Minimalist Winter Capsule Wardrobe | 9 ITEMS, 9 OUTFITS

Three pieces of outerwear, two pairs of pants, two sweaters, one pair of sneakers, and a black hat. That's all you need for a minimalist winter capsule wardrobe. I'll show you each piece and nine different ways to style them right after this. I'm Brian Sakowit, this is He Spoke Style. Advice and inspiration to help you dress well, develop your personal style, and be more confident. So let me answer the biggest question you might have, which is why would you want to have a minimalist wardrobe? Because isn't one of the best things about style all of the options and variety that you have to choose from? I had the exact same question 11 years ago, and it was right after I read the Steve Jobs biography. Steve Jobs, as you probably know, was famous for wearing the same thing every single day. Black Issey Miyake turtleneck, Levi's 501s, and New Balance 992s. This was his uniform, and one of the reasons he said he liked wearing the same thing every day was because it completely eliminated having to decide what to wear every day, and that freed up his mind to focus on other things like building one of the biggest brands in the world. That idea of having one less thing to think about every day was very interesting to me, and I was really attracted to the idea of simplifying. What more could I accomplish, or what new things might I accomplish if I remove that daily style decision from my life? I really wanted to know, and I decided to try it out for myself, so I made the year 2012 the year of wearing one thing. So this experiment was actually the thing that kind of made me start He Spoke Style, and one of the very first posts I did on the website back in 2013 was all about the journey I took wearing one thing. So there were obviously some challenges, little tweaks I needed to make here and there. I don't want to get too deep into that right now, but if you're interested in reading that post, I'll link to it right up there so you can check it out. But one of the biggest takeaways for me having gone through that is that I really learned that you don't need a whole lot of options, and if you've got the right pieces, they're versatile, they all work together, and you've chosen them with intention, you really do learn to do more with less. And yes, that's freeing mentally, financially, and simplifying in that way can really help you dial in and solidify a very strong sense of personal style. And that ethos of doing more with less, of having a wardrobe full of versatile quality pieces, is exactly what the luxury menswear brand Lestrange London is all about, and it's why I'm proud to partner with them once again for this video. Their entire collection, in addition to being incredibly versatile, is focused on quality and only uses renewable and recycled materials, so they're able to reduce their impact on the environment, which is another benefit of having a lean and minimal wardrobe. The fit, as you'll see shortly, is outstanding, and if you want to check out any of the pieces I'll be featuring in this video, I'll have links down below in the description. Okay, so the first piece we have here is the Lestrange London Modular Wool Coat. It is made from 100% recycled Melton wool that is GRS certified. It's a very dense weave that feels really nice in the hand. It's definitely going to keep you warm and protected from the wind. Styling-wise, we've got two outer pockets, two inner pockets, and the one on the left is a zip closure, so great for a wallet. Inside also is a clip-on snap, so if you wanted to layer in one of their other pieces, like a vest, it's very easy to do. It has a single vent in the back and a zip up front with snap closures, which, when you do them up, makes for a very sleek, minimal appearance. I went with a size medium here just so I could have a little more room for layering, a little more comfort. If I wanted something more fitted, I definitely would have gone with a size small. Up next, we have the Lestrange London Hydro Wool Bomber. Now, this is made from a very tightly spun wool and engineered with a bonded waterproof membrane, so not only do you have a windproof fabric, but it's one that is waterproof as well, while still being comfortable and breathable. Two outer pockets, fully lined on the inside with two inner pockets. It's got knit ribbed cuffs, same on the collar, as well as the bottom finishing and a zip up closure. Our third piece of outerwear is the Lestrange London Modular Vest. It's got a zip up front, two outside pockets, one inner pocket. It's made with 100% recycled polyester. It's extremely lightweight, but it will keep you warm. And it's not very bulky, which is what you want because, in addition to being a great standalone piece of outerwear, it also works great as a layering piece. You may remember from a previous video that I had the navy version of this. Had that in a medium, which I thought was just slightly too large, so I went for a small this time, and I think it fits much better. Up next, we have a pair of black wool trousers. These are the Lestrange London 24 wool trousers, and these were actually a huge surprise to me. I'm very picky about how my pants fit, and and I've pretty much given up at this point on off-the-rack options for trousers like this, but these have completely exceeded my expectations. Before I show you the fit though, let's talk details. They're made from a 100% merino wool flannel. It does have just a little bit of stretch, so super comfortable. It has a hidden elastic waistband, inner cord fastening, both a hook and eye closure, and snap that is hidden. Single pocket on the back with a snap closure and two side pockets. Fit. So, I was worried that these were going to be way too slim. The leg opening is around 14 inches, but as you can see, they're cut really well. They're not too slim, they're not too baggy, they're easy to move around in, they're very comfortable, and I think they're pretty smart and versatile. Work, date, just hanging out at home, they're perfect for that. Our second pair of trousers is this cream cotton pair. Pretty