Building a Capsule Wardrobe Using James Clear's Atomic Habits Principles

In the book ‘Atomic Habits’ James (I’ll call him by his first name like we’re old friends) suggests that we list out our daily habits to see which are good and bad (which is over simplifying it, he goes way more into brilliant depth on that). While doing this I realized I have a whole ritual of habits around my fashion choices that allow for an effortless approach to my styling and wardrobe maintenance. Which got me to thinking, there must be a way to apply his principles to creating a capsule wardrobe.

Creating a capsule wardrobe can feel like a daunting task to some. If you want to start from nothing, it’s overwhelming. If you want to start with what you already have, it’s hard to know where to begin. However, by applying the principles of habit formation that James speaks to in 'Atomic Habits', we can make the process manageable, enjoyable, and successful. Let's explore how Clear's four laws of behavior change can transform your approach to curating your dream capsule wardrobe collection.

1. Make it Obvious:

The first law, "Make it Obvious," is about making the right behaviors apparent. So we can translate that into our CW building by asking ourselves "What clothes make me feel confident and best reflect my personal style?" This then makes your intentions for your style clear and we can always revert back to the answer anytime we feel confused or overwhelmed. This will eventually create an obvious default mode in your brain.

Choose the go-to pieces that answer this question best for you. In my videos on building capsule wardrobes, I refer to these pieces as the “anchor pieces”. The pieces that the rest of the wardrobe will revolve around. Display them in your closet nicely or place at the front of the rack. This way they’re the first thing you see when you open your wardrobe. Making it an “obvious” guide to the rest of your choices.

2. Make it Attractive:

The second law, "Make it Attractive," focuses on drawing us towards beneficial actions. Use this principle to develop a capsule wardrobe that you genuinely love. By decluttering and refining your collection you create an appeal to the aesthetic of your wardrobe. It’s no longer a sh** show of fabric when you open those closet doors. It’s a beautiful curated collection of carefully selected pieces. When you do this it makes the process and the outcome “attractive”. This then makes it way easier to build and maintain a capsule wardrobe that is highly effective for you. Because you’ll become addicted to how attractive your wardrobe looks and you won’t want to disrupt that.

3. Make it Easy:

The third law, "Make it Easy," is all about reducing the barriers to good habits. In terms of a capsule wardrobe, we can refer to what I speak to in my videos, “getting rid of the noise”. I used to have a very noisy closet filled with so many different pieces that I pulled in for one random reason or another. There was never any true consistency in my decisions so it was like each piece was having it’s own conversation. I began to get rid of any item that wasn’t making sense with my new style direction. Now my pieces communicate with each other, having one conversation that makes sense….getting rid of all that noise ;-)

This is the deep clean after the declutter, the refinement and organization of your wardrobe. Where you define the direction so that it “makes it easy” to know where you’re headed. So, this could mean limiting your color palette to ensure easy outfit coordination. Only choosing a very limited amount of prints that will effortlessly match with everything in your closet. Ensuring that each and every piece can be mixed and matched multiple ways. Then organizing in a way that gives you a concise straightforward answer to the same question every day, “What should I wear”? Making it very easy to pull an outfit.

4. Make it Satisfying:

The final law, "Make it Satisfying," helps ensure habit longevity by providing immediate positive reinforcement. For your capsule wardrobe, the satisfaction comes from the new found ease of effortlessly creating stylish outfits and the freedom from clutter and decision fatigue. The great thing about this whole process is that it is satisfying with each step of the way.

Something I find quite satisfying is when I only choose pieces that I get giddy about, pieces that are high quality or have a style that is unique or flattering. I then find it super satisfying every time I pull them out of my closet to wear and even more satisfying when I put them on.

In many cases the habit forming process is an abstract one. Sometimes one you can’t really see any results from until later. The good thing about implementing this on something that is visual, like fashion, you immediately see the results. So satisfying.

***

In conclusion, these principles are not the clear literal steps to building a Capsule Wardrobe, no. You can get that from one of my videos on that topic (linked in ‘You may also like’ section). These principles are here to help simultaneously guide you through the process. To make it a less daunting start, to change perspective and help create the habits that will help maintain what you’ve created.