This post was provided by Jason Feller, senior writer and blogger for Dealspotr.com, an online community dedicated to helping shoppers find the best possible deal at their favorite stores and on their favorite products. I’m incredibly excited to feature Jason on Diary of a Debutante this morning, and I hope you enjoy his writing and shopping tips as much as I do. 

So you have read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up and have decided to focus on your wardrobe. You have donated, thrown out, or recycled all the items that did not “spark joy” for you, and now you are at a crossroads. How do you build your wardrobe back up to one that is practical, stylish, but won’t overtake your closet? For many fashion-conscious and environmentally-conscious women, the answer is to use a capsule wardrobe. Capsule wardrobes are wardrobes that consist of a limited number of essentials for one’s closet.

How big or small the wardrobe is determined by you. You can have one general capsule wardrobe, or a capsule wardrobe for each season. Many people love the challenge of building and maintaining their capsule wardrobe – it limits clutter, is a great budget saver, and you get to save on laundry costs, too. How great is that?

Build On Basics

Most capsule wardrobes start out with some basics. A classic white shirt, black pants, black skirt, and little black dress can all be dressed up or down, and can go from day to evening, office to outdoors in a wide variety of situations. To build up those basics, look for them at stores like the Gap or Nordstrom.

Don’t Forget About Underwear

Generally, most people don’t count underwear in their capsule wardrobes. You don’t have to, either, but you should invest in decent underwear and bras to look your absolute best in the clothes you already have. Most women wear the wrong bra size for them, so it is absolutely worth taking your time to go a department or specialty store to find out your true bra size. The better your undergarments, the more confident you will feel in your clothes, and that confidence will project outward.

Get A Tailor

Most off-the-rack clothes do not conform perfectly to your body, and this is by design. If you want to look like a million bucks on a budget, take your best clothes, and take them to a tailor to have them altered to fit your body, not someone else’s. You will be amazed at what two inches here, or a tuck there, can do for you. Have you ever seen clothes on a mannequin at the department store? If you look closely, you will see that there are pins on the back of their jackets or dresses, to make the outfit conform to the mannequin’s figure, instead of the clothes hanging loosely. That’s the same thing you are doing with the tailor, except the changes to your clothing are more permanent.

Don’t Forget About Color & Personal Tastes

It can be very tempting to have only clothes in a few solid colors or neutrals like grays and browns. While it might be practical, you could find yourself easily getting bored. Liven up your wardrobe with color, and inject some of your personal tastes into it – whether it is a favorite print on a dress, or a shirt with an alluring ruffle. You are the one wearing all the clothes in your wardrobe, so make sure that you will be the one enjoying it the most.

Like what you read? Check out more of Jason’s articles at Dealspotr.com.