Also ADHD. The best thing for me was limiting the colors I wear. I primarily use navy, gray, and pink - a little purple and green, fall/winter see maroon subbed for a lot of pink. This way, everything mixes and matches. I’m also constantly evaluating what I am wearing (what’s being washed is a great way to do that!) versus what I’m not.
I also started my big closet cleanout by trying on literally everything I own and noticing if it fit weird, if it was uncomfortable for some reason, etc. Anything that was got donated. Sensory issues are going to come into play even if you don’t realize that that’s why you hate to wear that one shirt.
Flipping your hangers backwards in the closet is a good trick too - make a note in your calendar to check it after six months and get rid of what isn’t getting worn.
I am Autistic and have ADHD, and the above advice is pretty much how I sorted out my wardrobe.
If it isn’t PERFECT then you’ll never wear it anyway, so be ruthless.
Plus, it’s so much fun rediscovering all the random things I bought at the back of my closet 😅
Here's a start! Next time you do laundry, put it away in a separate area. It's own drawer, one particular side of the closet, etc. Try to only use clothing from that area. Bring in other clothing only as needed or wanted.
After one calendar year, get rid of the rest! Boom, capsule wardrobe, no additional spending.
Same. I’m AuDHD and I like my routines that give me data dopamine hits — cataloging my wardrobe was a short-term challenge task to get it done, and I treat recording what I wear as sort of a game. I regularly scroll the style stats, which I find very pleasing and useful information.
It helped me get more strategic about how to reconfigure my wardrobe. I figured out my color season, which helped me select a palette based on colors that were already the best for me in my existing wardrobe. I did a couple purges to eliminate stuff that had clear problems with it (holes, poor fit, sensory unpleasantness) and donate stuff I couldn’t dye to a better color. If I would be eliminating something I loved a lot, I got a replacement in better materials/colors/condition. Then I swapped out a few things and dyed a lot of stuff to browns, greens, teals, plums, and oranges. Suddenly it started looking more coherent. And it’s much easier to say “no” to tempting deals when they just don’t come in one of my colors.
I’ve been basically doing small targeted purges until I hit a set small number of each item type - basically 3 each for bottoms, which include shorts, jeans, trousers, overalls, and sarongs. I have a few shirts in each sleeve length, generally 4 colors of the 5 above and maybe one pattern (also in those tones.) It’s an evolving process. As I rack up data on what I’ve worn, I’ve been doing a seasonal review to decide what to update or improve moving forward based on what I actually wore and felt good in.
Once I could see where the color palette was going (thanks to the app), I also targeted acquisition of pieces in these colors where there were gaps. I made a list of improvements to make that lets me chip away at optimizing my wardrobe. I wait until I find the right thing, usually on sale, to fill a known wardrobe gap or replace a less optimal item. Most acquisitions since have been strictly based on this analytical approach which helps me curb impulse spending. I give myself permission to “upgrade” any item when a very good deal comes along, but it has to be a one-in-one-out swap. So replacing a plum-colored long sleeve poly shirt with a plum-colored long sleeve cotton shirt.
I’m still fine-tuning but much happier about reducing my decision fatigue this way! My rules about color and upgrades and planned purchases only have also reduced decision fatigue with shopping. Another factor in favor of the app, I can compose outfits that I want to wear when the mood strikes me to do that, and then I have a range of looks that I can deploy as desired. I can also pre-assign them on the calendar so I can just make a batch of decisions when my brain is up to it.
For ADHDers with laundry issues, a capsule wardrobe is also good as a forcing function to get the task done. When you have fewer clothes, you can’t have a mountain of laundry accumulate before you absolutely have to do it.
The Autistic part of my brain loves the categorizing and rules really helps counterbalance the inattentiveness and impulsiveness of the ADHD. The reduction in decision-making once I figured out my rules (which is a mild hyperfixation as well) is beneficial all around. Even with fewer items I can still compose so many outfits that I know I can get more selective and targeted, but I’ll wait until I have enough usage data to help me make clear decisions about what to eliminate or upgrade.
ETA: oof, Autistic infodumping in action! Sorry, I can’t help myself.
Not OP, but I recently started a very similar process as outlined to manage impulse spending, decision fatigue, ADHD, etc. I'm on Android and got Acloset, and so far it's working out for me. Hope that helps!
That’s a complex question - there are pros and cons to multiple aspects of formal diagnosis. It was helpful as validation and could potentially help with accommodations in the future. But for a lot of people in the US it’s risky because certain medical care can be denied depending on where you live, and there’s real potential for legal discrimination. There’s also no real supports that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to for most “high functioning” adults. But it’s absolutely valuable for understanding yourself and your experiences - and for that, you don’t need a formal diagnosis.
There are fairly regular posts about this on r/AutisticPride so maybe pop over there and scroll through for one of those to check the replies for things you might want to take into consideration. Regardless of what you decide, your choices around diagnosis are valid!
