Start from what you already wear
The most reliable capsule starts with evidence, not aspiration. Over a normal week, notice what you reach for without thinking: the trousers that fit, the shirt that survives a full day, the shoes you can walk in. Those pieces are your foundation, and they should stay.
Then look at what never leaves the closet. Most people find the same three culprits: items bought for a version of their life they do not live, items that fit badly enough to be uncomfortable, and duplicates only slightly different from a favorite.
Photograph the foundation once
A capsule only works if you can see it. Photograph the pieces you are keeping — flat or on a hanger, in daylight — and let the app record the cut, color, material, and pattern. Ten or fifteen items are enough to start planning real outfits, and you can add more whenever something earns its place.
Test the rule on paper before you buy
Before adding a new piece, ask what it will combine with. If you cannot name three existing items, it is not a capsule piece — it is a purchase. Kaloft answers that question visually: add a product photo of the piece you are considering and see it styled with the wardrobe you already own, in the kind of scene you would actually wear it.
If you want the arithmetic first, count the outfits your wardrobe can already make — the total is usually far higher than it feels, and it shows which category is actually limiting you.
Plan outfits, not outfits-in-theory
A capsule wardrobe fails when it is only a list. Plan a few complete looks for the week ahead — a workday, a weekend, one evening — and save them. The morning decision becomes a choice between finished outfits, and a piece that never appears in a planned look is telling you something.
