The #FashionFast Capsule Wardrobe Challenge 2021

In our members group, we've been exploring capsule wardrobes - what they are, how to create them, why have one, how to make them work etc.  I always get the feeling a capsule wardrobe is easier said than done, an impractical nirvana few of us ever reach.  So, we decided that the only way to find out for sure was to give it a try.

So, I created the #fashionfast challenge.  Think of it like a detox for your wardrobe.  The idea is that you pick seven items of clothing and wear them in combinations for seven days.

I explain how to do it in this short video:

My own #fashionfast took off well, I could see plenty of different outfits I could make, and I'd chosen practical pieces that would work for the cold weather and for what I was doing, so I was hopeful!  I picked jeans, grey trousers, two roll neck tops, two jumpers and an animal print dress.  You could add as many accessories as you want, but I picked one scarf and one necklace.

By day 4 however, I'd got really fed up with my colour choices - I was yearning for some of the other colours in my wardrobe, and felt like I was wearing very similar things.  I think I could have picked a slightly broader colour range, and a variation on styles, I felt my roll neck tops were the equivalent of groundhog day.

I did have a few revelations.  I realised that to put a dress on really only worked for me if I was going somewhere - albeit to collect groceries.  I didn't entertain the dress when I was just working from home, which I could have.  I also really enjoyed putting jumpers over my dress, which I hadn't done before, which basically turns the shape of the dress into a skirt (and gets round the slight button gape currently residing in the tummy area - darn those lockdown love handles!).  

I also realised at the end of the challenge that there were still more outfits to be made from my combinations, and that I had only used two accessories, one scarf and one necklace.  Had I changed up the scarf colours I might have felt slightly more relaxed about having more colour choice, and I certainly could have introduced more variety with my extensive necklace collection (I'm a sucker for second hand beads!)

What the #fashionfast did for me was made me realise that a capsule wardrobe is completely possible.  And for the person who hates having to choose what to wear each day, it makes so much sense to limit that choice to a set 'uniform' that gets varied slightly, but is really easy to mix and match.  I also realised that I use the colours in my wardrobe according to how I feel each day, and that limiting my palette this much was, for me, really frustrating.  As an autumn my colours are muted and deep, but I really connect with them, and missed being able to put on a colour I wanted each day.  There were plenty of things in the wardrobe I missed, and if I could have extended the set of seven things to include a few more favourites, I now have a much better idea of what those missing favourites would be.

I think a fashion fast is a great challenge to do on a regular basis, as it makes you think about clothes and what you love to wear in a way you don't get to experience when you have your whole wardrobe to choose from.  It busts open some of those dressing habits that we all fall into and forces you to get creative and try new things.  It also highlights what you miss in the week you're fasting, whether that's colour, like me, or perhaps a certain item, or accessory.  I'll certainly be repeating the challenge again when the weather warms up to test out my spring/ summer wardrobe and see what I need and what I can live without.

So, can you take the #fashionfast challenge?  If you do, post up your outfits on Facebook and tag us at Frankie & Ruby as we'd love to see what you create!