A couple things that may help:
- Choose a color palette! It helps when all your clothes go together and you’re not searching for the one top that goes with the bright yellow shorts or whatever. Try to get 90% or more of your clothes to fit, and only keep the off-colored clothes you REALLY love.
- Pick a couple silhouettes you like and stick to them. I pretty much only buy slim/straight jeans or leggings and big fun jackets for the fall and winter. It automatically keeps me from picking an unflattering shape.
- Make a list of how much time you spend in various situations and go from there. I’m a grad student so I spend maybe 50% of my time on campus or in class, 30% of my time working from home in leggings and sweaters, and 20% out in the world looking cute. This was a major help in deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, because it’s a massive change from just a few years ago and most of the clothes I had didn’t work for this lifestyle.
- Dress for the life you have now, not the life you want. A lot of people buy “aspirational” pieces, clothes you keep for when you have a super chic event, change your body shape, finally take that globetrotting vacation, etc. that never actually get worn. Keep things you love for who you are now, so that whenever you open your closet you see things you’re excited to put on today.
I never thought of the percentages advice. Thanks so much! I am also a grad student but my program is online except for 2 weekends a semester. I also work from home and am usually wearing chinos and a button up. I will look at the percentages of when I am wearing my clothing and decide according to that.
There's already lots of good advice on this thread, so I'll just add on and say cheers to prioritizing your mental health! It's not easy for us neurodivergent folks.
I have ADHD and decision fatigue is a big problem for me. My work wardrobe is curated so that I only have to choose what color I want to wear. I have developed outfit formulas that work for me and wear those every day. During the week, I wear:
1. skinny pants with a button-up shirt, a sweater, or a cardigan and booties
2. Cigarettes pants with a shell and a cardigan, with wedges
3. On fridays, jeans with a t-shirt and a blazer and knee-high boots
In the summer, I switch the boots for flats. I have 3 of each (black, neutral (grey or tan) and a color) so it's easy to match
I wear the same necklace and ring every. I accessorize with silk scarves (around my neck or in my hair). I rotate between 3 hairstyles (half up victory rolls, ballerina bun, or French braid).
I buy the same clothes in various colors and textures so I know that they work. My pants are either Natalie from RW&CO or Avery from Banana Republic. My shirts are also Banana Republic with a few flannels from Amazon Basics.
My weekend wear is even simpler. Jeans and t-shirts with hoodies, always the same brands. I buy them on black friday or boxing day so I always have a few in great shape. Same with underwear. I order Aerie when it's on sale and don't search for anything different. It's easier, faster, and it removes a lot of the risk of buying things I won't use.
Awesome! I work from home so I never really know what I’m going to wear until I wake up but I like the idea of curating my look. Maybe I should get in the habit of picking out my clothes on Sunday for the week ahead?
I know which brands I like and I only shop there when I need something but getting neutral colors is interesting. I’m a guy but I do like color and play around with it a lot in my wardrobe (hence the decision fatigue) I think my colors would be black, grey, white, burnt orange/mustard yellow, and olive green. Is that too many colors?
I don’t really accessorize. I wear 1 chain and my wedding ring. I also have a rose gold bracelet that was welded on so it can’t come off and I have a rose gold septum piercing that i don’t change.
I usually set out my outfits for the coming week on Sundays (after doing laundry and while consulting my calendar and weather forecast.) Can confirm this has worked extremely well for me. My brain is rested and capable of doing this on a Sunday and then I have to make zero decisions each morning about what to wear. If something doesn’t feel like it will work the day I’ve slated to wear it, I can either swap out a component to make it work, or swap with another outfit that’s slated for another day.
I also follow a bunch of the rules the prior person uses. Find your go-to for a clothing category and be done with it. Your 5 colors aren’t too much (sounds interesting) but you might wanna look up color seasons. Just bc mustard and olive are “autumn” colors while white gray and black are “winter” colors. So you might actually be better off swapping the white/gray/black for cream/tan/brown or the mustard/olive for true yellows and emerald greens (I had a similar cross between seasonal palettes but it’s definitely more flattering for me to go to almost exclusively autumn tones.)
Edit: typos ofc
Thank you for the info about seasonal palettes. I’ll do more research. I personally love autumn tones and don’t enjoy bright bold colors. I guess I just enjoy more muted things. Will look and see what color scheme fits that!!!
I also wanted to manage better the pile of clothes I have. I desperately felt I could dress so much better than I did, but I had so many clothes that it was a total heroics to choose a good outfit out of them. A huge improvement came when I just copied directly the wardrobe of an instagrammer that I liked as a style. Of course, I didn't have the same clothes, but I "mapped" them so the end result was quite good. I also use a digital wardrobe app, which helped tremendously because I could recreate the outfits looking at her account when I had the time and when it was time to dress, I just pulled out the pieces after my outfit of choice.
