The idea for core wardrobe came to me after a series of failed “wardrobe organizing” experiments.

I have been looking for a solution to organize and efficiently use my wardrobe after getting rid of approximately 70% of my clothes.

The truth is, we all organize and use stuff differently, have different preferences about our living space and there is no “one size fits all” solution.

At first I looked at everything that a capsule wardrobe can offer, the idea is great, I really love it.
But, capsule wardrobe would never work for me for number of reasons.
Fact that I hate storage and prefer to have everything I own on display is just one of them.
Also, I don’t have seasonal wardrobes at all, since I will use my tank tops as undershirts in the winter and my sweaters as light jackets in the spring.

But, if you are a person that likes separating your clothes by season, I highly recommend it!

Two blogs that I found most helpful in this research are also full of fantastic fashion and minimalism tips that are super applicable on goth or any other alternative style!

Check them out for ideas:
Be more with less www.bemorewithless.com/project-333 Un – fancy www.un-fancy.com

Second thing that seemed like a great idea is a KonMari method. If you haven’t read “Life changing magic of tidying up“ by Marie Kondo I strongly suggest going to www.tidyingup.com and getting into it.
She is also a strong advocate of not using storage and thus creating the “out of sight – out of mind” moments and hidden clutter.
But, the notion of only keeping what “sparks joy” runs a risk of ending up with a closet full of mismatched items that don’t work together well.

To create a core wardrobe I meshed these two ideas together in a fusion that works perfectly for me. I’m sharing it with the world because I believe that I am not the only weirdo out there and my system might be useful to somebody else.

Core wardrobe is essentially bunch of capsule wardrobes, revolving around high quality basic items, displayed within the same space.

Not to sound complicated, this is the how to:

1. Define your style and underlying colors (Being a goth makes this so much easier)

2. Use KonMari method to clean out the clutter and excess

3. Take what’s left and see what goes with what and how many outfits can be made for each season

4. Get rid of odd pieces that don’t really go with anything

5. Make a list (or a Pinterest board or whatever) of items needed to fill in the gaps and go shopping for that season

6. Invest in high quality basics you can easily dress up or down and use for multiple occasions (like work, night out, casual…)

7. Divide all the clothes you have into capsule wardrobes using those basics as a core of your wardrobe.

8. Beginning of each season, repeat the process, to check for items that need to be thrown out or bought

9. Have fun

I will be elaborating more on core wardrobe in the future, but these are the basic guidelines that can be transformed to fit your needs.

I am super interested in how you organize your closet, so please share! Do you keep it nice and tidy, use capsule wardrobe, push all your clothes around the floor and few chairs, cram stuff inside in no particular order or have no idea what 80% of your wardrobe consists of?