Capsule wardrobes are boring, more sequins and leopard print please

Just recently, I wrote a piece about essential capsule wardrobe items – the pieces you need for timeless style every season. I envy those girls with perfect capsule wardrobes – the clean-cut, perfectly tailored girls who always look uniform and yet perfectly different every time. I’d love to be one of those girls, which is why I wrote the piece. And while I do own many of the items on the list already, it wasn’t the black blazer or Levi’s jeans that spurred a spontaneous online purchase to reward myself after writing – it was the sequined lime green dinner jacket instead.

I love having staple pieces in my wardrobe – many of my everyday outfits could not function without them. Jeans, a white shirt and ankle boots have saved me multiple times. And yet, what means more to me in my wardrobe? The tailored black trousers or the floral Dr Martens I’ve had for 10 years? The structured blazer or the leopard print velvet duster?

Portraying your personality

I adore fashion. I always have. It’s the ultimate way to express yourself. My packed wardrobe of pinks, prints and embellishments does not particularly portray my personality – I’m not an over-the-top, loud type of girl. Rather, my wardrobe portrays a side of me that I like to show the world. Creative, confident; things that I may not feel all the time, but that my clothes can do for me instead.

Related: These nine pieces make the perfect spring capsule wardrobe

Maybe your personality is minimalistic and polished. In which case, I am completely envious of your ability to dress completely in line with your personal style. More realistically, you’re probably someone who has minimalistic aspects to your personality,  but that’s not the full picture. People are so multi-faceted, that it just makes sense that their wardrobe would be too.

There’s a lot to be said for capsuling your wardrobe – fast fashion is at an all-time high, and we, as style fans, need to be more conscious of how we consume it. The idea of a wardrobe that is responsible, tailored to you and made of up key pieces that work across the board is always a good idea. But why can’t those key pieces be showstoppers? Why can’t your capsule wardrobe tell the story of your personality, instead of a structured image that may not reflect who you are?

There’s nothing wrong with a capsule wardrobe. But there’s also nothing wrong with having a ridiculous, extravagant wardrobe full of stories, as long as it’s all responsibly bought. It all comes down to that age-old life advice – life is short; buy the shoes. Especially if they’re purple and sparkly.

Related:

• Five simple ways we can all shop more ethically, and build better wardrobes…here
• The IMAGE staff show us the key pieces from their wardrobes…here
• Street style looks I’m basing my spring wardrobe around…here