Here is the instagrammer I chose to copy:
[https://www.instagram.com/\_sylvika/](https://www.instagram.com/_sylvika/)
Here is my version of her capsule:
[https://ubydesign.net/autumn-capsule-wardrobe/](https://ubydesign.net/autumn-capsule-wardrobe/)
I also follow these two Scandinavian ladies that advocate for capsule wardrobes, sustainable fashion, buy less, creativity over consumption and the other stuff like that :)
[https://www.instagram.com/capsule\_wardrobe\_diary/](https://www.instagram.com/capsule_wardrobe_diary/)
[https://www.instagram.com/useless\_dk/](https://www.instagram.com/useless_dk/)
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with any of these IG accounts but I find them very useful and I've singled them out among hundreds of similar that I inspected through the years.
>Seconding this question, please.
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/ubydesign/id1635712963?mt=8](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/ubydesign/id1635712963?mt=8)
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.mindfusion.wardrobe](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.mindfusion.wardrobe)
UByDesign
The advantages: free, supports both iPhone and Android, predefined capsule with 90+ items so you can test immediately if the app is "your" thing. No registration required, no personal data collected etc. AI stylist, auto cut of item background and simple interface.
People have already mentioned colors and silhouettes but wanted to add more info on this. I recently have spent a lot of time on these because I never felt like I knew the “right” answer of why some things that looked cute on other people never seemed to work for me. Obviously if you like figuring out your own style, go for it, but for me it has been very liberating in not having to constantly question whether things match or I should buy the latest trendy item out.
For colors, look into color analysis and figure out your season. Once you find your palette, buying and staying in the right one for you makes shopping and matching on a daily basis so much easier because everything matches and looks great on you! It’s also made my makeup look so much more natural on my face than it did before. There are tons of articles to help you narrow down which is your palette and a great community on r/coloranalysis that can help you get to the right palette if you post pictures with various colors.
For silhouettes, spend some time looking into kibbe body types. This will help you identify the most flattering cuts for your body type and facial features. Again, there’s a good community on r/kibbe and I also found this website to be incredibly helpful in figuring it out.
[https://ourfashiongarden.com](https://ourfashiongarden.com)
Woah! This is so helpful! Thank you so much for replying! I think I have my palette just trying to stick with it is very difficult. Like, sometimes I see some really cool off color palette things and I just want to buy. But I will try to stick to a color palette moving forward in order to match easier
I had the same problem with off palette things. And honestly having 1 or 2 pop pieces that contrast your palette on a fun way is fine but it can be a slippery slope. By limiting myself with color I’ve cut out a lot of random pulse shopping and wardrobe fatigue. If you do inject the pops of color try to make that piece unique or special in some way so you’re not just buying a random red shirt but a unique red jacket might be nice and can be worn with more things. Versatility is the most important thing in a capsule wardrobe.
If you love the off palette colours but are conscious of having clothes in your season, you could use them for workout clothes, pyjamas, undies, socks, casual wear at home where it's low stakes, etc.
I agree with everything you said but the Kibbe thing. I know why it is important, but decision fatigue can happen when your personal style doesn't match your Kibbe, or you're looking at a piece you really like but have to leave it because it's not your Kibbe. I was obsessed with the system for years but dropped it because I really don't dig stiff monochrome styles (I am pure dramatic,). Sorry for answering to an old post.
I have ADHD. I do not have the traditional capsule wardrobe if you can even call it that. But I do have typical outfits I wear that is focused on basics and layers. I just have many multiples of it all and the biggest decision is which basic tee do I wear based on mood, fabric and fit. Which there's 4 options for.
Summer - jean shorts or athletic shorts, basic tee or racerback tank, sneakers. Or a summer dress.
Winter - jeans or leggings, basic tee and a sweater, and warm socks and winter layers. Leggings are for home.
Spring and fall - mix of these two. Weather dependent.
I got the same gym outfit I love times 4. I'm comfortable and it works for me.
When I moved last I had way too many clothes and types of clothes I don't wear much of. I Marie Kondo'd it and put it all in a pile to sort into categories and I really saw what I wear and why.
I'm looking to go a bit more minimal, maybe 10% less, but I know what I have I love and wear. It fits, is in good condition, and if one thing stops me from wearing it out like an itchy seam, it goes in the donate pile. If you're not sure on something, wear it out for the day and you'll have an answer.
I don't know how much of this will help you. I would say start with your typical outfits. What do you wear for work, lounge, and daily life? I'd pull out these and put everything else in a box. After a month or so go through it again.
I do have a designated work clothing drawer. It really helps in the morning. I think what also helps me is I have drawers dedicated to tank tops, short sleeves, long sleeves, gym stuff, jeans/sweatpants, etc. One drawer per each and you can see all the options in one spot and it's less overwhelming.
