What Colors Go in a Capsule Wardrobe? Linda's Color Rules Explained

What Colors Go in a Capsule Wardrobe? Linda's Color Rules Explained

You open your closet every morning and you still cannot find anything to wear.

Not because the clothes are not there. They are there. Lots of them. The problem is that nothing works together. The colors are fighting. The pieces are orphaned. You bought that blouse because it was beautiful on the hanger. Now it sits there with nothing to pair it with, and you grab the same safe outfit you wore three days ago.

I have seen this in closets from Atlanta to London to Lagos. And the fix is never more clothes. The fix is a color strategy.

Style is just a skill. Just like cooking. Just like driving a car. You can learn these things.

Color is where we start.

What Are the Best Neutral Colors for a Capsule Wardrobe?

Your neutrals are your foundation. Full stop.

In the capsule wardrobe, you have to have your white, your navy, your black, your gray, or your chocolate gray. Those are your staple colors. They are far more versatile than green or pink or red. Not because there is anything wrong with those colors. It is just that they are not your staple pieces. They are not your building blocks.

The staple colors are black, navy, white, ivory, taupe, and tan. These are colors that are very versatile and work with lots of other colors.

Think of your neutrals as the walls of a house. You do not argue with the walls. You decorate around them. Once your whites, blacks, navies, and grays are in place, every other color decision becomes easy.

This is the foundation layer of the LindaPaige Capsule Wardrobe: 30 essential, versatile items that mix and match to create multiple different outfits. The LindaPaige Capsule Wardrobe is a list of 30 essential, versatile items that mix and match easily to create multiple different outfits.

If you are not sure whether to go black or navy for a basic tee, go black. Black will always be back. Black is a beautiful color, as long as you are not wearing it to hide but to highlight your shape.

What Is the 80/20 Color Rule for a Capsule Wardrobe?

80% of your wardrobe should be built on neutrals. The remaining 20% is where your personality lives.

80 percent of the wardrobe is capsule wardrobe staple items. The other pieces, including statement items and personal favorites, form the remaining 20 percent.

80 percent is capsule wardrobe. 20 percent is the other stuff. And this is what produces versatility, simplicity, efficiency, affordability, and predictability. All of this makes you a much more confident dresser.

So that gorgeous floral blouse. The cobalt blue blazer. The animal print belt. Those live in your 20%.

They are not the foundation. They are the finishing touch.

And here is the thing about that 20%: it should excite you. It should feel like you. Add a splash of red, a splash of pink, a splash of beautiful grass green. Remember to be inspired by creation. Creation is our inspiration. If we just look around at people and at the earth around us, we will start being inspired with color and texture in our wardrobe.

Start with the basics of a capsule wardrobe before you build your accent layer. Foundation first. Always.

How Do I Know Which Shade of a Color Looks Best on Me?

This is the question every woman asks me. And the answer is simpler than you think.

I developed a system called **123 Color Me**, and it cuts through every confusing piece of color analysis advice you have ever received.

This led me in February 2018 to producing the simple concept of "123 Color Me." With a wave of His art brush, the Master Designer gives you permission to wear any color. Just choose 1 of 2 shades. If you like blue, work out whether turquoise is good on you or if navy is better. If you like red, should you be wearing a light, bright orange-red or is a deep berry better? So you love yellow. Is sunshine yellow good on you or is a mustard more flattering? I have tried it. It works.

That is it. You do not need a color analysis session costing hundreds of dollars. You do not need to know whether your veins are blue or green. You just need to pick a color you love and decide which of its two shades does more for your face.

I love navy. Navy tends to be quite harsh on me. So I would rather go for a lighter blue. That one decision changed how I felt in blue forever.

When it comes to color, I look to creation for inspiration. I believe the Great Designer has presented us with a stunning array of vibrant and intense colors to energize and uplift us. He is a God of absolute abundance.

Step outside. Look at what the ocean does. If you look outside, you see blue and brown far more than you see blue and black. You see the ocean. You see turquoise and brown, which are some of the most beautiful color combinations.

