Twelve Pieces, Thirty Outfits: The Capsule Wardrobe That Goes Anywhere

I get asked about capsule wardrobes more than almost anything else, and I understand why.

The promise a capsule wardrobe offers is simple: a small set of clothes that all work together. You throw them in a carry-on. You wear them to work, to play, and everywhere in between. No disjointed outfits. No standing in front of a full suitcase deciding you have nothing to wear.

There's really only one rule that makes the whole thing work — every top has to go with every bottom. Get that right and the combinations look after themselves. And the bonus? No more staring aimlessly into your wardrobe on the verge of tears.

Let me walk you through two capsules I put together recently, because they show you just how flexible this can be.

Capsule one: brown, orange and cream

Brown is the colour of the season, so I leaned right into it. I started with a hero piece, a patterned skirt, and built outwards from there.

The trick with this capsule was keeping the pattern on the bottom. The skirt and one pair of trousers carry the print, which means every top stays plain and goes with everything. I even brought in brown barrel-leg jeans, and here's a small thing worth knowing: you treat brown jeans exactly like black ones. They just go.

Then came the layers. A little vest I've become slightly obsessed with (it has pockets, which totally feels like winning). A cardigan with a gold zip that lets it double as a jacket. A suede jacket I've owned for twenty years and am happily resurrecting this season. On a busy day working in the mall, that vest came on and off as I warmed up and cooled down, but isn’t that exactly the point? You dress up or down without changing your whole outfit.

Four or five colours, twelve pieces, and I'd cheerfully claim thirty outfits out of it. The combinations really are that vast. If you don’t believe me, let’s have a chat and I can show you how easy it is.

Capsule two: workwear, with a casual Friday up its sleeve

This one's for those of you who need your wardrobe to be working as hard as you are. Same rules, flipped on their head. This time the bottoms and outerwear stay plain, and all the pattern lives cleverly on the inside.

My heroes here were a pair of hot pink trousers and a turquoise blazer — two strong, solid colours to anchor everything else. And if you are thinking “Steph - hot pink? Really?” Well, I will get to that later.

Then I filled the middle with patterned shirts: a geometric print, a couple of silks, and one faithful old favourite that even has a matching bow tie. A crisp white shirt does the quiet heavy lifting as the neutral that ties the whole lot together.

Three to four bottoms; usually two pairs of trousers and a skirt, four to six tops, two outer layers, maybe a blazer and a cardigan you can button up as a top or wear open as a layer. And, as I mentioned at the start, for casual Friday, simply swap in dark jeans and you're sorted for drinks after work too.

It all starts with your colours - Do you know yours?

Here's the part people skip, and it's the most important one. A capsule only works if every piece sits in the same colour family because that's what lets everything mix and match. So, before you buy a single thing, you need to know the colours that actually suit you.

And not just any colours — the ones that look right next to your face. That's the test that matters. Yes I have a pair of hot pink trousers I adore as you saw earlier, but you are right, they're not a colour I'd ever wear up near my face. On my bottom half, they're perfect. It's a small distinction that changes everything about how you shop.

When you know your palette, getting dressed gets easier and cheaper. Yes, it totally saves you money! You stop buying the ”lovely” top that in fact, clashes with everything you own. You stop wearing colours that wash you out, leaving you wondering why you feel a bit flat. Everything in your wardrobe starts talking to everything else, because it's all pulling from the same set of tones.

If you don't know your colours yet, that's exactly where I'd start with you. With a colour consultation. It's the foundation the whole wardrobe is built on, it's a fun conversation to have and colour analysis is enjoyable. Really. Come and chat with me and once we've nailed your palette, everything afterwards gets so much simpler.

The 80/20 rule

There's one more guideline I lean on, and it's worth pinching for your own wardrobe: aim for roughly 80 percent versatile, lasting pieces and 20 percent trend and special occasion wear. The 80 are your workhorses — the plain trousers, the good blazer, the white shirt that never lets you down. The 20 is where you have a bit of fun with the colour, texture or print of the moment.

You can see it across both capsules above. That suede jacket I've owned for twenty years sits happily next to pieces I bought this season. The old faithfuls carry the wardrobe; the few new things keep it current. It's the kindest rule for your budget, too because you invest in what lasts and spend lightly on what won't. Yes, the High Street can be your friend!

Why it's brilliant for travel

This is where a capsule earns its keep. Twelve pieces slip straight into your carry-on. You wear the heavy jacket on the plane. You take one pair of shoes; for me it’s my gold Doc Marten boots, although, if you're hopping through airport security, maybe leave the boots at home so you're not unlacing them at every stop. That will get old really fast.

That's the whole magic. A handful of well-chosen pieces, a tight colour palette, and the discipline to make everything talk to everything else. You end up with far more outfits than you'd ever wring out of a wardrobe three times the size, and you’ll be a lot less despairing in front of it.

If you'd like a hand building a capsule wardrobe in your own colours, reach out. A wardrobe audit is my favourite kind of work, and together we'll put together something that suits you down to the ground. And based on my experience - it’ll be life-changing.