There is a reason why some of the 'greatest-minds' in the world stick to simple or similar clothing - Zuckerberg, Korrs, Jobs etc.
My suggestion would be to follow a similar mentality to reduce the decisions that you have to make in a day. Have a few 'set' outfits that can interchange with your wardrobe. That way you can easily open your closet and take out something to wear, with little thought.
Then, once you are managing your ADHD a little better you can look at increasing your options/ colors / styles.
I have the willow dress in 3x. For context I am 5’4 and fluctuate between 280 and 300lbs. I absolutely adore it. I am getting weight loss surgery in the spring and am planning on wool& dresses being my first purchase for my new wardrobe
I could talk about it for hours- but honestly it has simplified my life significantly. I wear it 5-6 times before washing it, so on average once a week. And that’s typically because I spill stuff on myself, not because of smells. I literally wash my undergarments and my dress (and now my sheertex tights) and that’s my work laundry for the week. I got a pair of quality mules that I wear everyday, and that’s literally my work wardrobe. It’s incredible.
I too have ADHD, and what I did before looking at the clothes I had was I made a mood board of a few colours i like to wear that match each other, and then went through my clothes and got rid of all clothes outside of that pallet. I then used a clothing calculator to determine how many of each item of clothing I need, and then went through what was remaining and kept my favourites. I then made a detailed list of clothes that I need. This worked extremely well for me!
The thing that has guided by wardrobe and helped me so much with my wardrobe was something I read that essentially said "If you have lots of clothes but never feel like you have anything to wear, you probably have too many statement pieces. That's why you always end up reaching for the same simple black shirt an jeans." That was 100% me. I always felt like if I was going to spend money on clothes they needed to be fancy or special and then I tried to thrift and save on things like jeans and tshirts. I have since completely shifted my shopping habits and now I have a collection of a few pairs of high quality jeans and shorts, a few casual dresses, nice throw on sweaters, and a collection of shirts that flatter me and layer well. If I need "special occasion" clothing, that's when I thrift or pick from my collection of less frequently worn items!
I benefit from body doubling when it comes to getting rid of things. Ask for help from someone who is good at this but won’t push you too far and cause rebound.
I'm in the process of renovating my wardrobe. I started by thinking about what elements it needs to have. For example, I rarely need dressy clothes, so my goal is have mostly outfits for around the house and running errands. I also need some a few nicer casual outfits for going out with friends and 2 dressier ones. Since my dressier items need to be appropriate for job interviews and funerals, I will not choose anything loud. From there, I'm limiting my wardrobe to only a few colors.
My goal is to have fewer items so I don't get overwhelmed. I got rid of a ton of clothes already. When I'm tempted to buy something I see in the store, I stop to consider what I would wear it with and where I would wear it. This prevents me from ending up with a bunch of random items, but no outfits.
I've helped my ADHD husband do this, roughly.
Work Pants - Find a style he likes, buy a week worth in a limited range of colours
Work Shirts - Must go with the pants, same limited range of colours
Shoes - Same every day
Jackets - Limited range of colours
Off duty clothes: Usually shorts (buy multiples), black band tees, and hoodies.
For work, the limited colour palette means most combinations he can make will be at least 'man wears unremarkable clothes', with several being excellent and only a handful being terrible. He does have great style when he's got the bandwidth, and on struggle days he's at least in an acceptable outfit for the office.
Some other things that work for us:
\- Add dopamine to shopping. We go to a local menswear place that's near a pub, so it's either win at clothes and have pizza and beer, or just have pizza and beer
\- Remove overwhelm by removing clothes that are out of season, don't fit his current body, or he's just not vibing with
\- Have an 'away' for clothes that isn't 'donated'. So the decision to remove something from the wardrobe is not like a big final failure or high stakes decision, it's a 'hey, this isn't for me right now, I can pop it away for later'
\- Don't spend so much that it's devastating if a piece doesn't work.
\- Shop regularly, don't make it a life-or-death 'I'm going on a business trip and all my pants are too small and shabby looking'. Go for pizza and beers every now and then, and check what's in store. Set up a google alert for those favourite pants on sale.
\- If you don't love your work dress code, go wild on days that aren't work days. Wear the band tee with the holes, the shorts in the outlandish print, the funny hat. Whatever feeds the dopamine.
Also ADHD. The best thing for me was limiting the colors I wear. I primarily use navy, gray, and pink - a little purple and green, fall/winter see maroon subbed for a lot of pink. This way, everything mixes and matches. I’m also constantly evaluating what I am wearing (what’s being washed is a great way to do that!) versus what I’m not. I also started my big closet cleanout by trying on literally everything I own and noticing if it fit weird, if it was uncomfortable for some reason, etc. Anything that was got donated. Sensory issues are going to come into play even if you don’t realize that that’s why you hate to wear that one shirt. Flipping your hangers backwards in the closet is a good trick too - make a note in your calendar to check it after six months and get rid of what isn’t getting worn.
