Chic & Elevated Summer Capsule Wardrobe {2024}

Capsule wardrobes are touted as an ingenious “hack” that will solve all your fashion problems with one closet switch. They’re convenient, and efficient, and will remove any outfit choice fatigue from your mornings.

So is all the hype true?

Capsule wardrobes are a customizable tool.  Here, I’ve built you a summer capsule wardrobe example for 2024 and included an outfit guide. This is meant to be a base framework. 

In case you’re confused… What is a Capsule Wardrobe?

If you’ve never opened Pinterest or heard of the phrase capsule wardrobe, well, I’m a bit amazed. But, just in case you fall into this category, let’s define what it is. And maybe bust a few capsule wardrobe myths while we are at it…

A capsule wardrobe is a closet framework that allows you to easily understand your closet inventory. It’s a condensed collection of clothes that is easily mixed and matched and focuses on a minimal amount of pieces that create a maximum output of outfits. 

So all these pieces must have a cohesive color palette and work for your lifestyle. We don’t want too many “outlier” pieces within our base wardrobe.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to capsule wardrobes.  It is generally said to be around 33 pieces, but this will change based on season and personal style goals.

It does not need to be filled with all neutrals, or “basic pieces”. You can see my below image for how I define basic fashion piece, non-basic interest piece, and costume pieces. 

Ultimately, if you want a capsule of all costume pieces, it’s possible, but you need to infuse a lot of style creativity in your outfits so that your outfits don’t feel like they are constantly repeated. 

We also don’t want a capsule of ALL basic pieces with no personal investment and personal style expression.  

The following summer capsule wardrobe is an example of what types of pieces are included in a summer wardrobe. And the accompanying outfit guide helps you see how flexible a piece can be. 

Certain pieces in your capsule should generally carry through to each season (like jeans, button-ups, or sneakers). However, based on your style pov you may find your base pieces to be more unique. 

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Summer Capsule Wardrobe 2024

So for this capsule, I wanted to keep it focused on neutrals with a pop of warm red. If these colors don’t suit you, try exploring your seasonal color palette for more options. 

I even have seasonal color summer capsule wardrobes here that you might prefer. 

But this capsule was designed to be versatile, chic, and have an elevated feel while still feeling modern. 

None of these pieces are overly trendy, so if you purchase them (provided they fit your style toolbox) they should work for years to come. 

Summer Capsule Outfit Ideas

Here are a few outfit ideas to show how flexible the capsule can be:

If you want to see 40+ outfit ideas, you can sign up to get my free capsule wardrobe outfit guide:

Shop This Capsule

I don’t recommend buying an entire capsule at once. Ideally, these are built up over time and vetted as one explores their style and lifestyle needs. 

You can shop the main pieces here:

And these pieces:

Tips for Capsule Wardrobe Building

Capsule wardrobes are supposed to be customized to fit your body type, your essence, your color palette, and your lifestyle needs.  I recommend you take daily outfit photos so that you gather style data to refer back to your most worn pieces and decide what could be improved and what you love. It is really the best way to dress better. 

Next up, you need to be able to see your closet inventory. It’s great to build a capsule wardrobe but if your closet is massively overstuffed and you can’t find the tee you want, then getting dress is still going to be arduous.  A closet audit is the key to fixing this, and I have a video and some free worksheets to guide you on it. 

And finally, when you are shopping make sure you have a list!  Below is one I like to use to make sure the pieces are suited to my unique style expression.

A capsule wardrobe can help you get more creative and hone your personal style. They really can be a magic solution if you struggle with your style each morning. Just remember to customize it to your needs!

Now, go look fabulous, and don’t forget your SPF!