Nature never gets the color combinations wrong. Neither will you, once you start taking your cues from creation instead of fashion magazines.

How Do I Combine Colors Without Looking "Matchy-Matchy"?

Stop trying to match. Start thinking in color ways.

You do not have to match colors. You only have to have a color way. Think about the same color but different shades. You could go gray with black with brown, ivory, white, charcoal gray, light gray. If you want to do pants, you could go with black pants. You could do red heels because the whole outfit flows, and then a nice pop of red is fine. But do not be matching your top and your shoes in the exact same shade of chocolate brown.

This is the difference between a woman who looks pulled together and a woman who looks like she tried too hard. Flow, not matching. White and nude and denim is very classic. Ivory and white together, camel and white: that light golden camel color with white is always modern, always classic, really cute, very chic, and then add a bit of denim and you are good to go.

Some of my favorite combinations from my coaching sessions:

White on white is fine with a brown belt and a blue blazer. It is going to be nice and crisp and fresh. You can also do your blazer with your white collar shirt tucked neatly into your bootleg jeans with a nice brown belt.

You can wear red and brown. You can. There is nothing wrong with that. Keep the bottom very simple. A nice pair of bootleg jeans or camel pants would look really good with that.

Want to know exactly what to clear out before you start building these combinations? Read what a closet cull actually is and do that first.

What Role Does Red Play in a Capsule Wardrobe?

Red is the final and most powerful item in the LindaPaige 30-piece Capsule Wardrobe. It is item number 30 for a reason.

You are beautiful. You are worthy. You are set apart. And you are called to be a bold light on a hill. If you are the quieter, shy type, red can be your best friend. The color red carries a power that no other color does. It will position you and strengthen your stature. It will have you dressing differently, accessorizing differently, and even speaking differently.

I tell my clients: think of the Ferrari.

Remember the Ferrari in your closet. It is red for a reason. The Ferrari is a world-renowned item for a reason. And it is not black. Yes, you get them in other colors, but a Ferrari is nothing like it is in red. Red is simple. It is beautiful. It is powerful.

If red feels like too big a leap right now, start small.

If the thought of wearing red intimidates you, start small. Try some red nail polish, or a red scarf. Maybe you prefer flat shoes to heels, so get yourself a beautiful pair of red ballet pumps.

And for the blazer? Start with a navy blazer as the most versatile option, and once you gain confidence wearing it, invest in a powerful black blazer, a beautiful ivory or white version, or how about a ruby red wool blazer for the royalty in you?

Red is not for the bold woman only. It is for the woman who is becoming bold.

Why Do Women Over 45 Get Color So Wrong?

Because nobody taught them. And everything they did hear was conflicting.

I remember standing in front of my closet at 40, completely lost. Trying to figure out my color scheme with Color Me Beautiful and all the conflicting advice I was getting, the advice on color was like the advice on health. It was completely conflicting. So I went and educated myself.

Menopause changes your skin tone. Weight changes shift the way color sits on your body. The colors that worked at 35 may not serve you at 55. This is not a problem. It is information. Pick whatever color you love, then select the shade for you. If you like blue, invest time in working out whether turquoise is good on you or if navy is better. If you like red, should you be wearing a light, bright orange-red or is a deep berry better? So you love yellow. Is sunshine yellow good on you or is a mustard more flattering? Invest the time and effort to figure out the right shade, and the rainbow becomes your color palette for life.

Although fine is fine, I do not go for fine. I want to go for beautiful. I want to feel bold. I want to feel confident. I want to feel special.

Women are allowed to feel beautiful. Write that down.

If you want a structured approach to building your whole wardrobe from the ground up, start with how many pieces a capsule wardrobe should have and build from there.

How Do I Build a Color-Smart Capsule Wardrobe on a Budget?

Quality over quantity. Every time.

The number one rule of thumb when it comes to your style strategy is quality over quantity.

You do not need every color in every shade. You