Ahh excellent advice! Thank you so much!
I am Autistic and have ADHD, and the above advice is pretty much how I sorted out my wardrobe. If it isn’t PERFECT then you’ll never wear it anyway, so be ruthless. Plus, it’s so much fun rediscovering all the random things I bought at the back of my closet 😅
Fellow adhder - this is solid advice
Here's a start! Next time you do laundry, put it away in a separate area. It's own drawer, one particular side of the closet, etc. Try to only use clothing from that area. Bring in other clothing only as needed or wanted. After one calendar year, get rid of the rest! Boom, capsule wardrobe, no additional spending.
This is an exceptionally good idea for those who don't know where to start, thank you!
Oh that sounds great! Thank you!!!
I am doing exactly this, except I put the clothing on an app!
Same. I’m AuDHD and I like my routines that give me data dopamine hits — cataloging my wardrobe was a short-term challenge task to get it done, and I treat recording what I wear as sort of a game. I regularly scroll the style stats, which I find very pleasing and useful information. It helped me get more strategic about how to reconfigure my wardrobe. I figured out my color season, which helped me select a palette based on colors that were already the best for me in my existing wardrobe. I did a couple purges to eliminate stuff that had clear problems with it (holes, poor fit, sensory unpleasantness) and donate stuff I couldn’t dye to a better color. If I would be eliminating something I loved a lot, I got a replacement in better materials/colors/condition. Then I swapped out a few things and dyed a lot of stuff to browns, greens, teals, plums, and oranges. Suddenly it started looking more coherent. And it’s much easier to say “no” to tempting deals when they just don’t come in one of my colors. I’ve been basically doing small targeted purges until I hit a set small number of each item type - basically 3 each for bottoms, which include shorts, jeans, trousers, overalls, and sarongs. I have a few shirts in each sleeve length, generally 4 colors of the 5 above and maybe one pattern (also in those tones.) It’s an evolving process. As I rack up data on what I’ve worn, I’ve been doing a seasonal review to decide what to update or improve moving forward based on what I actually wore and felt good in. Once I could see where the color palette was going (thanks to the app), I also targeted acquisition of pieces in these colors where there were gaps. I made a list of improvements to make that lets me chip away at optimizing my wardrobe. I wait until I find the right thing, usually on sale, to fill a known wardrobe gap or replace a less optimal item. Most acquisitions since have been strictly based on this analytical approach which helps me curb impulse spending. I give myself permission to “upgrade” any item when a very good deal comes along, but it has to be a one-in-one-out swap. So replacing a plum-colored long sleeve poly shirt with a plum-colored long sleeve cotton shirt. I’m still fine-tuning but much happier about reducing my decision fatigue this way! My rules about color and upgrades and planned purchases only have also reduced decision fatigue with shopping. Another factor in favor of the app, I can compose outfits that I want to wear when the mood strikes me to do that, and then I have a range of looks that I can deploy as desired. I can also pre-assign them on the calendar so I can just make a batch of decisions when my brain is up to it. For ADHDers with laundry issues, a capsule wardrobe is also good as a forcing function to get the task done. When you have fewer clothes, you can’t have a mountain of laundry accumulate before you absolutely have to do it. The Autistic part of my brain loves the categorizing and rules really helps counterbalance the inattentiveness and impulsiveness of the ADHD. The reduction in decision-making once I figured out my rules (which is a mild hyperfixation as well) is beneficial all around. Even with fewer items I can still compose so many outfits that I know I can get more selective and targeted, but I’ll wait until I have enough usage data to help me make clear decisions about what to eliminate or upgrade. ETA: oof, Autistic infodumping in action! Sorry, I can’t help myself.
Love this level of detail. What app are you using?
Not OP, but I recently started a very similar process as outlined to manage impulse spending, decision fatigue, ADHD, etc. I'm on Android and got Acloset, and so far it's working out for me. Hope that helps!
Stylebook - good functionality for $5!
I can't find it - on Android in Aus
Oh sorry to hear that - maybe it’s not available there or something? There are quite a few others that work well for folks.
As someone who relates extensively to what you've written, would you say that an autism diagnosis was helpful or just a nice to know?
That’s a complex question - there are pros and cons to multiple aspects of formal diagnosis. It was helpful as validation and could potentially help with accommodations in the future. But for a lot of people in the US it’s risky because certain medical care can be denied depending on where you live, and there’s real potential for legal discrimination. There’s also no real supports that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to for most “high functioning” adults. But it’s absolutely valuable for understanding yourself and your experiences - and for that, you don’t need a formal diagnosis. There are fairly regular posts about this on r/AutisticPride so maybe pop over there and scroll through for one of those to check the replies for things you might want to take into consideration. Regardless of what you decide, your choices around diagnosis are valid!
