THE SOLUTION TO A SIMPLE, MEANINGFUL, WELL-DESIGNED LIFE /
THE F Ê T E / LIF E PROJECT NO.
40
CAPSULE WARDROBE Welcome to the Fête/Life Project – a collection of helpful, useful and practical articles that can be applied to life at any time, but especially now. Sourced from the many magazines we have released, our message has never been more relevant or needed by our community today… let’s embrace the simple life and treasure what is truly important – human connection, community, self care and pure acts of kindness. SUPPORT WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST /
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FETELIFE.COM.AU / INSTAGRAM.COM/FETE_LIFE / #THEFETELIFEPROJECT
wardrobe / W E L L - B E I N G
STORY / ELLA LIASCOS STYLING / JANE CAMERON
CAPSULE WARDROBE Building a capsule wardrobe will lead to greater productivity, better clothes and more time and money. Since most people only wear twenty percent of their wardrobes, it seems we have more to gain than lose. It’s not about abstinence or deprivation either, in fact, a minimalistic wardrobe can save us money to spend on the more luxurious items we really want and time to spend doing more of what matters. Here's a guide to culling and simplifying your wardrobe right away, to avoid future buying mistakes. Workers in Myanmar, Thailand, work
After taking part in Project 333 by Courtney
TOP TIPS
sewing garments for $3.40 an hour.
Carver – a closet challenge inviting people
CAROLINE RECTOR
According to recent reports, their efforts
to dress with thirty-three or fewer items
UN-FANCY.COM
are not valued as the majority of these
for three months – participants have
textiles end up in landfill – eighty-five
reported being the least stressed, best
IN SHORT? IT’S A PRACTICE OF EDITING YOUR WARDROBE
percent of clothing in Australia or one
dressed folks in the room. On her blog,
garbage truck’s worth, is burned every
Carver states multiple truths like, “a
second around the world. Fast fashion is
colourful wardrobe does not result in a
the second biggest polluter on earth, but
colourful life”. Quite the opposite…
it’s not all doom and gloom. As Amit Kalra
hoarding thousands of dollars-worth of
says in his TED talk, ‘Three Creative Ways
clothes, only to be thrown out to make
to Fix Fashion’s Waste Problem', “Fashion’s
room for a new season make us willing
WHAT IS A CAPSULE?
DOWN TO YOUR FAVOURITE CLOTHES (CLOTHES THAT FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE AND BODY RIGHT NOW), REMIXING THEM R E G U L A R LY A N D S H O P P I N G LESS OFTEN AND MORE I N T E N T I O N A L LY.
aptitude for change is the exact thing that
victims of fashion. We end up busy
should make it the patient zero for
spending time and money shopping for
GUIDELINES
sustainable business practices”. To add to
clothing, that could instead be used for
01 / FREE YOURSELF OF CLOTHES
this positive outlook, green fabrics made
travel, hobbies, or time with loved ones.
from orange peel and ocean plastics are
Carver admits that her wardrobe has
making it easier for brands to choose
become more monochrome, but she’s now
earth-friendly fabrics and many of them do. “become more engaged in work, travel and While science is working hard to unearth
doing things I love with people I love”.
THE THREE GENERAL
THAT AREN’T SERVING YOU LET GO OF CLOTHES THAT NO LONGER FIT, CLOTHES THAT NO LONGER WORK FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE AND ITEMS WITH OTHER SHORTCOMINGS. EITHER PASS THEM ON TO SOMEONE
new solutions, it’s important we make a
Aside from saving time and money to
positive impact at an individual level too.
spend on what’s more important, a capsule
According to sustainability consultant,
wardrobe has hidden knock-on effects. It
SEASONAL, STORE THEM.
Jane Millburn, global consumption of
can open up a void where you’re no longer
textiles has doubled from seven to thirteen
shopping for distraction or to feel a certain
02 / RESERVE YOUR CLOSET SPACE
kilograms per person in the last twenty
way. In Carvers words, “You’ll never find
years. That number has tripled in Australia, something to wear that makes you feel
WHO CAN USE THEM OR, IF THEY’RE NOSTALGIC OR
F O R YO U R FAVO U R I T E C LOT H E S MAKE SURE THEY FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE, BODY AND THE CURRENT WEATHER/SEASON.
at twenty-seven kilograms per person per
beautiful, smart, or loved, if you don’t
year. Additionally, synthetic fabrics like
already think that you are”. In other words,
polyester, shed micro plastic particles into
nothing in the external world can
the water stream and enter the food chain
substitute a good relationship with
with every wash. So what can we do to
ourselves and with life. That relationship
AND OUT OF STORAGE.
reverse it?
can only develop from knowing ourselves
03 / SHOP LESS OFTEN + MORE
WHEN A NEW SEASON ROLLS IN AND THE WEATHER CHANGES, REASSESS YOUR WARDROBE, PULLING A FEW PIECES INTO
and building a lifestyle that suits our
I N T E N T I O N A L LY
deepest values.
