Life has been coming at me fast these past few months.
A career switch, countless goodbyes, and moving to Europe—the whirlwind exposed some tough decisions that I hadn’t put enough thought behind.
Emotionally, some were harder than others, but whittling my wardrobe down to what I could fit in a carry-on, checked bag, and backpack was the most challenging.
I remembered that there’s a whole movement behind this—with its own term and everything—capsule wardrobes.
After browsing through some guides, one thing seemed common between all of them. The final assortments all looked the same—a bland mix of athleisure, business casual, and loungewear. No color, no spice, no soul.
I made it to Italy with the fewest amount of clothes I’ve ever owned. Over weeks of scrutinizing the clothes I had and any new purchases for things I was missing, I figured out how to craft a capsule wardrobe that balances self-expression with versatility, particularly through these six key pieces.
A Casual Blazer
I’d say I’m a pretty lucky guy to not have any work dress codes to guide my wardrobe curation, but that isn’t to say I don’t bring my A game everywhere I go.
Your mileage may vary, but whether you work from home or you’re a full-blown digital nomad, consider a casual blazer to fill that sartorial niche without the complexity of a multi-piece suit.
It might be tempting to borrow your black or navy suit jacket for a casual outfit with jeans and an oxford. To me, the sheen of an “office suit” clashes with the understated swagger of the broken suit look—thus making it an inefficient part of a capsule wardrobe.
forét’s Valley Unconstructed Blazer illustrates this concept beautifully. It’s clearly a suit jacket at first glance, but the ripstop fabric and relaxed fit reject any association with monkey suits. Any combination of sweater, shirt, pants, and shoes could be picked at random and somehow look planned with how versatile this style of blazer is.
This is the perfect mix of tough and classy for my capsule wardrobe criteria. It’s made from this super durable ripstop twill fabric, so it holds up great, but it still has that classic, polished look.
Do-it-All Denim
Jeans are a pillar to any man’s wardrobe, capsule or not, but finding something truly unique isn’t easy when everything looks the same aside from the branded leather patch stitched to the waist.
On the flipside, anything too experimental detracts doesn’t have a place in capsule wardrobes. It’s all about balance. I tend to look for denim with more mojo than the traditional 5-pocket jean—paint brush loops, slubby fabric, selvedge details—subtle excitement.
Inspired by military fatigues, CLOSED’s Fatigue-X Relaxed Jeans are a prime example. The overall silhouette doesn’t stray from the fundamentals, but the exterior pockets highlighted by contrast stitching inject a noticeable amount of visual appeal without overdoing it. Plus, I find that relaxed-fit jeans have a broader range of styling options than slim or skinny.
The Fatigue-X Relaxed Jeans are made from green-cast denim thanks to a special blend of cotton and hemp. The green tint is subtle, which in addition to the unique pocket design, makes them distinct yet easily stylable.
A Versatile Belt
Multiples of a garment can quickly take up space, and belts are no exception.
It doesn’t help that belts fall under one of the core tenets of masculine style: matching your belt with your dress shoes. So how do you maximize style potential without sacrificing a light load? By copping a reversible belt.
Granted, the one that I have isn’t exactly a stunner. Once it finally succumbs to the outward forces of my waist, I’ll end up scoring something like Roderer’s Ace Reversible Belt. Whether I’m in black loafers or chocolate dress boots, I’ve got single-belt immunity to any fashion police citations, and the matte-black buckle just oozes sophistication.
Elevated Swimwear
Men are comically limited compared to the variety of swimwear designs that the ladies enjoy. Serving poolside looks with nothing but a swim trunk is like trying to recreate The Last Supper with a ballpoint pen.
And now the task is to pick one?
Lucky for you, trawling the web for the latest and greatest menswear is part of my job, and your one dutiful swim trunk doesn’t have to be a snoozefest.
The Resort Co’s Classic Swim Shorts are truly a fresh take on men’s swimwear. We all love a swordfish-printed swim trunk, but for what it lacks in festive patterns, it makes up for in texture. With the dressy charm of seersucker fabric, I could go from pool party to “Matt, party of five” without seeing the inside of a changing room.
Unique Sneakers
I tout white low-top sneakers as the ultimate casual footwear option for (almost) limitless style possibilities. Pretty as they may be, every guy has a pair, and they don’t exactly say much about my taste.
Even though German Army trainers have a bit more going on in terms of silhouette and color, they mesh with my style seamlessly the same way white low-tops do. The same can be said about the CLAE Malone Sneaker. Regardless of which colorway, the clean aesthetic combined with a low profile makes it business-casual friendly, and a few hits of color aren’t hard to work around.
The Malone from L.A. eco-friendly sneakerheads, Clae, has been one of our sleeper hits of the year. With a stylish profile and super comfortable premium court sole and EVA footbed---you'll sleep easy at night if sustainability is important for you given the brand's focus on recycled materials. We dig.
Capable Cargo
To close things out, consider upgrading your capsule wardrobe’s transportation to something equally snazzy. The whole “grab it and go” efficiency is the whole reason I curated my own capsule wardrobe, after all.
Ten years ago, cool luggage was only available to those with enough cash to buy one from a luxury fashion house. Now proles like me can haul in style on the same budget that would otherwise only afford me a Samsonite that looks fresh out of a time machine from 1995.
The Floyd Cabin Travel Case has my attention. Their trunks are available in a wide range of colors from neutrals to brights, however their wheels are the real show stopper. I love how their signature transparent red contrasts with the shell, and get this, they move with ball bearings. If I’m feeling a different color, I can swap them with any of the alternative colors they sell.
If you dig 1970s Venice Beach skateboarding culture, you'll dig the retro-cool Floyd Cabin travel cases. Constructed from sturdy Makrolon® polycarbonate and with aluminium handles and laptop holder, these nonconformist beauties are built to survive even the wildest of trips.
If selling years of curated heat on the Facebook marketplace wasn’t bad enough, it was a potent reminder of why I shouldn’t hoard anything I find remotely cool when life’s chaos suddenly requires me to get rid of it.
True as that may be, a man like myself who cares deeply for the art of clothing design won’t stoop to a wardrobe that I’m not stoked to wear just because I need simplicity. You shouldn’t either.