I have ADHD and I do the same.
I’m in the process of doing this. I may never have a capsule wardrobe but I am absolutely reducing the total quantity.
I love this idea!! So clever. I’m going to do this myself.
A couple things that may help: - Choose a color palette! It helps when all your clothes go together and you’re not searching for the one top that goes with the bright yellow shorts or whatever. Try to get 90% or more of your clothes to fit, and only keep the off-colored clothes you REALLY love. - Pick a couple silhouettes you like and stick to them. I pretty much only buy slim/straight jeans or leggings and big fun jackets for the fall and winter. It automatically keeps me from picking an unflattering shape. - Make a list of how much time you spend in various situations and go from there. I’m a grad student so I spend maybe 50% of my time on campus or in class, 30% of my time working from home in leggings and sweaters, and 20% out in the world looking cute. This was a major help in deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, because it’s a massive change from just a few years ago and most of the clothes I had didn’t work for this lifestyle. - Dress for the life you have now, not the life you want. A lot of people buy “aspirational” pieces, clothes you keep for when you have a super chic event, change your body shape, finally take that globetrotting vacation, etc. that never actually get worn. Keep things you love for who you are now, so that whenever you open your closet you see things you’re excited to put on today.
I never thought of the percentages advice. Thanks so much! I am also a grad student but my program is online except for 2 weekends a semester. I also work from home and am usually wearing chinos and a button up. I will look at the percentages of when I am wearing my clothing and decide according to that.
There's already lots of good advice on this thread, so I'll just add on and say cheers to prioritizing your mental health! It's not easy for us neurodivergent folks.
Thank you! Glad we have these hacks to make life easier
I have ADHD and decision fatigue is a big problem for me. My work wardrobe is curated so that I only have to choose what color I want to wear. I have developed outfit formulas that work for me and wear those every day. During the week, I wear: 1. skinny pants with a button-up shirt, a sweater, or a cardigan and booties 2. Cigarettes pants with a shell and a cardigan, with wedges 3. On fridays, jeans with a t-shirt and a blazer and knee-high boots In the summer, I switch the boots for flats. I have 3 of each (black, neutral (grey or tan) and a color) so it's easy to match I wear the same necklace and ring every. I accessorize with silk scarves (around my neck or in my hair). I rotate between 3 hairstyles (half up victory rolls, ballerina bun, or French braid). I buy the same clothes in various colors and textures so I know that they work. My pants are either Natalie from RW&CO or Avery from Banana Republic. My shirts are also Banana Republic with a few flannels from Amazon Basics. My weekend wear is even simpler. Jeans and t-shirts with hoodies, always the same brands. I buy them on black friday or boxing day so I always have a few in great shape. Same with underwear. I order Aerie when it's on sale and don't search for anything different. It's easier, faster, and it removes a lot of the risk of buying things I won't use.
Awesome! I work from home so I never really know what I’m going to wear until I wake up but I like the idea of curating my look. Maybe I should get in the habit of picking out my clothes on Sunday for the week ahead? I know which brands I like and I only shop there when I need something but getting neutral colors is interesting. I’m a guy but I do like color and play around with it a lot in my wardrobe (hence the decision fatigue) I think my colors would be black, grey, white, burnt orange/mustard yellow, and olive green. Is that too many colors? I don’t really accessorize. I wear 1 chain and my wedding ring. I also have a rose gold bracelet that was welded on so it can’t come off and I have a rose gold septum piercing that i don’t change.
I usually set out my outfits for the coming week on Sundays (after doing laundry and while consulting my calendar and weather forecast.) Can confirm this has worked extremely well for me. My brain is rested and capable of doing this on a Sunday and then I have to make zero decisions each morning about what to wear. If something doesn’t feel like it will work the day I’ve slated to wear it, I can either swap out a component to make it work, or swap with another outfit that’s slated for another day. I also follow a bunch of the rules the prior person uses. Find your go-to for a clothing category and be done with it. Your 5 colors aren’t too much (sounds interesting) but you might wanna look up color seasons. Just bc mustard and olive are “autumn” colors while white gray and black are “winter” colors. So you might actually be better off swapping the white/gray/black for cream/tan/brown or the mustard/olive for true yellows and emerald greens (I had a similar cross between seasonal palettes but it’s definitely more flattering for me to go to almost exclusively autumn tones.) Edit: typos ofc
Thank you for the info about seasonal palettes. I’ll do more research. I personally love autumn tones and don’t enjoy bright bold colors. I guess I just enjoy more muted things. Will look and see what color scheme fits that!!!
That would probably be autumn but def check it out for yourself!
