
WHAT I VALUE ABOUT CAPSULE //
Part of the pitch for capsule is that it is about adopting “essentialism” or “minimalism.” Perhaps that is a part of it, but overall it is important to note that capsule is about adopting a mindset of more simplicity, regardless of how big or small your closet or budget are at the moment. You might come across rules to capsule, which can make building and maintaining a capsule more complicated than you initially think.
• Capsule is seasonal, allowing you to limit clothing pieces to a total of 33 items in winter, 33 items in spring, 33 items in summer, and 33 items in fall.
• Capsule includes tops, bottoms, jackets, and shoes/sneakers/boots, so someone does not need to count workout, sleep, special clothing (i.e. skiing), and accessories in the total.
• Some people change the rules slightly, based on what they include in the final count, while others limit clothing pieces to 37 in stead of 33 items total.
As I learned more about the rules, I realized that there are really two types of capsules: 1. a season-specific capsule, which I think is driven by the tenets of consumerism, and 2. a life-flow capsule, which I think is a simplified approach to understanding what defines you. If you interpret the rules of a season-specific capsule, you could have, in actuality, a capsule of 100+ items in your closet, which is entirely not the point. Rather, I wanted to focus on where I fit on the capsule spectrum – either adhering to a strict uniform (i.e. black jeans and white shirt with black shoes and jacket) or developing a rounded selection of flexible items.
Capsule is built by capping your closet at an agreed-upon, set number of items that you are dedicated to wearing on a routine basis. So, capsule causes you to let go of more items that do not work for you. But, I learned that it was deeper than that – going for my own capsule meant I had to let go of the concepts in my mind. I had to begin to overcome my place in the culture of consumerism, and accept that it was ok to wear the same pieces over and over. Time and again, I reminded myself of how capsule is associated with intellectual giants, and how it breeds a robust mix of excellence and simplicity. I would rather reach into my closet and pick the right pieces to build my capsule, than go to the store to purchase a new wardrobe.
WHAT I DID TO BUILD MY CAPSULE //
Honesty became my key. I did not hold back, and sought to include all categories and all items in my capsule.
• Categories: formal dress, work, date night, casual, workout, beachwear, special sporting, sleepwear
• Items: undergarments, socks, bathing suits, shorts and pants, tees, polos and button-ups, sweatshirts, sweaters and fleeces, jackets and sports jackets, suits, boots, shoes, sneakers, sandals, slippers, belts, ties, hats, scarves, gloves, sunglasses, bags and backpacks, watched, wallets
I opened my closet and took a count – 140+ total clothing pieces, and over 200 with all items included. Wow. Immediately, I identified almost half of my clothes as ones that I had not worn in months. But I did not want to hold back, so I took all pieces out of my closet, as capsule rules advise, and asked myself two guiding questions:
• Would I wear this item right now?
• Would I wear this item with any other piece in my capsule right now?
Whenever I answered “yes,” I placed the item back in my closet.
I separated the spring/summer items – a total of 36 pieces – placed them in a sealed bag, which I put in the back of my closet and have not opened since. Of the items that are no longer in my closet, I donated some and have begun to sell other pieces. Aside from the bag in the back of my closet, I do not think about any of the items I got rid of, so now that extra space is back in my brain.
Then, I revisited everything, and counted again – 80+, which is about a 60% cut. Throughout the process, I became a little bit of a questioning-maniac, with the intent of cutting wherever I could, but I returned time and again to the thought of how my grandfather placed ALL of his pieces in one mahogany, double-door armoire for years. In light of this, I thought that my attempt was unacceptable, but a solid start, so I revisited all items again. I repeated this process for about two weeks, and settled on a total of 44 clothing pieces for the fall/winter season for my first capsule, including undergarments/socks, sleepwear, accessories, boots/shoes/sneakers, casual, workout, and work/formal.
WHAT LESSONS I LEARNED FROM CAPSULE //
Three months into capsule, I am more my self because I understand where I stand on the capsule spectrum. I literally do not think about the process of getting dressed, all the while being comfortable in all of my pieces, because I built based on what works for me. I am prepared for all weather conditions and types of activities that I enjoy because I have thought through what I need for my daily flow. I have not purchased a piece in months, and do not feel any need to do so until next fall/winter season, as needed.
Here are some things I have learned so far that might help you as you take the first step or next step in exploring your capsule.
LESSON ONE / Start with what you have and build from there.
You will define yourself as you go. Stick to the pieces that you know you love and will return to time and again. Force yourself to forget about the rest, and do not purchase any other items within the next three months. Trust that your value is in yourself, and understand that your items are a reflection of you. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his classic, Thoreau, while deep in the woods, “Simplify!”
LESSON TWO / Continue to parse and refine as you go.
Of the 44 items I started with in fall 2015, I am down to a solid 30 that I wear time and again. Although this means a little more attention to laundry, it does afford me much more time for focusing on what is most important in my day. Take your favorite pieces to your tailor, and match your desired fit. Feel free to set aside pieces to work back in at a later time. As Aristotle said, “We are what we do repeatedly. Excellence, then, is a habit.”
LESSON THREE / Go big on quality, small on quantity, and do not be afraid to repeat.
I understand now why folks who advocate for capsule guide people to purchase higher-quality t-shirts and the like. You will be satisfied with the long-lasting value of your capsule, especially as you use certain pieces throughout all four seasons. Beware, because this does not mean purchasing all new items each season, or new items too regularly in season; instead, it means that you have to really think through your grabs with more precision, and spend wisely. Feel free to identify gaps, where needed, but do not shy away from buying the same exact pieces to have more than one, because this is a sign that you know yourself.
LESSON FOUR / Apply the lessons to other elements of your life, to simplify.
Clean your email and desk drawers. Refresh your office and house. Capsule provides you with a new awareness and perspective. It will teach you to be more observant of your flow in other aspects of your life. Have an extra pot or pan? Give it away. Two wallets? Donate one. You don’t have to get rid of everything in your house, but be honest with what you use and identify what you need. Just as capsule helps to define your fashion style, it can help create avenues for how you explore simple living and cooking and traveling and hiking, etc.
Most people do not believe they can do it. Make it an experiment: Do not throw away anything (at first); just designate a space and place all of your extras there for a defined time. Then decide. Don’t think about a number; rather, think about your flow – what you need to sleep and workout, what you are comfortable in while chill’ing out, what your go-to piece is for work or that wedding. Focus on what you love, and be open to knowing that what defines you will change over time.
Email me at depotocki@gmail.com with questions and/or comments. Visit my Instagram at: @danpotocki
Better Off Bare 