W H E N Y O U D O S H O P, L O O K F O R
of carefully chosen clothing that makes
So how do we build the kind of capsule
PIECES THAT BRING YOU JOY.
dressing easier. It’s a way of personally
wardrobe that will make life easier and
reducing unconscious consumption,
more joyful? This simple three step process
particularly when buying ethical pieces.
will ensure you throw away the wrong
A capsule wardrobe is one solution – a small-sized but comprehensive collection
There’s endless benefits to simplifying your wardrobe and “being fashionable is easy when all your clothes are your favourite
W E L L-M A D E , L O N G-L A S T I N G
things, keep the right things, reduce buying mistakes and swap shopping for living better.
clothes”, as Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus say on their popular blog, The Minimalists. ISSUE NO. 26 / FETEPRESS.COM.AU
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wardrobe / W E L L - B E I N G
START BY TAKING EVERY THING OUT OF YOUR WARDROBE
All of it, until there’s only empty hangers. Now make three piles, the ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ and ‘decide later’ pile. The key here is to put nostalgia aside and make quick intuitive decisions, leaving anything not worn in a year firmly in the ‘no’ pile. MAKE A LIST
Now that you have your piles, you want to quickly analyse what’s there. Draw a line down the centre of a blank page and write ‘no’ and ‘yes’ at the top of each column. Check out your ‘no’ pile and note all the commonalities between the things that you’ve thrown out. Maybe there’s a lot of crochet items in that pile? One particular brand that never worked, or patterns or colours that you never wear. Personally, I discovered that only monochrome patterns
O P PO S I T E PAG E
01. K ayla Drape Coat in Rosy Blush $499, saba.com.au 02. Textured Coat in Black $139, zara.com/au/en 03. G riffin Anorak in Denim $389, morrisonshop.com 04. A ccolade Cardi in Grey Marl $370, viktoriaandwoods.com.au 05. L aura Short Sleeve Mock Neck Knit in Black, $129, saba.com.au 06. A lpaca V-Neck Poncho in Light Grey Melange $199, trenery.com.au
were timeless throughout the seasons and
07. N eck Tie Jumper in Off White £385, margarethowell.co.uk
crochet definitely didn’t work for me – so
08. Jordan Tee in Stripe $99, morrisonshop.com
now I avoid them when I shop. No matter how cute a crochet dress is, I leave it on the shelf because I know it’s likely to sit in my wardrobe gathering dust. As for the ‘yes’ list, write down all the common-threads in that pile and shop accordingly. I learnt that I tend to favour black, white and denim the most. It also showed me what I owned too much and too little of. For example, I learnt that I don’t need to buy another button-up shirt for as long as I live, but there was a big void of camisoles and going-out tops in my wardrobe. SLOWLY ROUND OUT YOUR CAPSULE WARDROBE
Since getting rid of the eighty percent of the clothes I wasn’t wearing, it’s been not only easier and less stressful to dress myself when I’m sleepy-eyed and in need of coffee in the mornings, but I also dress better, because there are less items to confuse my choices. I now see more clearly what I need to shop for (if I need to shop at all) and with the money saved from spending less on clothes, I treat myself to better quality, luxury pieces that will last the test of time.
09. S hirttail Short Sleeve in White and Black USD$80 each, both organicbyjohnpatrick.com 10. S hirttail Long Sleeve in White, Grey and Black USD$85 each, all organicbyjohnpatrick.com 11.