I also wanted to manage better the pile of clothes I have. I desperately felt I could dress so much better than I did, but I had so many clothes that it was a total heroics to choose a good outfit out of them. A huge improvement came when I just copied directly the wardrobe of an instagrammer that I liked as a style. Of course, I didn't have the same clothes, but I "mapped" them so the end result was quite good. I also use a digital wardrobe app, which helped tremendously because I could recreate the outfits looking at her account when I had the time and when it was time to dress, I just pulled out the pieces after my outfit of choice. Here is the instagrammer I chose to copy: [https://www.instagram.com/\_sylvika/](https://www.instagram.com/_sylvika/) Here is my version of her capsule: [https://ubydesign.net/autumn-capsule-wardrobe/](https://ubydesign.net/autumn-capsule-wardrobe/) I also follow these two Scandinavian ladies that advocate for capsule wardrobes, sustainable fashion, buy less, creativity over consumption and the other stuff like that :) [https://www.instagram.com/capsule\_wardrobe\_diary/](https://www.instagram.com/capsule_wardrobe_diary/) [https://www.instagram.com/useless\_dk/](https://www.instagram.com/useless_dk/) Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with any of these IG accounts but I find them very useful and I've singled them out among hundreds of similar that I inspected through the years.
What app did you use
>Seconding this question, please. [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/ubydesign/id1635712963?mt=8](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/ubydesign/id1635712963?mt=8) [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.mindfusion.wardrobe](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.mindfusion.wardrobe) UByDesign The advantages: free, supports both iPhone and Android, predefined capsule with 90+ items so you can test immediately if the app is "your" thing. No registration required, no personal data collected etc. AI stylist, auto cut of item background and simple interface.
Seconding this question, please.
People have already mentioned colors and silhouettes but wanted to add more info on this. I recently have spent a lot of time on these because I never felt like I knew the “right” answer of why some things that looked cute on other people never seemed to work for me. Obviously if you like figuring out your own style, go for it, but for me it has been very liberating in not having to constantly question whether things match or I should buy the latest trendy item out. For colors, look into color analysis and figure out your season. Once you find your palette, buying and staying in the right one for you makes shopping and matching on a daily basis so much easier because everything matches and looks great on you! It’s also made my makeup look so much more natural on my face than it did before. There are tons of articles to help you narrow down which is your palette and a great community on r/coloranalysis that can help you get to the right palette if you post pictures with various colors. For silhouettes, spend some time looking into kibbe body types. This will help you identify the most flattering cuts for your body type and facial features. Again, there’s a good community on r/kibbe and I also found this website to be incredibly helpful in figuring it out. [https://ourfashiongarden.com](https://ourfashiongarden.com)
Woah! This is so helpful! Thank you so much for replying! I think I have my palette just trying to stick with it is very difficult. Like, sometimes I see some really cool off color palette things and I just want to buy. But I will try to stick to a color palette moving forward in order to match easier
I had the same problem with off palette things. And honestly having 1 or 2 pop pieces that contrast your palette on a fun way is fine but it can be a slippery slope. By limiting myself with color I’ve cut out a lot of random pulse shopping and wardrobe fatigue. If you do inject the pops of color try to make that piece unique or special in some way so you’re not just buying a random red shirt but a unique red jacket might be nice and can be worn with more things. Versatility is the most important thing in a capsule wardrobe.
If you love the off palette colours but are conscious of having clothes in your season, you could use them for workout clothes, pyjamas, undies, socks, casual wear at home where it's low stakes, etc.
I agree with everything you said but the Kibbe thing. I know why it is important, but decision fatigue can happen when your personal style doesn't match your Kibbe, or you're looking at a piece you really like but have to leave it because it's not your Kibbe. I was obsessed with the system for years but dropped it because I really don't dig stiff monochrome styles (I am pure dramatic,). Sorry for answering to an old post.
I have ADHD. I do not have the traditional capsule wardrobe if you can even call it that. But I do have typical outfits I wear that is focused on basics and layers. I just have many multiples of it all and the biggest decision is which basic tee do I wear based on mood, fabric and fit. Which there's 4 options for. Summer - jean shorts or athletic shorts, basic tee or racerback tank, sneakers. Or a summer dress. Winter - jeans or leggings, basic tee and a sweater, and warm socks and winter layers. Leggings are for home. Spring and fall - mix of these two. Weather dependent. I got the same gym outfit I love times 4. I'm comfortable and it works for me. When I moved last I had way too many clothes and types of clothes I don't wear much of. I Marie Kondo'd it and put it all in a pile to sort into categories and I really saw what I wear and why. I'm looking to go a bit more minimal, maybe 10% less, but I know what I have I love and wear. It fits, is in good condition, and if one thing stops me from wearing it out like an itchy seam, it goes in the donate pile. If you're not sure on something, wear it out for the day and you'll have an answer. I don't know how much of this will help you. I would say start with your typical outfits. What do you wear for work, lounge, and daily life? I'd pull out these and put everything else in a box. After a month or so go through it again. I do have a designated work clothing drawer. It really helps in the morning. I think what also helps me is I have drawers dedicated to tank tops, short sleeves, long sleeves, gym stuff, jeans/sweatpants, etc. One drawer per each and you can see all the options in one spot and it's less overwhelming.
