Capsule wardrobe for women: start with the trousers

The order is my stance. A coat photographs well, but you wear trousers every day and a coat for five months of the year. Get two pairs right and every top you own suddenly has somewhere to go.

The idea is older than the hashtag. Susie Faux, who ran a London boutique called Wardrobe, revived the term in the 1970s. Her list asks for two trousers, a dress or skirt, a jacket, a coat, a knit, two shoes and two bags.

Donna Karan made it famous in 1985 with a collection of seven work clothes that all matched.

Quick facts

• Items: 9, totalling CAD 8,406, read 5 November 2026 on within.
• Trousers: CAD 479 and CAD 749, both in wool blends.
• Tops and knit: CAD 245 to CAD 595.
• Shoes: CAD 399 for a calf leather flat, CAD 1,350 for an ankle boot.
• The bag: CAD 3,300, a Goyard tote, the one place the money goes.
• Shipping: both shops below ship to the US, the UK and Australia.

Two trousers, one wide and one straight

Undercover's wool blend wide leg pants are made in Japan, 68% polyester and 32% wool with a cupro lining, CAD 749. Wide legs hide a flat shoe and suit a boot, which is why they come first.

The second pair should be straight and light. INTO THE EAST's textured wool fringed trousers in ivory are CAD 479 in sizes 36 to 40. The fringe at the hem is the only detail in the whole capsule.

Both sit at WDLT117, a designer shop that ships to the US, the UK and Australia. For how to wear the wide pair, the note on how to style wide leg trousers goes further.

Two tops and a knit

Helmut Lang's 4x4 turtleneck in white is 95% cotton with a little stretch, CAD 245. It goes under the coat, under the cardigan and alone.

Song for the Mute's long shirt in charcoal falls past the hip, CAD 429. Wear it open over the turtleneck when the capsule starts to bore you.

Pleats Please Issey Miyake makes the basic pleated cardigan in black, CAD 595. Miyake launched the Pleats Please line in 1993, and its polyester is pleated after it is cut and sewn, so the pleats are permanent.

A capsule is a set of trousers with everything else agreeing.

A coat, two shoes and the bag

INTO THE EAST's cocoon coat in oat is one size, CAD 860. Oat goes with black and ivory, which is the whole point of the colours above.

For shoes, one flat and one boot. Coperni's ballerina belt flat is calf leather, made in Spain, CAD 399. MM6 Maison Margiela's Anatomic ankle boots are black calf, CAD 1,350.

Spend the most on the bag, because it outlives the rest. Goyard has made trunks in Paris since 1853. Its Saint Louis tote PM in black is CAD 3,300 at Utopia, a resale shop that ships to the same three countries.

How to keep it to nine

Buy one item a month and wear it for four weeks before the next. If a new top does not work with both trousers, return it.

More clothes in the same colours sit in the smart casual outfits for women edit and on the classic style page for women. Nine items in two colours make more outfits than thirty in ten.

Common questions

What is a capsule wardrobe for women?

A small set of clothes in a few colours that all work together. Susie Faux's list asks for two trousers, a skirt or dress, a jacket, a coat, a knit, two shoes and two bags.

What are the 10 items of a capsule wardrobe?

Two trousers, a skirt, two tops, a knit, a coat, two pairs of shoes and a bag. The version above drops the skirt and runs to CAD 8,406, read 5 November 2026.

How do I start a capsule wardrobe?

Start with two pairs of trousers you would wear four days a week, then add tops that work with both. Leave the coat and the bag for last.

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