Capsule wardrobe for work

Do you ever hear people say “You have to dress to impress” or even “Dress for the job you want, not the one you have”? These sayings couldn’t be more true. It takes less than 7 seconds for someone to form a strong first impression of you. Walking into a corporate job with torn jeans or a wrinkled shirt is not impressing anyone. But this doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands on designer clothes to make a good impression. As long as you look professional and put together – and most importantly, feel confident –  you’re good!

We totally get not having enough time to put together the perfect outfit for work — some studies suggest that the average person makes 35,000 decisions a day. The last thing you need in your life is more difficult choices…like what outfit to wear to work! That’s why we’ve created the work capsule wardrobe guide: to make your mornings a little simpler, more stylish, and essentially effortless. So you can focus on being your most confident you!

By following this guide, you will get 30 days’ worth of Miik work outfits to rock that are already planned for you – from just 15 pieces of clothing! But first, we need to go over the basics of a capsule wardrobe briefly to be able to truly understand what this is, and how it can help us make fewer decisions in the mornings.

We answered “What is a capsule wardrobe?” in a previous blog. We’ve also talked about your colour basics and a step-by-step guide to creating your perfect capsule wardrobe so be sure to read that first if you haven’t yet!

What is a capsule wardrobe?

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of high-quality clothing items that match one another perfectly. Having everything match makes it incredibly easy to put together an outfit quickly, and without much decision-making required. Yes please!

Capsule wardrobe colour basics for work

To create your basic work capsule wardrobe, you need to start with your colours. You will need your basic black and white. Then you can add in some neutral colours like navy, grey or beige. When you’re picking your items, make sure to add in some accent colours to spice up your look. Go for something classic so you won’t feel the need to discard them next season. Try to include some timeless patterns as well to create different looks. Stripes are great as they practically never go out of style.

For this blog, we’re only sticking to neutral colours to show you how easy it is to style things together.

Capsule wardrobe tips

Any new item you buy has to match a few other things in your wardrobe for everything to work effortlessly together.

You also have to keep your skin tone and body shape in mind. Orange may look amazing on you, but not every shade of orange will. This is where your skin tone can really make or break an outfit. Try to find something that accentuates your complexion and screams YOU! The same goes for your body shape! If you’re a gorgeous pear shape, you may want to focus on your upper body to emphasize your bust and shoulders when styling an outfit. Same goes for any other body shape – the ultimate goal is to play up what you LOVE about YOURSELF!

Work capsule wardrobe: Getting started

After selecting your neutrals, start decluttering your closet. Donate or sell some of the items that don’t fit you properly anymore. You may need to do some shopping to finish creating your staple wardrobe, but don’t forget to buy good quality clothing that lasts and DON’T RUSH. These are clothes you will be keeping for years to come.

Ready for your work capsule? Let’s get started with a list of things you need!

Work capsule wardrobe list:

• 6 tops
• 5 bottoms
• 2 outerwear or layering pieces
• 2 dresses
• 2 bags
• 6 pairs of shoes

These are to get you started with 30 days worth of work outfits. These numbers can also be adjusted based on your style and preferences. Having a bit more also means you can go more days without doing any laundry!

You can even add scarves to mix things up a bit. Here are 5 ways to wear a scarf with your favourite Miik styles!

Now that we have the basics down, take a look at the example below. This is everything mentioned above in the work capsule wardrobe list.

 

Now that we know what all we need for our work capsule wardrobe, it’s time to put everything together!

Remember how we said to stick to your neutral colours? This is where the magic happens. You’re gonna see how effortlessly everything pairs together.

 

Every item you plan into your work capsule has to match at least a few other items for everything to work seamlessly together. Your outerwear or layering items need to match most things to be able to create 30 days worth of outfits.

As you can see, everything matches one another to create the perfect outfit.

There are even more outfits you can create from these 23 items (only 15 pieces of clothing!), but 30 days’ worth of outfits should be a good starting point.

Remember, you will have to keep a few things in mind that are unique to you. Does your workplace have a dress code policy? Or do you live in a cold climate and need more outerwear? (We get it, we’re Canadian.) There are so many things like this to consider before creating your capsule wardrobe. So think about it properly before investing in your wardrobe. We know this can be exciting but make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. The point of a capsule wardrobe is to be conscious of your choices. If you have hundreds of different outfits then you have a wardrobe, not a capsule wardrobe.

Need styling help? Join our Miik Facebook community group and get styling tips and advice from other Miik customers who have bought similar products!

In the meantime… Here are the links to the clothes that were mentioned in this blog with a few extras for more options. Happy shopping!

Tops:

1. Lucia collared shirt
2. Alden reversible sleeveless tulip top
3. Susan button up dress shirt
4. Marianna reversible classic tee
5. Shandra reversible tank top
6. Shane reversible button-up top

Bottoms:

1. Christal pull-on pintuck dress pant
2. Shea tulip pant
3. Faye wide leg wrap tie capri pant
4. June simple skirt/scarf
5. Frankie midi skirt

Outerwear/layering:

1. Emily soft blazer
2. Sienna girlfriend blazer
3. Danica lightweight blazer
4. Corey moto jacket

Dresses:

1. Flynn collared button-up shirt dress
2. Jair racerback tank dress
3. Max mock neck pocket dress
4. Haven tailored pocket dress

We hope this simple guide helps you build a capsule work closet you love and that makes you feel confident walking into any profesh situation. Take a look at our capsule wardrobe collection for more!

With much love,

Your Miik team 🤍