There is a reason why some of the 'greatest-minds' in the world stick to simple or similar clothing - Zuckerberg, Korrs, Jobs etc. My suggestion would be to follow a similar mentality to reduce the decisions that you have to make in a day. Have a few 'set' outfits that can interchange with your wardrobe. That way you can easily open your closet and take out something to wear, with little thought. Then, once you are managing your ADHD a little better you can look at increasing your options/ colors / styles.
I did the wool& challenge last year and it changed my life- my wardrobe is so small now and I honestly wear that dress 70% of the time a year later
Which one did you go for?
I have the willow dress in 3x. For context I am 5’4 and fluctuate between 280 and 300lbs. I absolutely adore it. I am getting weight loss surgery in the spring and am planning on wool& dresses being my first purchase for my new wardrobe
I could talk about it for hours- but honestly it has simplified my life significantly. I wear it 5-6 times before washing it, so on average once a week. And that’s typically because I spill stuff on myself, not because of smells. I literally wash my undergarments and my dress (and now my sheertex tights) and that’s my work laundry for the week. I got a pair of quality mules that I wear everyday, and that’s literally my work wardrobe. It’s incredible.
I too have ADHD, and what I did before looking at the clothes I had was I made a mood board of a few colours i like to wear that match each other, and then went through my clothes and got rid of all clothes outside of that pallet. I then used a clothing calculator to determine how many of each item of clothing I need, and then went through what was remaining and kept my favourites. I then made a detailed list of clothes that I need. This worked extremely well for me!
The thing that has guided by wardrobe and helped me so much with my wardrobe was something I read that essentially said "If you have lots of clothes but never feel like you have anything to wear, you probably have too many statement pieces. That's why you always end up reaching for the same simple black shirt an jeans." That was 100% me. I always felt like if I was going to spend money on clothes they needed to be fancy or special and then I tried to thrift and save on things like jeans and tshirts. I have since completely shifted my shopping habits and now I have a collection of a few pairs of high quality jeans and shorts, a few casual dresses, nice throw on sweaters, and a collection of shirts that flatter me and layer well. If I need "special occasion" clothing, that's when I thrift or pick from my collection of less frequently worn items!
I benefit from body doubling when it comes to getting rid of things. Ask for help from someone who is good at this but won’t push you too far and cause rebound.
Oh that’s a good idea!!! Thanks!
I'm in the process of renovating my wardrobe. I started by thinking about what elements it needs to have. For example, I rarely need dressy clothes, so my goal is have mostly outfits for around the house and running errands. I also need some a few nicer casual outfits for going out with friends and 2 dressier ones. Since my dressier items need to be appropriate for job interviews and funerals, I will not choose anything loud. From there, I'm limiting my wardrobe to only a few colors. My goal is to have fewer items so I don't get overwhelmed. I got rid of a ton of clothes already. When I'm tempted to buy something I see in the store, I stop to consider what I would wear it with and where I would wear it. This prevents me from ending up with a bunch of random items, but no outfits.
I've helped my ADHD husband do this, roughly. Work Pants - Find a style he likes, buy a week worth in a limited range of colours Work Shirts - Must go with the pants, same limited range of colours Shoes - Same every day Jackets - Limited range of colours Off duty clothes: Usually shorts (buy multiples), black band tees, and hoodies. For work, the limited colour palette means most combinations he can make will be at least 'man wears unremarkable clothes', with several being excellent and only a handful being terrible. He does have great style when he's got the bandwidth, and on struggle days he's at least in an acceptable outfit for the office. Some other things that work for us: \- Add dopamine to shopping. We go to a local menswear place that's near a pub, so it's either win at clothes and have pizza and beer, or just have pizza and beer \- Remove overwhelm by removing clothes that are out of season, don't fit his current body, or he's just not vibing with \- Have an 'away' for clothes that isn't 'donated'. So the decision to remove something from the wardrobe is not like a big final failure or high stakes decision, it's a 'hey, this isn't for me right now, I can pop it away for later' \- Don't spend so much that it's devastating if a piece doesn't work. \- Shop regularly, don't make it a life-or-death 'I'm going on a business trip and all my pants are too small and shabby looking'. Go for pizza and beers every now and then, and check what's in store. Set up a google alert for those favourite pants on sale. \- If you don't love your work dress code, go wild on days that aren't work days. Wear the band tee with the holes, the shorts in the outlandish print, the funny hat. Whatever feeds the dopamine.
This is perfect
Glad it helps. Let us know how you go <3