Totême Palencia Tuxedo Shirt
$390.01, mychameleon.com.au 12. L illian Top in Dusty Rose $143.10, saba.com.au 13. S hirred Crew Cuff Top in Black $69.95, witchery.com.au 14. B ias Slip in Camel USD$120, organicbyjohnpatrick.com 15. C hristopher Esber Godet Skirt $650, mychameleon.com.au 16. C harlton Knit Skirt in Black $299, camillanadmarc.com 17. C otton Twill Cropped Trousers in Cumin £161, toast.co.uk 18. H arriet Jean in Black $199.90, outlanddenim.com 19. M aison Scotch Petit Ami Marble Stone Slim Boyfriend $199.95, scotch-soda.com.au 20. R iley Five Pocket Skinny Jean in Faded Denim $99.95, decjuba.com.au 21. F eel The Night Clutch in Tan $129.95, statusanxiety.com.au 22. G wenn Folded Wallet in Black $119, countryroad.com.au 23. J erome Dreyfuss Felix Large Bag in Grey $785, mychameleon.com.au 24. O mni Shopper in Black $289, morrisonshop.com 25. P om Pom Beret in Black $39.95, seedheritage.com 26. A imee Beret in Grey $19.95, sportsgirl.com.au 27. B lush Floral Kerchief $14.95, sportsgirl.com.au 28. H elena Wool Scarf in Cashmere $109, cittadesign.com 29. E xtra Long Knit Scarf in Black $59.95, zara.com/au/eu 30. T he Modern Babo in Blush USD$145, everlane.com 31. Nord Flats in Black $159, elkaccessories.com 32. S elena Boot in Black $279, countryroad.com.au 33. L ace High Heel Ankle Boot in Black $119, zara.com/au/en 34. A nnie Sneaker $129, trenery.com.au
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wardrobe / W E L L - B E I N G
WINTER CAPSULE
01. COAT
08. T-SHIRT
14. SLIP
02. COAT
09. T-SHIRTS
15. SKIRT
21. CLUTCH
22. CLUTCH
28. SCARF
29. SCARF
03. COAT
04. KNIT
10. T-SHIRTS
16. SKIRT
17. PANTS
05. KNIT
06. KNIT
07. KNIT
11. SHIRT
12. BLOUSE
13. BLOUSE
18. JEANS
19. JEANS
20. JEANS
23. BAG
24. BAG
25. HAT
26. HAT
27. SCARF
30. SHOE
31. SHOE
32. BOOT
33. HEEL
34. SNEAKER
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wardrobe / W E L L - B E I N G
MIX AND MATCH / winter capsule
COAT
riffin Anorak in Denim G $389, morrisonshop.com T -S H I R T
hirttail Long Sleeve S in White USD$85, organicbyjohnpatrick.com
KNIT
lpaca V-Neck Poncho A in Light Grey Melange $199, trenery.com.au
WATCH
hite Stone and Black W Leather Watch $229, thehorse.com.au
UNDERWEAR
Base Range Mississippi Bra in Black $71 and Bell Pants in Black $40, both monkhousedesign.com
JEANS
Harriet Jean in Black $199.90, outlanddenim.com
SNEAKERS
nnie Sneaker $129, A trenery.com.au
BAG
mni Shopper in Black O $289, morrisonshop.com
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FETEPRESS.COM.AU / ISSUE NO.26
09. T-SHIRT
04. KNIT 12. BLOUSE
02. COAT 22. CLUTCH
32. BOOT
24. BAG
32. BOOT
29. SCARF
19. JEANS
20. JEANS
10. T-SHIRT
05. KNIT
06. KNIT
21. CLUTCH 02. COAT
23. BAG
32. BOOT 16. SKIRT
17. PANTS
31. SHOE
ISSUE NO. 26 / FETEPRESS.COM.AU
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25. HAT
04. KNIT
12. BLOUSE
10. T-SHIRT
01. COAT
23. BAG
32. BOOT 33. HEEL 16. SKIRT
15. SKIRT
13. BLOUSE 11. SHIRT
02. COAT 28. SCARF
29. SCARF
32. BOOT 22. CLUTCH 17. PANTS
24. BAG 31. SHOE
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19. JEANS
wardrobe / W E L L - B E I N G
MIX AND MATCH / winter capsule
COAT
riffin Anorak in Denim G $389, morrisonshop.com
T -S H I R T
SCARF
xtra Long Knit E Scarf in Black $59.95, zara.com/au/eu
Jordan Tee in Stripe $99, morrisonshop.com
SKIRT
harlton Knit Skirt in Black C $299, camillanadmarc.com
WATCH
Stock Watches S005K Lines in Black, compendiumstore.com.au
BOOTS
elena Boot in Black S $279, countryroad.com.au
BAG
mni Shopper in Black O $289, morrisonshop.com
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well-being / WA R D R O B E
MIX AND MATCH / winter capsule HAT
Pom Pom Beret in Black $39.95, seedheritage.com
COAT
ayla Drape Coat in K Rosy Blush $499, saba.com.au
GLASSES
E squire Glasses in Rose $145, baileynelson.com.au
SCARF
Helena Wool Scarf in Cashmere $109, cittadesign.com
SHIRT
Totême Palencia Tuxedo Shirt $390.01, mychameleon.com.au
FRAGRANCE
D iptyque Fleur de Peau EDP 75ml $204, mecca.com.au
BAG
J erome Dreyfuss Felix Large Bag in Grey $785, mychameleon.com.au
PANTS
Cotton Twill Cropped Trousers in Cumin £161, toast.co.uk
SNEAKERS
nnie Sneaker $129, A trenery.com.au
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FETEPRESS.COM.AU / ISSUE NO.26