standard. Two front pockets, two back pockets, hook and eye closure, belt loops, and I do have these styled with a two-inch cuff. I think it's a little more of a smarter look and nice balance with the plain bottom black trousers. Next, we have a cashmere hoodie. I mean, what can you say about this? It's a hoodie, it's cashmere, super soft, very comfortable, and I think having a casual staple like a hoodie in a luxury fabric is an easy upgrade to make your casual outfits more elegant and chic. Another cashmere sweater here with this cream colored turtleneck. You know, in addition to being practical in terms of warmth, a turtleneck is also timeless and sophisticated, especially when you're pairing it with other pieces that might tend to be a little sportier. It's a great and very interesting juxtaposition that just works. I'm only choosing one pair of shoes and, of course, going with the minimal white leather sneaker. I've designed this entire capsule wardrobe to have a very cool and chic vibe that walks the line between casual and sophisticated and really no other pair of shoes does that better than the classic minimal white sneaker. Finally, we have a simple black baseball cap. This is from Lestrange London. It's made with a heavyweight organic cotton twill. It's got the adjustable strap in the back. Very subtle minimal branding. I have trouble finding hats that fit my head well, especially baseball hats, but this one fits great. It's very comfortable and it's the perfect finishing touch for the vibe of all of the outfits. And speaking of the outfits, now that we've got all the pieces, let's jump in and check out nine ways to style them. But quick word before we get to the outfits and something to really pay attention to here. So, we're dealing with a really finite amount of things. Two pairs of pants, two tops, three pieces of outerwear, one pair of shoes, one accessory, and an extremely limited neutral color palette of dark and light. Now, with all these constraints, especially only having four foundational items, you might think that it would be difficult to create variety and to really have each outfit look different. But, as you'll see, it's possible. And honestly, what makes it possible, especially during the winter, is to have a few key pieces of outerwear. Now, this will completely change the look and feel of your outfit, but enough talk. Let me show you what I'm talking about. First look, starting off with the hoodie paired with the cream pants, white sneakers, black cap. And just so you know, because I'm going to be wearing the sneakers and the hat in every look, I'm not going to keep mentioning that. So, to finish this look off, I'm going with the vest. This combination is very sporty, but it also has an elevated feel to it because of the cashmere hoodie, as well as the color of the pants. Next, sticking with the same foundation, but instead of the vest, I'm going with the hydro wool bomber. And here you can start to see exactly what I was talking about in the setup. It's the same exact foundation as the previous outfit, but somehow it looks completely different. And you can change the whole vibe even more by adding a cool pair of black sunglasses. And to finish this first trio off, I'm swapping the bomber for the wool coat. Here we've got a completely different silhouette, different feel, obviously different level of warmth, and a pretty cool juxtaposition of casual, sporty, and slightly dressy. Now, if you look at each of these outfits side by side, you can really see how different and distinct they are, simply because of the outerwear and the vibe that each piece gives off. Next, I'm sticking with a hoodie, but swapping out the cream pants for the black pair, and then we're going to go with the vest to finish it off. Again, compared to the version with the cream pants, look one, we have a completely different feel here. Because there's a lot more black in this outfit, it's edgier, a little more serious, but still sporty. And instead of the black pieces being the accent, we're letting the light colored hoodie and the sneakers provide the contrast. Look five, you guessed it, just swapping the vest for the bomber. With the jacket zipped up, the look is very clean, almost monolithic, except for the two pops of contrast with the hood and the sneakers. Moving on from the hoodie at this point, and swapping it out for the cream turtleneck, and pairing it with the black pants and the vest. Now, I'm going to tuck in the turtleneck here. I think it looks clean and sharp, and I think it goes better with the general feel of this outfit, which I would describe as chic, sporty, and sophisticated. Perfect for running around during the day. And then to transition that look to something more for the evening or, you know, if it happens to be colder out, going to swap the vest for the overcoat. I think combining dressier pieces in a more sporty or casual context is a great way to experiment. And this look in particular is one that I really like. For the first of the final two looks, I'm taking look six and swapping the black pants for the cream pair. So, instead of an edgier look, we've got something a little bit fresher, sort of an apres-ski vibe, but definitely more of an outfit for the daytime. And then we're taking this same foundation and changing the vest for the overcoat. And not to keep saying the same thing, but with just one small change, as you can see, you can completely transform how an outfit looks. So, what's really interesting about a capsule wardrobe is that although it is very simple, it does take some thought and effort to put one together. You got to be sure that you've got really versatile pieces that work together, and that's really the trick. So, I've actually done a lot of this work for you and put together that playlist right over there, which is designed to help you build and apply the capsule wardrobe concept in a variety of ways. Whether you are a beginner looking to start from scratch, if you're looking for a versatile business casual wardrobe or a seasonal wardrobe, click on that playlist to see exactly how it's done.